Firefox users are safer than Internet Explorer users, according to a report released by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Google, and IBM. The study also indicated that more than 600 million Web browsers were at risk this year.
The study notes the importance of auto-update services for Internet browsers that are enabled by default and avoid being a distraction to users. This is where Mozilla’s Firefox outperforms Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Most Firefox users updated to a new version of the browser within three days of its release. About 83% of Firefox users were using the most updated and secure version of the browser, compared to just 47.6% of IE users during the first six months of this year.
Sixty-five percent of Safari users were found to be using the latest version of the browser.
Firefox’s single-click auto-update was noted as the most efficient patching process for browsers. IE, on the other hand, must be updated through the broader Windows Updates.
This information only boosts Firefox’s reputation as a very legitimate threat to IE’s market leadership. Mozilla’s browser currently accounts for about 19% of the browser market.
IE is also suffering from further bad press as of late. The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) recently warned about a major security hole found in IE6, IE7, and IE8, beta 1. The problem will be targeted in IE8, beta 2, which is slated for an August release. A blacklist will be cross referenced to prevent users from accessing risky sites. Firefox’s blacklist is updated several times a day, while IE8, beta 2 will cross reference its blacklist every time a new page is opened.
Firefox has all the momentum right now, and it appears that IE has little to fight back with.
Sources:
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=013000G4YJ60
http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/007215.html
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