In a move to bolster the security of its Internet Explorer web browser, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) says it will start performing silent upgrades of IE from next month. This means that there will be no pop-up Window that allows users to defer or even ignore the upgrade. This move will align Microsoft with what Google already practices with its Chrome web browser, which updates automatically in the background without user intervention or involvement.

Interestingly, Microsoft will debut this new practice in Australia and Brazil. This will be gradually expanded to other markets, though no timetable has been set for U.S. users. Under the move, Windows XP users still on IE6 or IE7 will find themselves updated to IE8, while users on Windows Vista or Windows 7 will find themselves upgraded to IE9.

IE9 is the newest version of IE, and represents a significant increase in security and robustness to malware infections due to its better security architecture, measures such as sandboxing and plug-in security architecture. Indeed, a Google-sponsored study recently conceded that IE comes is just behind Chrome on the security front.

Analysts see this move by Microsoft as a positive one, and it is obvious that an automatic upgrade to IE8 or IE9 will serve to reduce the market share of the notoriously insecure IE6 even further.

In the same vein, Andrew Storms, director of security operations for nCircle floated the suggestion of Microsoft eventually expand the scheme to cover third-party patches using Windows Update. Speaking to Dark Reading, Storms conceded that Microsoft is probably not ready to go that far yet. He did observe however, that "Microsoft could certainly do a lot of good by helping Adobe distribute their patches."

One final note is that Enterprise users will continue to have full control over the versions of their browsers. According to Wolfgang Kandek, chief technology officer of security outfit Qualys, Blocker Toolkits are available for both IE8 and IE9 and their settings will continue to be honored.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at Dark Reading
- check out this article at Computerworld

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