• The Opera browser is 30 today, and it's still going strong
• The pioneering browser brought us many familiar features
• It's market share is dipping, but it's making gains in some areas

The web is a very different place today than it was in 1995, but there’s been one constant - Opera browser.

If you’re not familiar with Opera, it holds the title of being one of the true old timers of the world wide web alongside Internet Explorer.

The origins of the browser began in Norway in the mid-90s. Founders Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner and Geir Ivarsøy began work on the browser while working for telecommunications giant Telenor.

This was initially an internal project aimed at developing web browsing software for the company, but the duo eventually founded their own company, Opera Software.

Originally called ‘MultiTorg Opera’, the browser officially launched on April 10th 1995, and was available on floppy disks. Users had to pay to use it at first, providing they were content after an initial trial period. Like we said, it was a long time ago.

The public release didn’t come until 1996 with version 2.10, which ran on Windows 95.

From there, though, the browser flourished. And it was something of a trailblazer for many years. A host of the key features you’ll use on a daily basis either take inspiration from Opera’s early innovation or have been inspired by the browser.

Opera was best known for its ‘multiple document interface (MDI)’ and ‘hotlist’ (or sidebar) features. Similarly, in the year 2000, the company launched the tabs and search bar functions - two key functions that allowed the user to browse several pages in a single sitting and source information with ease.

Indeed, 2000 was a big year for the browser. The Opera 4.0 release boasted cross-platform capabilities, enabling the creation of editions for use on multiple operating systems and platforms. The world was no longer a complete Microsoft shop at that point, so the developers had to adapt.

Moreover, that year also saw the release of version 5.0. As mentioned, until that point the browser was essentially ‘trialware’ that users had to purchase after an initial period.

The 5.0 update changed things altogether, making it an ad-sponsored browser that generated advertisements to those who hadn’t paid for it.

This marked a significant moment for the browser. Headlines at the time hailed the move as a big moment in the ‘browser wars’ between Opera, AOL/Netscape, and Internet Explorer.

“Today Opera’s status as just an alternative browser for the most Internet savvy users is ending, and we place ourselves firmly in the middle of the on-going Browser War,” Tetzchner said in an announcement at the time.

“From today everyone will have the opportunity to get the best Internet experience available completely for free,” he ends.

That same announcement also saw a foreboding warning from the chief technology officer, Hakon Lie, who remarked that the inclusion of ads “will not slow Opera down, nor diminish the Internet experience”. If only they’d known.

Opera’s experience with ads was rather short-lived, in fairness. With 2005 came the release of version 8.5, which removed ads completely. This came about due to a deal with Google, which became the browser’s primary search engine and source of revenue.

Opera is still going strong

So what’s Opera doing today? The browser is still going strong, commanding a userbase of just under 400 million globally. Figures from Statcounter show the browser commands a 2.14% share of the global market.

Naturally, that pales in comparison to Chrome, for example, which holds a 66.16% share. Safari and Edge come in at a distant second and third with 17.62% and 5.17% respectively.

While it doesn’t boast the same numbers as Chrome or other browsers on the market, it’s still a piece of internet history and showcases the longevity and popularity of the browser.

Figures from the company show it’s still performing well, recording a 53% increase in user growth in western markets in recent years and recording profit growth.

The firm’s Opera One browser is widely available on Android and iOS as well as PC and Mac devices, as is the Opera GX browser.

More recently, the firm introduced AI features on the browser, much like competitors at Google and Microsoft.

Opera’s ‘Aria’ AI assistant is available in-browser, helping support users across a variety of functions such as online shopping. The AI tool is able to generate text, images, and can be used on both the mobile and desktop versions.

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• South Korean citizens were hit with a zero-click malware from the North
• The malware used pop-up ads to install payloads
• Keyloggers and other malicious surveillance software was also installed

North Korean state-linked hacker ScarCruft recently conducted a large-scale cyber-espionage campaign using an Internet Explorer zero-day flaw to deploy RokRAT malware, experts have warned.

The group, also known as APT37 or RedEyes, is a North Korean state-sponsored hacking group known for cyber-espionage activities.

This group typically focuses on South Korean human rights activists, defectors, and political entities in Europe.

Internet Explorer Zero-Day flaw exploited

Over the years, ScarCruft has developed a reputation for using advanced techniques such as phishing, watering hole attacks, and exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities in software to infiltrate systems and steal sensitive information.

Their latest campaign, dubbed "Code on Toast," was revealed in a joint report by South Korea's National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) and AhnLab (ASEC). This campaign used a unique method involving toast pop-up ads to deliver zero-click malware infections.

The innovative aspect of this campaign lies in how ScarCruft used toast notifications - small pop-up ads displayed by antivirus software or free utility programs - to spread their malware.

ScarCruft compromised a domestic advertising agency’s server in South Korea to push malicious "Toast ads" through a popular but unnamed free software used by many South Koreans.

These malicious ads included a specially crafted iframe that triggered a JavaScript file named ‘ad_toast,’ which executed the Internet Explorer zero-day exploit. By using this zero-click method, ScarCruft was able to silently infect systems without user interaction.

The high-severity vulnerability in Internet Explorer used in this attack is tracked as CVE-2024-38178 and has been given a severity score of 7.5. The flaw exists in Internet Explorer’s JScript9.dll file, part of its Chakra engine, and allows remote code execution if exploited. Despite Internet Explorer’s official retirement in 2022, many of its components remain embedded in Windows or third-party software, making them ripe targets for exploitation.

ScarCruft’s use of the CVE-2024-38178 vulnerability in this campaign is particularly alarming because it closely resembles a previous exploit they used in 2022 for CVE-2022-41128. The only difference in the new attack is an additional three lines of code designed to bypass Microsoft’s earlier security patches.

Once the vulnerability is exploited, ScarCruft delivers RokRAT malware to the infected systems. RokRAT is primarily used to exfiltrate sensitive data with the malware targeting files with specific extensions like .doc, .xls, .ppt, and others, sending them to a Yandex cloud every 30 minutes. In addition to file exfiltration, RokRAT has surveillance capabilities, including keylogging, clipboard monitoring, and screenshot capture every three minutes.

The infection process consists of four stages, with each payload injected into the ‘explorer.exe’ process to evade detection. If popular antivirus tools like Avast or Symantec are found on the system, the malware is instead injected into a random executable from the C:\Windows\system32 folder. Persistence is maintained by placing a final payload, ‘rubyw.exe,’ in the Windows startup and scheduling it to run every four minutes.

Via BleepingComputer

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Internet Explorer - Microsoft’s old and long-replaced internet browser, is still being used to deploy malware to people’s devices, experts have warned.

A report from Check Point Research (CPR) outlined a new and somewhat unique campaign that saw hackers distributing .URL files. These are Windows Internet Shortcut files, and are used to direct a user directly to a web page. Hackers were able to disguise these files to make them appear as .PDF files, and are presenting them to their victims as a book. 

When the victims run the file, they trigger a chain of prompts which, if ignored (and accepted, essentially), result in the old and outdated Internet Explorer running and visiting a website. This is risky in itself, since hackers can craft unique web pages that can take advantage of vulnerabilities in IE to deploy different malware. 

Microsoft releases a patch

Microsoft officially replaced Internet Explorer with Microsoft Edge as the default web browser when it released Windows 10, in late July 2015. Edge was introduced as a more modern and secure browser, built on a new engine (originally called EdgeHTML and later switched to the Chromium engine in January 2020) to provide better performance and compatibility with web standards.

While Internet Explorer continued to be available for compatibility reasons, Microsoft has been encouraging users and organizations to transition to Edge. Internet Explorer 11, the final version, was officially retired and ended support for certain versions of Windows on June 15, 2022.

CPR reported their findings to the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC), which acknowledged the discovery and released a patch. The vulnerability is now tracked as CVE-2024-38112, and the patch was officially released on July 9. Users are advised to apply it as soon as possible, since threat actors have been abusing the flaw for more than a year now.

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Internet Explorer has one foot in the grave, but Microsoft has decided to allow customers to choose when the last scraps of its old (and mostly unloved) web browser will be removed from their devices and final goodbyes can be had.

This comes after Internet Explorer was disabled on some Windows 10 devices when users installed a Microsoft Edge (the new default web browser for Windows) update released in mid-February. Microsoft warned from June to December last year that the legacy browser would be permanently disabled via a Windows update.

According to a brief announcement from Microsoft, “Organizations will continue to maintain control over determining the timing to remove Internet Explorer visual references from their device, if they haven’t already done so, by using the Disable IE policy.”

Despite the reference to 'organizations', individual users can also make use of this option.

Time's up

Since the February Edge update removed Internet Explorer 11, users have been told that “the future of Internet Explorer is on Microsoft Edge. Internet Explorer has been retired and is no longer supported.”

Internet Explorer has been automatically launching Microsoft Edge when visiting incompatible sites since October of 2020. The complete list of incompatible sites currently contains 7,604 sites and includes Microsoft Teams, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google Drive.

Microsoft is urging users to make the switch to Microsoft Edge, so if you’ve been clinging to Internet Explorer it may be time to say goodbye. At least you’ll be able to decide exactly when you hold the funeral

The notorious exploit-as-a-service RIG Exploit Kit, targeting users of the positively ancient, vulnerability-ridden web browser Internet Explorer, is still going strong, experts have warned.

