internet explorer 7

New security holes found in Internet Explorer

Paul Mah — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:15:21 -0400

Two separate security holes were found in Microsoft's Internet Explorer this week, one in Internet Explorer 7 and another in Internet Explorer 6. The vulnerability in IE7 was discovered by "sirdarckcat" and is detailed at security firm Secunia's website. Rated as moderately critical, it can be exploited to perform spoofing by autonomously switching the location of another frame. The IE6 vulnerability, on the other hand, can be used by an unauthenticated attacker to execute code in the security context of another domain. Microsoft says that it is currently investigating both reports, and is not aware of any attempts, at the moment, to exploit them.

To read up more the two Internet Explorer vulnerabilities:
- check out this eWeek article

Microsoft releases IE8 Beta 1

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 06:59:55 -0500

Finally reworked those web apps to be fully compatible with Internet Explorer 7? Good, because here comes IE8. Earlier this week, Microsoft posted Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 on its website, in order to offer a sneak peek to developers. The beta is available for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 and can be downloaded by anyone, not just developers. Among the revamped features are a new Favorites bar, an improved antiphishing filter and automatic crash recovery (a la Firefox). IE8 also will bring a number of brand new features like "WebSlices" (basically a clone of the "Web Clip" feature seen in OS X Leopard) and "Activities," which will allow users to create their own mashups. Though it should go without saying, this is beta software, so exercise caution when installing and running it on your system.

For more on the beta:
- see this ComputerWorld article

IE8 Beta coming soon

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:59:54 -0500

Internet Explorer 7 might still seem fresh, at least as far as Microsoft products go but that doesn't mean that the next next version, Internet Explorer 8, isn't coming down the pike. Over the weekend, Microsoft announced to beta testers that IE8 Beta 1 can be expected to arrive shortly. "We are nearing the launch of Windows Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 and we will be making it available for the general public to download and test," the email says. "IE8 Beta 1 is focused on the developer community, with the goal of gaining valuable feedback to improve Internet Explorer 8 during the development process." According to current roadmaps, IE8 will be available for Windows Vista and XP during the first half of the year.

For more on the next version of IE:
- see this Ars Technica article

Small company files suit against Microsoft and Adobe

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Texas-based Aloft Media, has filed a suit against Microsoft and Adobe for allegedly infringing on two of the company's patents. The patents in question are for two technologies related to the GUI that displays URLs in a Web browser: the "Network Browser Graphical User Interface for Managing Web Content" and "Network Browser Window with Adjacent Identifier Selector." In court filings, Aloft alleges that Microsoft is in violation in Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Vista; Adobe infringes in Acrobat Standard, Acrobat Professional, and Acrobat 3D, the court filings state.

For news on this brewing controversy:
- see the Infoworld article

XML flaw a risk in new IE version

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 19:01:38 -0500

Yesterday's Patch Tuesday brought fixes for Windows, including one deemed "critical," which was tied to Microsoft's XML Core Services components. The flaw also poses a risk for users of Internet Explorer 7, which Microsoft recently began rolling out through its Automatic Update service. All of Microsoft's customers are expected to have the new browser by year's end. Analysts recommend that everyone upgrade to the new version, due to enhanced security provisions.

For more on the patch, IE news:
- check out the article at BPM Today

IE7 phishing vulnerability found

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 20:01:39 -0400

It's official--Internet Explorer 7, released just last week, has its first vulnerability, which has been deemed "less critical" by a security vendor. According to Secunia, the flaw helps mask phishing attacks--a security weakness that Microsoft allegedly focused on fixing in the new version of its browser. It seems that IE7 allows a Web site to open a pop-up window which could entice users to click through to an external site where their confidential information or passwords are collected. Microsoft says it's working to fix the flaw. An earlier report of an IE flaw turned out to be a Outlook vulnerability instead.

For more on IE's first official security issue:
- read the news at News.com

SPOTLIGHT: IE 7 beta released

Mon, 24 Apr 2006 20:01:33 -0400

Microsoft has released a revised version of Internet Explorer 7 for users to test in the second step of its beta process. The company hopes that by having true users involved it will help uncover any potential conflicts or flaws that made it past developer beta testing. Some experts warn, though, that the still-in-beta version could cause some headaches. Microsoft says it hopes to fully deploy a final version by year's end. Article