It's Time to Finally Drop Internet Explorer 6

PC World — A security researcher has published exploit code for the latest Internet Explorer zero-day flaw on the Web and Microsoft is warning that more attacks against the unpatched vulnerability can be expected in-the-wild. One thing seems to be more apparent with each passing Internet Explorer (IE) vulnerability: its time to upgrade the Web browser.

IE Zero-Day Exploit Code Goes Public
Slideshow: The Web Browser Turns 15: A Look Back

This zero-day exploit of Internet Explorer is just the most recent demonstrating that IE8 is more secure than its predecessors--especially IE6. Security aside, Web hosts and developers generally despise IE6 as well. For evidence of this fact you need look no further than the extensive list of supporters displayed on the IE6nomore.com site.

IE6 is Note Secure

Wolfgang Kandek, CTO of Qualys, noted via email "IE6 is a 10-year old browser, with its architecture designed when the Internet was a much more innocent place. IE8 has many additional security features and had the Microsoft (MSFT) SDL [Security Development Lifecycle] applied throughout. Its CSS and JavaScript support are much better than IE6, or even IE7, and it is a much more robust interface for the new Web 2.0 type applications."

Joshua Talbot, Security Intelligence Manager, Symantec Security Response agreed "IE 6 does not have the security features implemented in later versions of IE; for example, Data Execution Prevention (DEP) and Protected Mode. DEP makes it more difficult for attackers to successful exploit memory corruption vulnerabilities, while Protected Mode limits what an attacker can do if they are able to gain control of the IE process."

This is the part where many readers stop reading and jump over to the comments to express their opinion--sometimes quite passionately--that everyone should just stop using Internet Explorer completely and that anyone who chooses to continue using IE as their Web browser deserves the issues and security concerns that come with it.

Judging from the Web browser market share trends, there are many who subscribe to the "drop Internet Explorer" mantra. Microsoft has seen steady--although minute--declines in market share month after month, while rival Web browsers such as Firefox and Chrome continue to make gains. Still, Microsoft holds a dominant stake at almost 62 percent--more than double the share held by second-place Firefox.

If you drill a little deeper in the browser market share data, though, you will find that not only is Internet Explorer the number one browser, but IE8 specifically is at the top of the list with more than 22 percent of the browser market. Not too shabby for a browser that will celebrate its one-year anniversary next week.

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