Per a report by security research firm Prodaft, installs of the kit are attempting around 2,000 intrusions a day, and succeeding 30% of the time, allowing it to spread infostealers and other forms of malware to users in over 207 countries.

Despite warning against the rise of cybercrime-as-a-service in 2022’s Microsoft Digital Defence Report, and RIG being known to also distribute ransomware, millions of users (mostly in enterprise) just won’t stop using Windows Explorer, having apparently no regard for data privacy.

Update your browser, please God

Internet Explorer has been old news since around 2015, when the now Chromium-based Edge was put into development, and completely depreciated since August 2021. 

And in February 2023, Microsoft announced that it’s finally getting around to scrubbing every last bit of it from existence, such an embarrassment it is in this day and age, and making you use Edge anyway (although you can still do a lot better).

We keep writing about it, and we keep getting emails from burgeoning violent criminals swearing at us over why we bother doling out security posture advice for businesses at all. (Hugs and kisses to all our readership, even if they’ve fled an institution. xox)

But, do you know what, we’re going to do it again: buy new laptops running Windows 11, and enjoy all the advancements in UI that have come on in the last 28 years, you wanton maniac.

And then maybe you won’t have to keep a straight face in front of IT when threat actors known only as “Bean Meme Gang” steal the private medical records of a million people, and we could write about something else.

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Via BleepingComputer

If Internet Explorer (IE) wasn’t dead before, it most certainly is now. Microsoft is releasing a new Edge update that will permanently disable the older browser on most versions of Windows 10. 

The following changes will go live as the patch rolls out over the course of the week. Visual references to Internet Explorer, like icons in the Start menu and taskbar, will remain for now. However, if you try to launch IE, the Edge browser will appear in its place alongside a new window informing you of the changes.

Be aware Microsoft plans to scrub Windows 10 clean of those references in an upcoming Windows security update scheduled for June 13 on Patch Tuesday. If you want to get rid of those references even earlier, you can download the preview “C” release scheduled for May 23. And if you’re worried about losing data, don’t be. In the Tech Community post announcing these changes, all browsing data will automatically move over to Edge.

Permanently killing off Internet Explorer will undoubtedly have widespread ramifications for companies slow on the uptake. To help them out, Microsoft is asking those organizations to open a support ticket and check out the Internet Explorer Retirement Adoption Kit. 

Living on

All is not lost as the spirit of Internet Explorer will continue to live on. Of course, Microsoft Edge has IE Mode so users can visit legacy websites that won't function on newer browsers; although that feature also has an expiration date. Support for IE Mode (more specifically, the MSHTML rendering engine) is slated to end in 2029, so there’s still a while left to go. The company states it’ll remind people that the feature is ending in 2028 to give users enough time to prepare.

Specific versions of Windows 10 will continue to house Internet Explorer. Just to name a couple, you have the Chinese Government Edition and Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session, which coincidentally just had its end-of-service date set for May 9. 

With that, we think it's safe to finally say goodbye to Internet Explorer after nearly two years of doing so – barring very specific versions that continue to shamble on. It’s hard to say exactly how many people will be affected by the sudden switch-off as Microsoft doesn’t publish those numbers. Looking at recent numbers from Stat Counter, Internet Explorer makes up less than a percent of the total browser market share worldwide.

Yes, that is still millions of people, but by and large, the world has moved on. The browser was great when the internet was young but it wasn't built to last or be used forever. 

Cybersecurity researchers from Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) have discovered a zero-day vulnerability in the Internet Explorer (IE) browser being exploited by a well-known North Korean threat actor.

In a blog post detailing its findings, the group said it spotted the APT37 (AKA Erebus) group, targeting individuals in South Korea with a weaponized Microsoft Word file. 

The file is titled “221031 Seoul Yongsan Itaewon accident response situation (06:00).docx”, which is a reference to the recent tragedy that took place in Itaewon, Seoul, during this year’s Halloween celebration, where at least 158 people lost their lives, with another 200 injured. Apparently, the attackers wanted to take advantage of the public and media attention the incident got.

Abusing old flaws

After analyzing the document being distributed, TAG found it downloading a rich text file (RTF) remote template to the target endpoint, which then grabs remote HTML content. Microsoft may have retired Internet Explorer and replaced it with Edge, but Office still renders HTML content using IE, which is a known fact threat actors have been abusing since at least 2017, TAG said.

Now that Office renders HTML content with IE, the attackers can abuse the zero-day they discovered in IE’s JScript engine.

The team found the flaw in “jscript9.dll”, the JavaScript engine of Internet Explorer, which allowed threat actors to execute arbitrary code when rendering a website under their control. 

Microsoft was tipped off on October 31 2022, with the flaw labeled CVE-2022-41128 three days later, and a patch being released on November 8.

While the process so far only compromises the device, TAG did not discover to what end. It did not find the final APT37’s payload for this campaign, it said, but added that the group was observed in the past delivering malware such as Rokrat, Bluelight, or Dolphin.

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Via: The Verge

New figures have claimed around one in 10 Internet users are now using Microsoft Edge following the retirement of Internet Explorer.

The latest Statcounter data shows that Edge had reached 10.62% of the global market share in June 2022, overtaking Apple’s Safari to bring it into second place among desktop browsers

However it still has some way to go to reach top spot - with Google Chrome still leading the way with a 66.93% market share.

Edge vs Chrome

In the month leading up to June, Edge had crept up by 0.52% - a surprisingly large jump that could be down to the retirement of Internet Explorer.

Later figures for July have shown a slight increase for Edge - up to 10.86% - while Chrome drops by 0.79%. Safari remained fairly stable, representing just under 9% of all desktop Internet users.

Edge has enjoyed a slightly more prosperous 12 months in the UK especially, where it went from 13.73% to 19.01% over the course of the year. 

Despite its growing popularity, Edge gets no mention among mobile and tablet browsers, where Chrome makes up 65.16% and 48.32% respectively, and Safari remains comfortably in second position for both.

Microsoft Edge updates

Microsoft has been pushing a healthy number of updates into Edge as it eased off with Internet Explorer, including a revamped command bar to help make opening new tabs and web apps easier.

The tech giant has also reworked the way its browser handles caches with the clear intention of speeding up actions by reducing processor usage - which should be more noticeable on lower-powered machines.

Internet Explorer was officially retired earlier this year following 27 years of service as the company looked to create a more vibrant and reliable selection of software offerings.

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Hagiography – it's the style in which people write about saints, or saintly types, venerated people, and things that deserve our adulation. Internet Explorer is none of those things.

This week, Microsoft finally pulled the plug for good on the 27-year-old browser, and is herding users over to its Chromium-based Edge browser (which is arguably better than any browser Microsoft has ever produced).

As the news broke, I saw a lot of nostalgia for, and fond memories of (along with some on-point criticism) a browser that was, starting with Windows 95, foisted upon an unsuspecting marketplace.

When Microsoft licensed Spyglass' and Mosaic code (an early browser engine) to build what would become Internet Explorer, Netscape was arguably the best-known and most popular web browser in the early internet age.

Microsoft's Internet Explorer wasn't even particularly usable in its few versions, but hit its stride with version 3.0, just in time for Windows 95.

An offer that couldn't be refused

If you bought a Windows 95 PC from virtually any manufacturer (Dell, Gateway, IBM, and a bazillion other whitebox PC companies) in 1996 and for the next five years or so, you found that Microsoft had also bundled in Internet Explorer, and made it your default browser.

Microsoft was relentless in its quest to make Internet Explorer the most widely-used browser in the world, and as Windows 95 began to dominate the desktop platform space, Microsoft made a crucial deal, one that had more in common with the back room than the board room. It convinced America Online to push aside Netscape, and make Internet Explorer the popular online gateway's default web browser.

A few years later, when Netscape was all but in ruins and Microsoft was facing a huge antitrust case, court testimony revealed the true nature of the deal. Then-AOL senior vice-president David Colburn said: "Microsoft gave it a mob-like offer it could not refuse: a prime piece of real estate on the Windows desktop in return for licensing Microsoft's Internet Explorer instead of Netscape Navigator."

IE in the ascendancy

This two-pronged strategy was remarkably effective. Netscape, which in 1996 had roughly 90% market share, tumbled to 42% by early 1999, while Internet Explorer zoomed from virtually nothing to over 55%.

At the turn of the century IE sat at over 75%, and the free-falling Netscape was at 23%. By 2001, Netscape's share was in single digits, while IE swallowed 90% of the browser market.

Internet Explorer didn't get there by being better. It devoured the market by taking hold of key levers and adjusting them in its favor.

Microsoft did work to improve its middling browser but, in a karma-filled twist, its Internet Explorer reclamation projects were quickly overshadowed by the arrival of an out-of-left-field web browser: Google Chrome.

Oh, hello Chrome

When Chrome arrived in 2008, Internet Explorer had dropped to 74%, and because Microsoft could no longer force IE on users as their default browser (and AOL was no longer a key online access point), Firefox had grown to a sizeable 26% of the browser market.

Within just four years, Chrome surpassed Internet Explorer as the World's most popular browser. In 2015, IE fell behind Firefox into third spot, while Chrome owned just over half the browser market.

The end of Internet Explorer is marked largely by ignominy. Barely one percent of people are still using it; it's remembered more for how it invited online attacks than how we used it to explore the early web; and it wears the shame of market chicanery.

We should not mourn Internet Explorer so much as we should wonder how it maintained its dominance for so long, and how so many businesses and market sectors were duped into using it. It survived not because we loved it, but because some services were designed so that they couldn't work without it.

