NEW YORK – It’s been a bad week for many users of Microsoft Corp.’s nearly ubiquitous Internet Explorer browser.
A pair of virus attacks exploiting its vulnerabilities has led security experts to recommend that Web surfers consider such alternatives as Mozilla and Opera.
Continuing to use Internet Explorer is “like playing the lottery,” said Johannes Ullrich, chief technology officer of the SANS Internet Security Center.
The center is among security groups recommending other browsers as long as a key vulnerability in IE remains unfixed, leaving it capable of running malicious code that’s been hidden at a number of popular Web sites.
Switching browsers may cause problems, but less so than following Microsoft’s temporary prescription of cranking up security settings, which may cripple the ability to access multimedia content or fill out Web forms, Ullrich said.
Last week, a computer virus designed to steal valuable information as Web users typed it into their computers – passwords and the like – spread through a new technique that converted popular Web sites into virus transmitters.
And this week, researchers discovered another password-stealing program hidden behind pop-up ads.
Microsoft was still working to fix a lingering vulnerability from last week’s virus, and while a repair for the flaw enabling this week’s Trojan infection was issued in April, many users had yet to patch their systems.
IE is a frequent target for hacking because of its popularity; WebSideStory Inc. says 95 percent of surfers use it globally.
A major Windows XP upgrade, known as a service pack, is due out this summer and would plugs some holes in IE. Last week’s outbreak would not have occurred had those software plugs been installed, said Gary Schare, a Microsoft security director.
Many users don’t care enough or know how to find other browsers, most of which are free or ad-supported. Opera Software ASA, which offers the No. 3 browser for Windows, saw no significant change in downloads this week.
“It’s not that consumers are so loyal to Microsoft, but more they are apathetic,” said Geoff Johnston, an analyst with WebSideStory, which tracks browser usage. “With it, there really is a cost to switching.”
Users who install alternatives will find that some Web sites simply won’t work. Movielink LLC says its online movies need technology specific to IE, and America Online Inc. shuns its own Mozilla-based Netscape browsers for new conferencing tools.
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