Psst...You May Want to Update Your Browser
July 08, 2008
I consider myself to be a true agnostic when it comes to web browsers. At some point or another during any given day, I'm likely to use IE7, Firefox, Safari and Opera (The Big Four, if you will...) on a number of different pieces of hardware. Call me a web junkie, or call me an online journalist (erm...both?), but the web browser is my lifeline, and in many ways, my livelihood. It is, after all, that wonderful piece of gear that connects me to all the fascinating things to be found on the Inter-webs.
And that's why a report just released by The Swiss Institute of Technology, Google and IBM really hit me right where I live. It's entitled "Understanding the Web browser threat: Examination of vulnerable online Web browser populations and the 'insecurity iceberg'." Insecurity iceberg? Has your web-surfing blood gone as cold as mine? It should. This report found that some 600 million web users (that's a very healthy chunk of the online world) are at risk from computer viruses, trojans and other malware, simply because they don't have the most up-to-date, patched-up versions of their browser of choice.
Noting that the "Web browser has increasingly become targeted as an infection vector (oh, I love that language)," the report continues: "Profit motivated cyber-criminals have rapidly adopted Web browser exploitation as a key vector for malware installation."
So, how do they get to you? Mostly by getting you to browse (yes, mostly via spam) through to web pages with malicious content. This is called, not surprisingly, a drive-by infection. Then, there's the download variety, where the malware is covertly downloaded and executed (mostly trojans).
The way to protect yourself is pretty simple, really. Keep your browser patched, and as up to date as possible. Easier said than done, for some, I know. The study also found the Internet Explorer users (which constitute close to 80 percent of the browser crowd) are the least likely to have the most updated version. Firefox users were the most up to date. (Let the unmitigated speculation as to why begin!)
Taking a hint from the food industry, the authors of the report suggest a "best by" kind of dating system for web browsers, to let you know when you should update and avoid major headaches.
Ah, you can check your browser's sell by date whilst drinking a "freshness dated" Budweiser! Excellent.
AudiOdyssey 
"Join us," the website says, "in our mission to set a Guinness World Record for the most software downloaded in 24 hours." They conveniently invite you to pledge to help by leaving your email address, and what country you'll be downloading from. There's an interactive map keeping tabs on global pledges. Some stats: 30,000+ pledges from the U.S., a little more than 7,000 from Brazil, and even 27 from North Korea.
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