By contrast, Microsoft's newer browser, Edge, is something to be celebrated. It's good, maybe even better than Chrome (though it uses the same engine); but more importantly, it's a choice.

Internet Explorer was never a choice – and I say good riddance.

While many of us may have made our goodbyes to Internet Explorer following its recent end of life, the demise of the vintage browser could pose a major issue for some organisations.

Many companies in Japan, including government agencies, financial institutions, and manufacturing and logistics companies, still use the now unsupported web browser, according to Asian business publication Nikkei.

Microsoft finally ended support for Internet Explorer after 27 years on June 15, 2022, warning users of cybersecurity risks if they continue to use the software.

Why is Japan still reliant on Internet Explorer?

The browser is still commonly used in Japan for employee task attendance management, expenses settlement, and other internal purposes according to research from information technology firm Keyman's Net, cited by Nikkei.

Almost half - 49% - of respondents surveyed said they still used the browser for work, and 20% said they weren’t sure how to transition away from Internet Explorer.

Many of Japan’s important public sector resources have been slow to respond to the issue according to Nikkei’s reporting.

Notices from the Japan Pension Service concerning online applications still require users to use Edge in Internet Explorer mode, and so does the website of an unnamed government-backed mutual aid corporation for private schools.

It’s not just the Japanese that are still clinging on to Internet Explorer.

Research from Lansweeper exclusively shared with TechRadar Pro claims nearly half (47%) of Windows 10 devices will need to be updated due to still using Internet Explorer as their browser - equivalent to millions of PCs in offices and other workplaces around the world.

Microsoft first announced its plans to gradually phase out Internet Explorer 11 across Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 in August 2020, and since then has been gradually stripping back services for the software.

Internet Explorer has a storied history, victoriously battling it out with other browsers such as Netscape in late 90’s for dominance, in phenomenon know as the “Browser Wars”.

Microsoft has officially retired its first web browser, Internet Explorer, after almost 30 years, and it couldn't have come sooner.

If you were around in the late-90s, you wouldn't have been able to avoid the 'e' icon that was on all Windows 95 machines. Some would just call it 'the internet' rather than its name, as for the majority of users, it was the only web browser available.

While Opera also arrived in 1995 as a project rather than the web browser we see today, it was Microsoft's browser that took the world by storm, mainly due to the fact it was pre-installed on millions of PCs.

However, we're in an age where you can choose from a variety of web browsers, from Opera to Firefox, all with their own features and interfaces. But Internet Explorer began something that's still continuing today, and for that, we're going to look at what it mostly got right, and wrong.

It inspired tabs

As the millennium began, Internet Explorer 6 was getting ready for release, but it wasn't until 2006 that version seven arrived with tabs.

The internet had passed the dot-com bubble of the late 90s, and instead, users were going to sites for news, talking to others in forums about their interests, and shopping online was becoming a normality.

Yet, this also meant that a collection of Internet Explorer windows would be on your taskbar, with no way to arrange them.

This is when Firefox arrived in 2004, touting tabs as a way of keeping multiple windows in one. Nowadays it's a common feature, but in 2000, you either had to manage many windows before it crashed due to using all of your PC's memory.

Privacy became a right, not a comoddity

Pop-ups, banners, Napster, dial-up - all flashbacks to a simpler, slower era of the internet. But there was also a lot of irritation, as it usually fell to third-party security software to enable a pop-up blocker and a firewall to protect your PC from any hackers.

When Windows XP Service Pack 2 arrived to overhaul the security of the operating system in 2004, Internet Explorer also received some features such as an integrated pop-up blocker and more.

As the years passed, other browsers made sure that privacy was as big a feature as tabs, multiple downloads, and others. Internet Explorer paved the way for its successor Microsoft Edge to run with this, much like Opera, Firefox and Safari had been for years previously.

Passing on to the next g(edge)neration

This is why we say goodbye to Internet Explorer and finally let Microsoft Edge have its due as the company's sole web browser.

Sometimes with apps, there comes a point where an approach to start again is better than improving on a decades-old foundation, which is where Edge comes in. While it's not as popular as Internet Explorer was, with Google Chrome currently leading the web browser market share, Edge has a focus on privacy and features for the modern age.

Microsoft sees its apps as services now - from Xbox, to Edge, and even Windows. It wants its products to be on as many devices as possible, giving the user choice. It's a far cry from the Microsoft of the 1990s, where you had to be on a Windows PC to browse a world wide web that mainly supported Internet Explorer in order to view images and web pages correctly.

Thankfully, times have changed, and the internet has transformed into something entirely different in the last 30 years.

Here's to another 30, with healthy competition between web browsers, and remembering what Microsoft began in 1995.

Farewell, Internet Explorer.

The end of an era is upon us, as Internet Explorer is finally retired after more than 26 years of service, both good and bad.

Announced last year, the official retirement of Internet Explorer on June 15, 2022, comes 26 years and 10 months (9,801 days, to be exact) after its release on August 15, 1995, back when the public-facing Internet was in its infancy.

From almost the very beginning, it courted controversy. After the launch of Windows 95 (also in August 1995), Microsoft started bundling Internet Explorer with OEM versions of the operating system.

This meant that if you bought a new computer at a time when everyone was buying a new computer, you almost certainly booted it up with a copy of Microsoft's web browser already installed and set as the default program for interacting with the Internet. 

This, of course, is what got Microsoft into trouble with the US government, who lodged a successful antitrust action against the company (United States v. Microsoft) that ultimately forced Microsoft to allow OEMs to install the web browsers of their choice on the machines they shipped.

That strategy was nonetheless successful, and by the turn of the millennium, if you weren't using some legacy intermediary like AOL, Internet Explorer was how almost everyone else entered the internet, and it was unfathomable that this could change.

Microsoft Internet Explorer loses its edge

Internet Explorer 6 was released in 2001 around the time of the final settlement of Microsoft's antitrust case, and it didn't receive a major feature updated for several critical years thereafter. 

Internet Explorer was by then the dominant web browser the world over, so Microsoft probably thought it could rest on its laurels. This proved consequential for two reasons: ActiveX Controls and Mozilla Firefox.

ActiveX Controls were a feature of Internet Explorer since 1996 that allowed web pages to package executable code into HTML that would run on client-side machines (i.e., your computer) without any user intervention. While this arguably made the internet a richer experience than simple web pages could produce, it also became a security nightmare almost immediately -- one that Internet Explorer could never shake off.

Then in 2004, Mozilla Firefox, one of the first major open-source projects on the internet, was released, offering tabbed web browsing, extension support and no ActiveX Control vulnerabilities. As users flocked to Firefox, and a few years later to Google Chrome, Internet Explorer offered little in the way of updates until 2007, with Internet Explorer 7, but by then it was pretty much over. Firefox, and then Chrome, would eventually come to overshadow Internet Explorer and drive down its once dominant market share to once unthinkable lows from which it never recovered.

Microsoft Internet Explorer slouches towards retirement

By 2015, when Microsoft released the new Microsoft Edge browser, it was all but begging Internet Explorer customers to switch, especially those still running Windows XP with Internet Explorer 6, which were mostly businesses and institutions, despite it being riddled with unpatchable vulnerabilities in the evolving, modern Internet.

Finally, after announcing it was axing Windows XP support to get hold-outs to switch, Microsoft announced last year that it was pulling the plug on Internet Explorer as well.

That time has finally come. As of now, Internet Explorer – that once all-powerful ruler of the internet – is no longer being supported on most operating systems, with very limited extended security updates for certain enterprise services with extended support agreements Microsoft is contractually obligated to honor. But even those will be done by the end of 2023.

It's done. It's over. You don't have to go to Edge, but you stay with Internet Explorer at your own risk.

It's wasn't all bad times, though

Internet Explorer deserved the reputation it earned for security vulnerabilities. You could click on a URL in a Something Awful forum in the early 2000s and have your computer completely bricked, or worse, by someone who just delighted in watching the world's computers burn.

Next to Adobe Flash, there is nothing on your computer that you should avoid more than Internet Explorer. It was unnecessarily careless with security, something that internet security professionals were screaming about into the Redmond Void before internet security professionals was even really a thing. 

Microsoft had to have known better, but they pressed ahead with a web browser that literally let someone else install and run a program on your computer with just a careless click on a webpage and forced hundreds of millions of people to use it. There's no getting around the fact that it was an atrocity of a program, and even Microsoft is glad to be rid of it.

But, for a time, Internet Explorer was all there really was, and coming from the original Walled Garden of the internet, America Online, using Internet Explorer was like moving out of my parent's house for the first time when I went away for college. 

There was an enormous amount of danger I could encounter and a whole lot of trouble that I narrowly avoided, and even fell into, because I was stupid. But it was also the best time of many of our lives, when life is full of possibilities and we thought ourselves immortal.

Internet Explorer was where many of us first found out that we could find anything, and I do mean anything, on the internet. From Ebaums World to CD-Key cracking sites to the entire wide world of emulators. Are game emulators illegal? We sure as hell didn't care. The entirety of the Internet was open to me in all its full-but-often-disgusting glory. 

There are things I did with Internet Explorer that I would blanche at if I saw someone doing it today with even a secure browser like Edge, Chrome or Safari. We were all innocents abroad on the internet back then and Internet Explorer was built for a time when the internet was truly a frontier. 

