Andre Yoskowitz
18 Jan 2010 19:28
Yesterday, the German government released a statement slamming the security of the Internet Explorer browser and telling all users to find an alternative.
Today, the French "Certa" government agency has followed suit, warning users against using versions 6,7, and 8 of the browser. "Pending a patch from the publisher, Certa recommends using an alternative browser," says the agency.
Microsoft, in the midst of a public relations disaster, has said that IE8 is the "most secure browser on the market" and users of older versions should upgrade. Cliff Evans, IE head of security and privacy said the "risk is minimal," and that to be affected a user must be using IE6 and visit "a compromised website."
Despite only admitting problems with IE6, security company Sophos says all Microsoft browsers are affcted: "Microsoft themselves admit there is a vulnerability, even in IE8," added Graham Cluley.
Internet Explorer, in 2003, had a 97 percent dominate market share position that has continuously declined to its current 65 percent range.