Internet Explorer: Users Beware
Being told not to do something is never something you want to hear. Aside from enjoying the feeling of being able to do whatever you want, whenever you want, hearing the words “Do not ___” often does nothing more than make you want to do exactly what you were told not to.
Now, having just explained that no one likes hearing the words “do not,” we need you to put aside the distaste for those words and hear us out on something that you absolutely need to stop doing. Even the United States government is urging users to stop doing this. So, here it is. The moment you’ve all been waiting for:
DO NOT USE INTERNET EXPLORER.
Beyond its being an outdated web browser, Internet Explorer has an alarming security flaw, leaving users extremely vulnerable to, as Microsoft puts it, “targeted attacks.” Something about the term “remote code execution vulnerability” gives us the chills…
Contrary to early reports on Tuesday morning, a patch has not yet been released and Microsoft is still working on one. “Working on” and “has” are very different from one another. The two most alarming bits of information that have come up? With its recently discontinued support of Windows XP, those still using XP will not receive a patch for the issue.
Equally as alarming is the fact that all versions of Internet Explorer are affected. Now, this doesn’t mean the issue’s appeared out of nowhere and happens to impact all versions. Instead, this reveals that the issue has been around for over a decade!
Sure, there are a few [supposed] caveats to those who are susceptible – supposedly Adobe Flash player is the gateway – but let’s go ahead and err on the side of safety and just agree to not use Internet Explorer. Beyond its being a fool-proof way to avoid any “remote code executions” in Internet Explorer, your web browsing habits will be very appreciative. After all, who wants to go from browsing the internet to suddenly losing all control of their computer?
So, how do you protect yourself? If you’re using Internet Explorer, stop using it. There’s no shortage of free options out there, with Chrome, Safari and Firefox being among the more widely used options.
If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know. We’re happy to help out.