That time has passed, and so too must Internet Explorer. It was the digital version of riding down I-35 in Texas with my friends in the bed of someone's pickup truck to go to wherever underage college kids went to drink beer. I'm grateful I made it through both experiences safely. I would never do either again, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a hell of a time.

TechRadar sounds off on Internet Explorer

Everyone here at TechRadar has an opinion on Internet Explorer, whether it was their first browser in the 1990s or the browser that turned entire family computers into digital petri dishes for malware. I asked the team what they thought about Internet Explorer finally being retired, and for better or worse, it stirred up lot of feelings in just about everyone.

"I remember getting my internet crash course from my techie dad in the late '90s/early 2000s and one of the earliest things I did outside of his guidance was to search for games," said Josephine Watson, TechRadar's deputy managing editor. "Bejewelled, Neopets, Miniclip and Runescape all became my best friends in the absence of real ones."

As fond as that memory was though, it wasn't all Neopets and sunshine. "SO. MANY. VIRUSES." Watson added. "Every other site would somehow download a trojan onto my computer. Or I did. I can’t remember."

"I can’t remember too many problems, but then again, they’d just invented the internet when I started and being able to download an image, or an MP3 at 4kb/s, was just a dream to me," said TechRadar's global editor in Chief, Gareth Beavis.

"I still have a fond nostalgia for the grey icons and blocky refresh button, although when I upgraded to Firefox, I felt like I was sneaking out of school and into a rebellious zone," Beavis added.

Internet Explorer also has its defenders, like Désiré Athow, managing editor of TechRadar Pro. 

"It was the rabbit hole that allowed me to explore a world that was hitherto unknown to me, learn more about the 'information superhighway' and hang out with friends at cybercafés where we rented out computers by the hour," Athow said.

"Internet Explorer’s flaws shouldn’t hide the fact that it was a great springboard for newcomers to the web," he added. "It’s a shame that Microsoft didn’t embrace it the way Google did with Chrome."

"I was in college when the University of Illinois released NCSA Mosaic, an enormous pivot from the Archie and Veronica services available at the school library (look it up, kids!) and the Fetch app we had all been using to pirate software off the internet," confesses Jeremy Kaplan, TechRadar's content director. "Then my mom bought a new computer, and I convinced her she had to buy this new program called Netscape Navigator. A boxed version, for $49.99 … it was the only way to get such a large program at the time." 

"When Internet Explorer came out," Kaplan said, "it seemed very much a me-too app. Microsoft steadily honed it, and improved it, and weirdly started coming up with 'extensions to the Internet' to ensure people used their browser. 

"On the one hand, it made sense to just offer that app with a computer; after all, we had to buy apps before that," Kaplan added. "But it felt weird, and really bifurcated the market. Lawsuits later, IE still felt a little tainted, a little corporate, a little me too. It had no Edge. I stayed with Netscape, picked up Chrome when Google released it, and never looked back."

• Finally waving Internet Explorer goodbye? The best web browsers are waiting for you

Millions of users worldwide still really love Internet Explorer, despite the aged browser set to see the end of official Microsoft support imminently.

Research from Lansweeper exclusively shared with TechRadar Pro claim nearly half (47%) of Windows 10 devices will need to be updated due to still using Internet Explorer as their browser - equivalent to millions of PCs in offices and other workplaces around the world.

Microsoft is officially ending support for Internet Explorer 11 soon (June 15, 2022), meaning users will now need to update to Edge, the company's actually-supported browser, or risk potential cyberattack.

Farewell Internet Explorer

The figures don't just cover a small amount of niche users, as Lansweeper audited more than nine million devices from 33,000 organizations to compile its results.

Microsoft has repeatedly warned businesses that Internet Explorer would be officially retired this year, but not all companies have been proactive enough to come up with a plan to transition to another browser yet. 

Microsoft first announced plans to retire support for Internet Explorer 11 across Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 back in August 2020, and since then has been gradually stripping back services for the software.

The company recently recommended that businesses still using Internet Explorer set their own retirement date instead. 

They should also ensure that Internet Explorer mode, which aims to support legacy websites and applications within Microsoft Edge until they can be ported over to the new software, is set up in Edge to allow employees to access Explorer-dependent sites going forward. 

However it isn't just unsupported browser builds that are causing issues, as Lansweeper also found a huge amount (79%) of PCs surveyed were not even running the latest version of Windows 10, let alone Windows 11.

The company found Windows 10 Version 2004 was the most popular build running on corporate devices, despite there being three subsequent updates since its release in May 2020.

Users should always make sure their devices are upgraded to the latest release of Windows, as the company regularly includes security patches and fixes for the latest vulnerabilities.

"From our perspective, it's not a complete surprise that only a fifth of the Windows 10 devices are on the latest version, or that Internet Explorer EOL will affect so many,” said Roel Decneut, Chief Strategy Officer at Lansweeper.

“There could be many reasons for organizations to delay upgrading, including being more conservative, having more pressing issues to deal with, or simply having no visibility into the version of operating systems they’re running. Organizations will need an overview of each device they own when Internet Explorer 11 support finally ends. Without this data, they’ll remain vulnerable." 

During Microsoft’s Build 2022 conference, it was announced that Microsoft Edge WebView2 is now available with the .Net MAUI framework, bringing faster loading for web pages, alongside room to grow for web apps and more.

This is mainly to help developers in the transition from Internet Explorer to Microsoft Edge after its older web browser is finally shut down next month (June 15).

Granted, this may not be the most exciting news for consumers who have long since jumped ship to Chromium-based browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. 

However, Microsoft Edge WebView2 will be of great benefit to developers who no longer have to toil over getting backward compatibility to work in order to keep their critical Internet Explorer-based web apps and enterprise services running.

WebView2 brings more than backwards-compatibility

In addition to no longer having to worry about backward compatibility, Microsoft has also boasted that Microsoft Edge WebView2 is the “ best and latest web platform for building embedded browsing experiences” in trials performed by the Cerner Corporation. These tests showed that Microsoft Edge WebView2 had significantly better performance than Internet Explorer 11.

With render times being reduced by 85%, CPU utilization by 33%, and memory utilization by 32% compared to Internet Explorer, there’s seemingly no reason now for developers and consumers alike to not make the switch to Microsoft Edge.

Regardless of the broad choice of web browsers that users can choose from in 2022, it's encouraging that Microsoft Edge has the potential to be as fast as Opera, Google Chrome, and Apple's Safari browser with the new WebView2 technology. 

• Microsoft is now practically begging you to stop using Internet Explorer

With its legacy browser set to be officially retired on June 15, Microsoft is now encouraging organizations to avoid waiting until the last moment to stop using Internet Explorer.

In a recent blog post on the software giant’s Tech Community page, senior product manager for hardware Eric Van Aelstyn recommended that businesses still using IE should set their own retirement date instead.

Consumers and most businesses have now moved on to Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome or other modern browsers but some organizations still rely on IE to access certain sites. While Microsoft has repeatedly warned businesses that IE will be officially retired this year, not all companies were proactive enough to come up with a plan to transition to another browser yet.

Thankfully though, there’s still time and organizations don’t have to wait until June 15 to migrate away from IE.

Saying goodbye to IE once and for all

In his post, Aelstyn points out that “waiting for something to happen can be stressful, especially with complex IT environments” which is why Microsoft is encouraging companies to take action now by scheduling their own internal retirement date.

To prepare for IE’s retirement, organizations should ensure that IE mode is set up in Edge to allow their employees to access IE-dependent sites going forward. 

At the same time, they should also inform their users about the change and have them import their data. This can be easily done by copying and pasting edge://settings/importData into Edge’s address bar and then choosing “Microsoft Internet Explorer” from the selection options under “Import from”.

Finally, organizations should broadly deploy the Disable IE policy on their internal retirement date. With IE mode in Edge, everything should work as usual just in Microsoft’s modern browser as opposed to in its legacy browser.

Even with these recommendations, June 15 could be quite a hectic day for organizations that have not prepared accordingly for IE’s retirement.

• Protect your privacy further with one of the best anonymous browsers

Via Windows Central

Microsoft has once again urged users to stop using its outdated Internet Explorer browser as the software limps closer to its retirement.

The company has again reminded users that Internet Explorer 11 is being retired from Windows 10 in June 2022, with Microsoft Edge taking its place.

It seems that some users may be a touch unwilling to make the jump, however, with Microsoft forced to emphasise that the days of Internet Explorer really are numbered.

The future is Edge

"As previously announced, the future of Internet Explorer on Windows is in Microsoft Edge," Microsoft stated in a company announcement.

"The Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) desktop application will be retired on June 15, 2022, for certain versions of Windows 10. This means that the IE11 desktop application will no longer be supported and afterward will redirect to Microsoft Edge if a user tries to access it."

The company did highlight that any particularly nostalgia-driven users can still use Internet Explorer mode (IE mode) within Microsoft Edge for the time being. IE mode aims to support legacy websites and applications within Microsoft Edge until they can be ported over to the new software.

Microsoft first announced plans to retire support for Internet Explorer 11 across Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 back in August 2020, and since then has been gradually stripping back services for the software.

Its Microsoft 365 deadline passed in August 2021, although some apps may still function via the browser, albeit with users seeing a severely diminished experience.

External tools have also pulled back, with Google Search withdrawing support for Internet Explorer in October 2021, leaving the browser reliant on its own in-house Bing search, with support for Docs, Sheets, Slides and other Google Workspace apps removed in March 2021.

Microsoft Edge continues to perform strongly in the global browser market, with recent figures placing it on the verge of surpassing Apple's Safari offering. 

The latest StatCounter numbers show Microsoft Edge is now used on 9.54% of desktops worldwide, just behind Safari at 9.84% - although both are still far behind runaway market leader Google Chrome on 65.38%.

• Here's our list of the best anonymous browsers around

Internet Explorer may soon be set for a passage to the graveyard, but developers will be able to feel like they are still using the iconic software thanks to a new launch from its successor, Microsoft Edge.

Microsoft still offers an "Internet Explorer mode" in Chromium-based Edge, but has now released a new tool to allow developers to check whether their legacy websites will still work in the more recent browser.

Internet Explorer Driver allows those organizations or developers that still require the use of Internet Explorer 11 for backward compatibility of business-critical legacy websites or apps to make sure everything is still running smoothly, for now at least.

Internet Explorer Driver

Run alongside (and maintained by) browser automation experts at the Selenium Project, Internet Explorer Driver can be a great help to developers looking to keep legacy websites or apps running that little bit longer, Microsoft says.

"With just a few changes to an existing test that runs against Internet Explorer, you can get your tests running in Internet Explorer (IE) mode in Edge," Zoher Ghadyali, Senior Program Manager, Microsoft Edge, wrote in a blog post.

"By running your tests in IE mode, you will be able to verify that any legacy web content that runs in Internet Explorer will work as expected in IE mode in Microsoft Edge."

Internet Explorer Driver supports C#, Python, Java, and JavaScript, and Microsoft says it will be supported until 2029, giving developers more than enough time to ensure their work is stable.

Microsoft does note that support for Internet Explorer 11 is still set to begin expiring from June 15 2022, and developers and organizations that still depend on the browser should start to transition to Microsoft Edge as soon as possible.

The company has already withdrawn Internet Explorer support for all Microsoft 365 apps, although some may still function via the browser, albeit with users seeing a severely diminished experience.

Even Google Search pulled support for Internet Explorer in October 2021, leaving the browser reliant on its own in-house Bing search, with support for Docs, Sheets, Slides and other Google Workspace apps removed in March 2021.

• Here's our list of the best anonymous browsers around

Despite the fact that the end of life date for Internet Explorer is fast approaching, the Magniber ransomware gang has begun exploiting two patched vulnerabilities in Microsoft's legacy browser to launch attacks on unsuspecting users.

According to a new report from Bleeping Computer, the group has begun exploiting Internet Explorer vulnerabilities using malvertising that push exploit kits to businesses operating in Asia. 

Magniber started in 2017 as the successor to another ransomware strain called Cerber and the group initially only targeted users in South Korea. In the time since though, the ransomware gang has expanded the scope of its operations to infect systems in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malyasia.

The Internet Explorer vulnerabilities being exploited in Magniber's latest round of cyberattacks are tracked as CVE-2021-26411 and CVE-2021-40444 and both vulnerabilities have a high CVSS score of 8.8. 

While the first vulnerability is a memory corruption flaw triggered by viewing a specially crafted website, it was patched by Microsoft back in March of this year. The second vulnerability enables remote code execution in Internet Explorer's rendering engine by opening a malicious document but it was also patched by the software giant back in September.

Shifting tactics

Magniber has long used vulnerabilities to breach systems and deploy its ransomware. Back in August, the group was observed exploiting PrintNightmare vulnerabilities to breach Windows servers and these flaws took Microsoft a bit more time to fix due to how they impacted users' ability to print documents.

A possible explanation for why Magniber has now shifted tactics to leverage vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer is because Microsoft has mostly fixed PrintNightmare vulnerabilities since they were heavily covered by the media which led admins to deploy the necessary patches and security updates. The Internet Explorer vulnerabilities now being used by the group are also easy to trigger as they only require a potential victim to open a file or webpage.

While most organizations and individuals have switched to using modern browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, 1.15 percent of page views worldwide still come from Internet Explorer according to StatCoutner.

As the Magniber ransomware is still in active development and its payload has been completely rewritten three times, those concerned about falling victim to this latest round of attacks from the group should stop using Internet Explorer and switch to another browser that uses auto-updates ASAP.

Looking to further protect yourself online? Check out our roundups of the best endpoint protection software,  best malware removal software and best ransomware protection

Via Bleeping Computer

Google Search  has become the latest big-name product to pull support for Microsoft's legacy Internet Explorer 11 browser.

Google software engineer Malte Ubl shared the news that Google Search will no longer officially support Internet Explorer 11 in a tweet.

Apparently the Google Search team “did the math” and found that maintaining support for Microsoft's legacy browser was no longer worth it. Also according to UbI's tweet, “it is time” to leave Internet Explorer 11 behind and make the transition to Edge or another modern browser.

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After ending support for Docs, Sheets, Slides and other Google Workspace apps back in March of this year, Google is finally ending support for Google Search in Internet Explorer 11.

Fallback experience

First released back in 2013 alongside Windows 8.1, Internet Explorer 11 was also ported back to Windows 7 as many Windows users didn't feel the need to upgrade their operating system at that time. Just three years later though, Internet Explorer was replaced by Microsoft Edge with the launch of Windows 10 in 2015.

However, since Edge wasn't available on older versions of Windows, Internet Explorer 11 remained the default browser on Windows 7, 8 and 8.1. As a result, the browser was able to hold on to its market share despite the fact that Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and other third-party browsers offered an improved browsing experience.

If for some reason you're still using Internet Explorer 11, you'll still be able to use Google Search through a “fallback experience” created by the search giant. While searching the web will still work on Microsoft's legacy browser, the experience won't be as fully featured as it is on other browsers.

With the launch of Windows 11 just a day away, now is the perfect time to leave Internet Explorer 11 behind for good and check out all of the new features in Microsoft Edge if you want to remain in the software giant's ecosystem.

• We've also highlighted the best business VPN

Via 9to5Google

The monthly edition of bug fixes from Microsoft addresses over 60 vulnerabilities in products from Microsoft’s stable, and another 20 Chromium security bugs in Microsoft Edge.

Microsoft’s September Patch Tuesday impacts over a dozen products including Azure Open Management Infrastructure, Azure Sphere, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Windows DNS, Visual Studio, BitLocker, Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), and more.  

Importantly however, the release also patches the recently disclosed zero-day vulnerability in Internet Explorer’s browsing engine MSHTML/Trident that was being exploited in the wild.

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“The Zero Day vulnerability in MSHTML (CVE-2021-40444) has been resolved this month. Microsoft’s original mitigation guidance released on September 7  can be disabled once you have updated all Windows OSs this month,” Chris Goettl, Vice President of Product Management for Security at Ivanti shared with TechRadar Pro.

Patch without delay

Analyzing all the patched vulnerabilities, 27 are privilege escalation vulnerabilities, 16 could enable remote code execution, 11 are information disclosure vulnerabilities, eight are spoofing vulnerabilities, two could help bypass security features, and one could cause denial of service.

Goettl adds that in addition to the MSHTML vulnerability, the update includes a couple more that are of note.

One of them, tracked as CVE-2021-36958, is a Print Spooler vulnerability that was initially addressed last month, but has been updated this month to address some additional concerns that were identified by researchers beyond the original fix.

“The vulnerability has been publicly disclosed and functional exploit code is available, so this puts further urgency on this month’s Windows OS updates,” stresses Goettl.

The third vulnerability that Goettl points out is the elevation of privilege vulnerability in Windows DNS. Tracked as CVE-2021-36968, the vulnerability applies to the legacy Windows OSs, which is what makes it particularly attractive to threat actors.

“Public disclosure gives threat actors a bit of a jump start on developing a working exploit. In this case, they could find the fact that this only affects legacy OSs as attractive, banking on the fact that companies are still running on the legacy OSs but not continuing with ESU support from Microsoft,” he shares, urging businesses still using legacy Windows releases to either migrate off these platforms or at least subscribe to Microsoft’s extended security update (ESU) program.

• Protect your devices with these best antivirus software

Via BleepingComputer

In addition to sharing working exploits, threat actors are not sharing tutorials to help others fabricate their own attacks that make use of the recently discovered zero-day vulnerability in Internet Explorer’s browser engine Trident, also known as MSHTML, according to reports.

Microsoft disclosed the vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2021-40444, last week saying that it could be weaponized through malicious documents with ActiveX content to execute commands on a victim's computer remotely.

Soon after Microsoft’s disclosure, security researchers were able to spot documents on the internet with ActiveX content designed specifically to take advantage of CVE-2021-40444.

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BleepingComputer now reports that threat actors have started circulating guides and information regarding the vulnerability on underground hacking forums to help other malicious users craft exploits based on CVE-2021-40444.

No cure, only mitigations

Although software companies don’t disclose a vulnerability, until it has been fixed, Microsoft’s hand was forced after security vendors EXPMON and Mandiant both spotted the vulnerability being exploited. 

In response, Microsoft decided to disclose the vulnerability and shared mitigations, which involve blocking ActiveX controls and Microsoft Office document previews in Windows Explorer, to defang the exploit, even as the software giant works to create a patch to plug the vulnerability. 

However, researchers have since been able to modify the exploit not to use ActiveX, effectively bypassing Microsoft's mitigations. Threat actors reportedly had already discovered this workaround, and used it to create more spurious documents and instructions. 

The information is reportedly simple to follow and enables anyone to create their own working version of the CVE-2021-40444 exploit.

The good news however is that security programs such as Microsoft Defender have been equipped to detect and flag such malicious documents, which is the best users can hope for in the absence of an official fix.

• We've put together a list of the best endpoint protection software

Via BleepingComputer

New details about the recent MSHTML zero-day vulnerability have further spooked cybersecurity researchers, after having seen exploits in the wild. 

Tracked as CVE-2021-40444, Microsoft recently disclosed the vulnerability in Internet Explorer’s browser engine Trident, also known as MSHTML, which helps render browser-based content inside Microsoft Office documents.

Microsoft was careful not to share too many details about the still-unpatched vulnerability. However, security researchers have been more forthcoming after analyzing malicious Office documents used in real-world campaigns.

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BleepingComputer has shared details about the dangerous nature of the vulnerability, which can work around built-in protection mechanisms in both Microsoft Office and Office 365.

Exercise extreme caution

In an ideal world, Microsoft Office’s "Protected View" feature is enough to block the exploit, since it exists in documents that come from the internet.

However, vulnerability analyst Will Dormann told BleepingComputer that there are several ways for a malicious document to bypass Protected View by obfuscating the fact that it came from the internet. For instance, documents opened from inside containers like zipped archives, or ISO files, are treated as local files.

Moreover, Dormann discovered that you could use this vulnerability in RTF files as well, which don’t get the protections of the Protected View feature.

While Microsoft hasn’t yet shared a patch to plug the vulnerability, it has shared mitigations to block documents from processing ActiveX content, thereby defanging the exploit.

However, that’s not of much help either, since security researcher Kevin Beaumont has already discovered a way to bypass Microsoft's mitigations to exploit this vulnerability.

Until Microsoft fixes the vulnerability, it’s best to avoid opening documents from unknown sources.

• Here are the best ransomware protection tools

Via BleepingComputer

Threat actors are exploiting a zero-day vulnerability in a critical Internet Explorer (IE) component to target Microsoft Office users, warn cybersecurity researchers.

The attack was detected by researchers at the exploit detection service, Expmon, who brought it to the attention of Microsoft, which has now published a security advisory on the ongoing threat.

“Microsoft is aware of targeted attacks that attempt to exploit this vulnerability by using specially-crafted Microsoft Office documents,” Microsoft warns through its advisory.

• Take a look at our list of the best web browsers
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The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2021-40444, impacts IE’s browser engine Trident, also known as MSHTML, which also helps render browser-based content inside Microsoft Office documents.

No patch yet

According to Expmon, the vulnerability impacts the latest versions of both the offline and online instances of Microsoft Office. 

“We have reproduced the attack on the latest Office 2019 / Office 365 on Windows 10 (typical user environment), for all affected versions please read the Microsoft Security Advisory. The exploit uses logical flaws so the exploitation is perfectly reliable (& dangerous),” shared Expmon.

Talking about the exploitation mechanism, Microsoft says that the vulnerability is exploited via malicious ActiveX controls embedded in Office documents. However, the company hasn’t revealed any details about the nature of the zero-day, nor has it commented on the on-going attack.

This isn’t surprising since it hasn’t yet patched the zero-day, which might be addressed either during an upcoming Patch Tuesday, or through an out-of-cycle update. 

In the meantime, Microsoft suggests users to disable the rendering of ActiveX content in Office documents, while Expmon urges users to avoid opening documents from unknown sources.

• Here are the best ransomware protection tools

The phased termination of defunct web browser Internet Explorer has officially come to a close, Microsoft has confirmed.

First published in August 2020, the Internet Explorer retirement roadmap consisted of a number of stages, with support for the browser slowly falling away from a wider and wider range of Microsoft services.

As of this week, Microsoft has withdrawn Internet Explorer support for all Microsoft 365 apps, bringing the sunsetting process to a close. While some Microsoft 365 apps may still function via the browser, users should expect a severely diminished experience.

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“Support is now unavailable for Microsoft 365 apps and services on IE11,” the updated roadmap states. “Additionally, you should expect no new features when accessing Microsoft 365 apps and services on IE11 and that the daily usage experience for users could get progressively worse over time until the apps and services are disconnected.”

Goodbye, Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer has long been the butt of jokes in the technology community, ridiculed for its speed issues and clunky user interface. The move to retire the browser, which first hit the scene in 1995, can be seen as an admission of its irrelevance to modern users.

The web browser’s decline is writ large in its market share, which tumbled from a peak of circa 95% to just a handful of percentage points as newer, more feature-rich alternatives emerged.

In a bid to claw back lost ground, Microsoft has now placed all its eggs in the Edge basket. The company rebooted the browser in January 2020 and has since sunk considerable resources into building out new functionality to help Edge stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of Firefox and Chrome.

“Customers have been using IE 11 since 2013 when the online environment was much less sophisticated than the landscape today. Since then, open web standards and newer browsers - like the new Microsoft Edge - have enabled better, more innovative online experiences,” wrote Microsoft when the IE roadmap was announced.

“We believe that Microsoft 365 subscribers, in both consumer and commercial contexts, will be well served with this change through faster and more responsible web access to greater sets of features in everyday toolsets like Outlook, Teams, SharePoint and more.”

However, for all its faults and limitations, Internet Explorer will be remembered fondly by many, like this writer, whose earliest experiences on the web it helped shape. Rest in peace, old friend.

• Here's our list of the best anonymous browsers around

Although Internet Explorer 11 will be officially retired next June, more and more online services are dropping support for Microsoft's legacy browser with the latest being Google Meet.

While Google ended support for IE 11 in Docs, Sheets, Slides and other Google Workspace apps back in March of this year, the search giant has put off ending support for the browser in its video conferencing software.

• We've put together a list of the best browsers available today
• These are the best video conferencing software solutions around
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Now though, in a new blog post, Google has announced that Google Meet users will no longer be able to access the service using IE 11 beginning on August 17.

Ending support for IE11

To avoid disruption, Google is recommending that all Meet users make the switch from IE11 to either Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari or Microsoft Edge ahead of August 17 which falls on a Tuesday.

It's worth noting that support for Microsoft 365 apps such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel will also end on the same day and just like Google, Microsoft is recommending that users switch to a modern browser to continue using the service.

Despite the fact that both Google and Microsoft are ending support for IE11 in their most popular apps and services, the browser won't be officially retired until June 22 of next year. Although you won't be able to use many online services including WordPress, the browser will still technically work but with limited access.

If you still need to access some Internet Explorer-based websites, don't worry as you can do so using Edge's built-in Internet Explorer mode.

• We've also featured the best anonymous browsers

Via ZDNet

Cybersecurity researchers at Google have shared insight into four zero-day security vulnerabilities in popular web browsers which were exploited in the wild earlier this year.

DIscovered by Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG), the four vulnerabilities in Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, and WebKit, the browser engine used by Apple's Safari, were used as a part of three different campaigns. 

“We assess three of these exploits were developed by the same commercial surveillance company that sold these capabilities to two different government-backed actors,” share TAG members Maddie Stone and Clement Lecigne.

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In addition to breaking down the vulnerabilities, the researchers also note that there has been a definite increase in the number of attacks based on zero-day exploits.

Improved detection

So far this year there have been 33 publicly disclosed zero-day exploits used in attacks that have been publicly disclosed this year, share the researchers. To put it into perspective, a grand total of 22 were discovered in the whole of 2020. 

However, the marked increase could just be a sign of vendors being more forthcoming about disclosing zero-day vulnerabilities and exploits in their products.

Interestingly, the researchers note that even a genuine increase in the number of zero-day exploits isn’t always a bad thing. They reason that it is the maturing of security products that can thwart most attempts to install malware on a victim’s computer, which is forcing threat actors to rely on zero-day vulnerabilities for conducting attacks.

They also note that until the last decade, only selection nation states had the technical expertise to detect and weaponize zero-day vulnerabilities. 

However, leaning on the example of the four vulnerabilities discussed in their post, the researchers argue that these days a majority of the zero-days vulnerabilities are discovered and exploited by private players who then hawk them to state-sponsored actors for their malicious activities.

• These are the best endpoint protection tools

Microsoft has released an out-of-band update for all supported Windows 10 versions to iron out issues with the PDF handling abilities in apps such as Internet Explorer 11 (IE 11). 

In the associated knowledge base article, Microsoft explains that the issue prevents PDF documents from rendering in IE 11, as well as in other apps that rely on the 64-bit version of the WebBrowser control wrapper.

"An out-of-band optional update is now available on the Microsoft Update Catalog to address an issue in which Internet Explorer 11 and apps using the WebBrowser control might fail to open PDFs," the company explained.

• Here's our list of the best office software
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Last gasps

Bleeping Computer adds that the bug only affects IE 11 users that have "Enable 64-bit Processes for Enhanced Protected Mode" toggled in the Advanced tab, under Internet Options.

Microsoft notes that the KB5004760 emergency patch also helps fix rendering issues when viewing PDFs through the Adobe Acrobat plug-in. 

The update, which is available for devices running Windows 10 versions 2004, 20H2, and 21H1, also includes the Flash Removal Package, which will zap the end-of-life software from all installations as well.

Notably, the emergency update comes even as Internet Explorer 11 is set to retire in June next year, as the company shifts its focus to Chromium-based browser Edge.

• These are the best business computers currently available

Since Microsoft announced it would be killing off Internet Explorer (IE), the company has tried almost everything in its power to encourage users away from the now-defunct web browser. 

However, while the IE install base has halved since plans for a phased termination were revealed, data from Statcounter suggests the browser still has millions of active users.

Now, Microsoft is taking steps to cut away the last remaining use cases for IE. According to the company’s product roadmap, certain file types will soon begin to launch automatically in Microsoft Edge (the company’s new flagship browser) instead of its predecessor.

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“Starting in Microsoft Edge version 92, MHTML file types will automatically open in Internet Explorer mode on Microsoft Edge instead of the Internet Explorer 11 application,” the company explained.

According to Microsoft, this type of file appears most commonly in scenarios in which users open Outlook emails via their browser.

The change will take effect with the next iteration of Microsoft Edge, which is set to go live next month, but will only be applied if Internet Explorer is set as the default handler for MHTML files.

Internet Explorer end-of-life

Internet Explorer has long been the butt of jokes in the technology community, ridiculed for its speed issues and clunky user interface. The move to retire the browser, which first hit the scene in 1995, can be seen as an admission of its growing irrelevance to modern users.

The file-handling tweak is the latest in a long line of changes designed to give remaining IE users a shove in the right direction.

For example, in October, Microsoft announced that websites that are no longer compatible with the older browser would launch automatically in Edge. Thousands of sites fall into this category, including popular services Twitter, Instagram, Google Drive, Yahoo Mail.

Not only will certain webpages now redirect automatically to Edge, but Microsoft is also continuing to drop Internet Explorer support from its various software and services.

As of November 2020, users were no longer able to log into their Microsoft accounts via Internet Explorer, nor the Microsoft Teams web app. By August 17 2021, no Microsoft 365 app will be compatible with the browser.

After this final deadline has passed, users of the unsupported web browser will suffer a “degraded experience”; new Microsoft 365 features will be unavailable and existing web apps will be disabled.

• Here's our list of the best anonymous browsers

The first beta for the next version of WordPress is available to download now and site owners can begin testing WordPress 5.8 Beta 1 out for themselves.

It's worth noting that the next version of the world's most popular CMS is still in development which is why WordPress.org recommends that users avoid running it on production sites. Instead they should run WordPress 5.8 Beta 1 on a test site if they want to get a feel for the new features, changes and updates.

There are two ways to do so and site owners can either install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin by selecting the “Bleeding edge” channel and “Beta/RC Only” stream or by downloading the beta version (zip) directly from WordPress .org.

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WordPress 5.8 is set to release on July 20 which means there are only six weeks for users to to test out the beta and provide feedback before the final version ships.

WordPress 5.8 improvements

One area in WordPress that is getting a lot of attention in the next release is blocks and there are now several new ones for Page Lists, Site Title, Logo and Tagline. Meanwhile, a powerful Query Loop block offers multiple ways for displaying lists of posts and also comes with new block patterns that leverage its flexibility and creative possibilities while a new duotone block adds image effects that can be used in media blocks or supported third-party blocks.

In the WordPress 5.8 Beta 1, patterns can now be recommended and selected during block setup. Pattern transformations are also possible and these allow a block or even a collection of blocks to be converted into different patterns. WordPress.org has even added a new template editor that allows users to create new custom templates for a page when using blocks.

The latest version of the CMS will also see WordPress finally end support for Internet Explorer 11. As most of the changes needed to do so are now being merged, WordPress.org recommends using the Beta and RC periods to test.

We'll likely hear more regarding the full list of changes and improvements that will be included in WordPress 5.8 once we get closer to its final release.

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Microsoft has removed its legacy Internet Explorer browser from the latest preview build of Windows 10, with only Microsoft Edge now the default web browser available to use.

For a browser that belonged more in the 90s than the present day, it made less and less sense for Internet Explorer to be kept alive, especially with the advancements that the Edge browser now has.

So, with it being built on a very old foundation, it’s not surprising to already see it disappear from the Insider Dev Channel. While it may be a source of nostalgia for some, it was a bugbear for many others.

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Which Build is Internet Explorer disappearing from?

Since Microsoft announced that Windows 10 would be an ongoing platform instead of being succeeded by a Windows 11 in the future, there would be major updates released to the operating system over the years. But the Insider program was a way of allowing users to download versions of Windows 10 in development with new features, before they would be rolled out into the official channels.

It’s also allowed events such as the Bug Bash program to reward users in finding any bugs through a series of tasks. It's also said to be showcasing the upcoming features that Build 2021 may be announcing.

This also applies to depreciated applications, such as Internet Explorer. Its Insider developer build version 21387 states that ‘The Internet Explorer 11 desktop application is now retired as of this Insider Preview build.’

With Microsoft Edge now being the company’s default browser since 2015, it didn’t make sense to have two browsers being installed concurrently on Windows 10, even though Internet Explorer is officially retiring next year.

Analysis: A tale of two browsers

Internet Explorer has always been seen as the black sheep of Microsoft’s product line, ever since version 6.5. It’s hard to imagine that Microsoft didn’t have a browser with tabbed windows until Mozilla’s Firefox browser forced its hand back in 2006.

Microsoft Edge is seen as a fresh start in the company’s web browser space. Internet Explorer has far too many negative connotations, which means it’s a bit of a surprise that it’s lasted as long as it has.

However, time will tell if Edge will ever regain the market share that Internet Explorer once held, especially with the many varied platforms that we use to browse the web in these modern times.

Via CNET

• Our Microsoft Edge review

When the next version of WordPress is released later this year, the popular content management system (CMS) will no longer support Internet Explorer according to a new post on WordPress.org.

First released over seven years ago, Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) is currently used by less than one percent of all internet users. IE11 usage has rapidly declined as Microsoft is now encouraging users to make the switch to Chromium-based Edge instead.

WordPress isn't the only popular service to stop supporting IE11 though as Microsoft Teams ended support for the browser last year and even Microsoft 365 apps and services will no longer work on IE11 beginning in November. For those currently using IE11, it is highly recommended that you switch to Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari or another modern browser instead.

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Once IE11 is no longer supported with the release of WordPress 5.8 this July, new features will no longer be tested on the browser and are not guaranteed to function optimally. However, no changes will be made to any of the default themes bundled with WordPress as a result of this change.

No more accidental plugin overwrites

With the release of WordPress 5.8, site owners will also no longer have to worry about having their plugins overwritten by an update of a plugin with a similar name from the WordPress.org Plugin Directory

WordPress users have been requesting for this feature to be added to the CMS for years now as their sites could stop working as intended as a result of automatic updates replacing one third-party plugin with another that has a similar name.

Now though, WordPress 5.8 will add a new Update URI plugin header field that will prevent updates from occurring if its value is different than https://wordpress.org/plugins/{$slug}/ or w.org/plugin/{$slug}. If the header has any other value, the API will not return a result and will ignore the plugin for update purposes, according to a new changeset on WordPress.org.

While this new update will apply to WordPress plugins, only time will tell if a similar change will be added in the future to prevent WordPress themes from being overwritten by an update.

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Via WordPress Tavern

Microsoft is set to finally drop its 25-year-old Internet Explorer web browser next year so it can focus all of its attention on the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge browser instead.

In a blog post on its website, Microsoft states that "the Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will be retired and go out of support on June 15, 2022, for certain versions of Windows 10." Those certain versions of Windows 10 appear to be those without a long-term service contract, which are popular with a lot of commercial and industrial customers who need a consistent, compatible system for years at a time.

Apparently, the thing that had kept Internet Explorer alive in recent years was how certain older, legacy websites could only be viewed using Internet Explorer. But now that Microsoft Edge can view these sites just fine thanks to its built-in "Internet Explorer mode," there's no reason to actually continue supporting Internet Explorer.

• How to use Microsoft Edge
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The biggest beneficiaries of this announcement will be web developers who no longer have to code websites with an eye towards supporting the aging, increasingly incompatible Internet Explorer, something Microsoft acknowledges in their announcement as an ongoing problem.

RIP Internet Explorer

The announced retirement of Internet Explorer has been a long time coming. The browser, once ubiquitous, steadily lost ground to rivals like Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome over the past 15 years as users opted for more secure, faster, and feature rich browsing experiences. As 9to5Google points out, Google Chrome overtook Internet Explorer as the most popular browser in the US in 2013.

Last year, Microsoft announced that it was pulling support for Internet Explorer from Microsoft 365 apps on August 21, 2021. That sounded the death knell for the browser, so today's announcement is hardly a surprise. 

That it's end has finally come really is a cause for celebration. Not only was it a relic of an almost completely different internet, even then it wasn't a very good browser. It's widespread use was more a matter of Microsoft deliberate efforts to keep out rival browsers on their operating system, something that won them an incredibly-rare-in-modern-times antitrust lawsuit from the otherwise extremely pliably Clinton and Bush administrations in the early 2000s.

Perhaps the most damaging aspect of Internet Explorer - other than its rampant security flaws - is the fact that its widespread use as the default browser for untold millions of users over the years held back browser development for about a decade as rival browsers like Netscape were unceremoniously snuffed out.

It's finally time for it to go, and its end couldn't have come soon enough.

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Cybersecurity researchers have identified a new variant of the WastedLocker malware that exploits two scripting engine vulnerabilities in unpatched Internet Explorer web browsers.

The new malware builds on the RIG Exploit Kit campaign, and was first discovered by Bitdefender researchers in February 2021.

Unlike the earlier campaign, this new malware is missing the ransomware component. Since it merely acts as a loader, the researchers have named it WastedLoader.

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According to the researcher's analysis, the new WastedLoader campaign mostly attacked targets in Europe and the Americas.

Ransomware on demand

In their analysis, the researchers note that the malware’s exploitation chain starts with a malicious ad that’s put up on legitimate websites. 

Clicking the malicious ad redirects potential victims to the landing page of “RIG EK”, which then serves two exploits based on the two IE vulnerabilities. Both of them are individually capable of downloading and executing the malware.

The campaign builds on proof-of-concept exploits for the two VBScript vulnerabilities to download, decrypt, and execute the malware.

The researchers note that the authors even put up an icon and a brief fake description for the malware to make it look like a legitimate process. 

The malware works in four stages. After gathering details about the system, it sends them to its command & control (C2) server. 

The researchers posit that the malware downloads a ransomware in the fourth stage. However they’ve been unable to put this to test as the C2 server failed to respond to the malware’s calls during the researcher’s tests.

In any case, the simplest mitigation for this malware is to switch to another web browser. Microsoft Edge has become the default web browser in Windows 10, for all intents and purposes, which only keeps IE around to maintain compatibility with older websites that still use legacy Microsoft web technologies. 

• Protect your devices with these best antivirus software

Microsoft has finally patched the Internet Explorer (IE) vulnerability that was exploited by a North Korean state-sponsored hacking group to break into the workstations of researchers from around the world.

The spate of attacks, notorious for their use of elaborate deceptions, against security researchers were reported earlier this year in January by Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG). 

Last month, security researchers from South Korean security firm ENKI had identified a zero-day vulnerability in IE that the attackers were looking to exploit. Microsoft has finally put out a patch to plug the hole.

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Vulnerability patched

Google’s TAG researchers disclosed details about the South Korean hacking campaign noting that the threat actors employed various means, such as creating elaborate fake personas to engage with the researchers. 

Security researchers at ENKI were also targeted. However, not only were they able to see through the deception, but also used their domain expertise to zero in on the particular vulnerability that the attackers were hoping to exploit in their bid to gain access to the data on the researchers’ computers.

After discovering the previously undisclosed IE vulnerability, ENKI shared their findings with Microsoft. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2021-26411 and rated critical since it was easy to exploit, has finally been patched. 

Note that while the vulnerability was exploited in IE, Microsoft says it also affects its newer Edge browser.

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Via: Ars Technica

Although Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) will be supported for the life of Windows 10, more and more online services have stopped or will soon stop supporting Microsoft's legacy browser.

In an update to the Google Workspace blog, the search giant reminded both end users and IT admins that Workspace apps including Docs, Sheets and Slides will no longer support IE11 beginning on March 15.

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Google isn't the only company ending support for IE11 though as last November, Microsoft ended support for the Teams web app in the browser while announcing that Office 365 apps would no longer be supported from August 17 of this year.

Ending IE11 support

In its blog post, Google recommends that Workspace users make the switch to a supported browser such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Microsoft Edge in order to continue using its web apps.

The end of support for IE11 in Workspace will affect users of Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus, as well as G Suite Basic, Business, Education, Enterprise for Education, and Nonprofits customers, which is why Google is warning users about the upcoming change.

For those that didn't see its blog post though, the company has begun showing a banner alert to Workspace users in IE11 telling them they'll need to upgrade their browser by March 15 to continue using its services.

While users could switch to Chrome or Firefox, Microsoft has made a number of advancements to Chromium-based Edge since its initial release in 2019 and the browser now really feels like a modern replacement of IE11.

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Via ZDNet

In a major revelation, security researchers have discovered that a yet-unpatched vulnerability in Microsoft’s venerable Internet Explorer (IE) web browser was responsible for the spate of attacks against security researchers reported last month.

Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) last month disclosed that a North Korean state-sponsored hacking group employed various means, including creating elaborate fake personas to engage with the researchers, in their bid to break into their workstations.

Now, according to reports, South Korean security firm ENKI has identified a previously undisclosed zero-day vulnerability in IE, which they claim has been exploited in these recent attacks.

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Caught in the act

As part of the attack, the threat actors, masquerading as researchers, sent malicious Visual Studio Projects and links to websites that hosted exploit kits to install backdoors on the researcher's computers.

In a Korean language blog published yesterday, ENKI said that their researchers were also targeted by the group on the pretext of discussing a macOS exploit. While the attack failed, it gave the researchers a chance to analyze the files shared by the attackers in their bid to gain access to their computers. 

Their analysis led ENKI to believe that the attackers are piggybacking on an exploit for an IE zero-day vulnerability to deliver the malicious payload. ENKi then created a proof-of-concept for the exploit which has also reportedly been reproduced by other security researchers based on the details shared by ENKI.

According to the report, ENKI is in touch with Microsoft who’ve requested further details from the Korean company.

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Via: BleepingComputer

It looks like the legacy version of the Microsoft Edge web browser will be removed from Windows 10 when it is updated later this year. Currently, Windows 10 comes with three pre-installed browsers: Internet Explorer, the legacy version of Edge, as well as the current iteration.

A new language pack included with Windows 10 21H2 preview builds does not include support for the old version of Edge, which looks like a sign that the browser will be dropped completely in the coming months – possibly when Windows 10 receives its big fall 2021 update.

Microsoft has already advised users to switch to the new Chromium-based version of Edge, which promises better performance and security. All existing user data is carried over to the new version during setup so individuals need not worry about losing their bookmarks or passwords. The Redmond-based firm has also said that it will no longer support the legacy version from March.

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Goodbye, old friend

Although it looks like the original version of Edge’s days are numbered, it is unlikely that Microsoft will remove EdgeHTML engine integration anytime soon – extended support is due to continue being made available until August 17, 2021.

A much bigger blow for older online users is the confirmation that Internet Explorer will soon be obsolete. Anyone still clinging to the browser will find themselves redirected to the Chromium version of Edge when they try to access popular sites, and Microsoft has now confirmed that Microsoft 365 services and other online apps will no longer support Internet Explorer 11.

With the rise of Google Chrome, Mozilla’s Firefox, and others, it seems almost unbelievable that Internet Explorer once held the title of the world’s most popular browser – not that long ago, either. For online users of a nostalgic disposition, make the most of the browser while you still can.

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Via Windows Latest

Buoyed by the retirement of Internet Explorer (IE) and cross-platform availability, Microsoft’s new flagship web browser Edge has scaled to impressive new heights.

According to a job listing published by the firm, Edge is clawing its way up the market share rankings, reclaiming some of the ground lost with the decline of IE.

“With general availability, Edge has already reached 600 million customers and is taking a fresh approach to browsing by putting the end user at the center,” crowed Microsoft.

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According to data from Statcounter, Edge currently holds 3.08% of the browser market, just behind Mozilla Firefox (3.77%). However, based on its current growth trajectory, it won’t be long before Microsoft’s browser leapfrogs its more established rival.

If mobile devices are removed from the equation, meanwhile, NetMarketShare data (which runs up to October 2020) shows that Edge has already overtaken Mozilla’s browser, with 7.75% market share.

Rise of Microsoft Edge

The rise in the popularity of Microsoft Edge can be attributed to a number of factors, including the death of IE, renewed marketing efforts, the arrival of Edge on all major platforms and default installation on Windows 10 machines.

However, Microsoft has also worked hard to earn users back with an increasingly rich feature set. The company has delivered a steady stream of improvements and innovations over the past six months, designed to set Edge apart from its competitors.

Recent additions include a secure password generator, in-built price comparison tool, screenshot capture facility and scrolling tab bar.

With Microsoft Edge v.88, which is set to roll out in full by the end of the month, users will also gain access to a wealth of new upgrades, from vertically-oriented tabs to increased control over cookies and more.

The new version will also look to eek out performance and efficiency gains in the launch process and in its handling of inactive tabs.

Although Edge is still a minor player in comparison to market leader Google Chrome, which holds 66.38%, Microsoft will be encouraged by its recent performance and confident of further gains in 2021.

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Via Windows Latest

In the summer, Microsoft revealed it would kill off defunct web browser Internet Explorer (IE), with plans for a phased termination brought to a close by mid-2021.

In light of the announcement, Google has now confirmed that its Workspace product suite - which includes the likes of Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Drive etc. - will also abandon the much denigrated browser.

As set out in a Google blog post, Workspace users will be required to upgrade to a supported browser before March 15 2021, in order to “avoid any possible disruptions in service such as degraded performance or security vulnerabilities”.

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Over the next few weeks, Google will begin to display banners for Google Workspace customers still using IE 11, reminding them of the need to switch. And admins are advised to set the upgrade process in motion immediately.

Internet Explorer end-of-life

Internet Explorer, which first hit the scene in 1995, has suffered an almighty fall from grace over the past decade. Ridiculed for speed issues and its clunky user interface, the browser was dropped in favor of newer, more feature-rich offerings.

In a bid to claw back lost users, Microsoft has put all its energy behind its new flagship service, Edge. The arrival of the new Chromium-based browser earlier this year was the final nail in the Internet Explorer coffin.

“Customers have been using IE 11 since 2013 when the online environment was much less sophisticated than the landscape today,” explained the firm.

“Since then, open web standards and newer browsers - like the new Microsoft Edge - have enabled better, more innovative online experiences.”

As part of the sunsetting process, Microsoft 365 applications will withdraw support for Internet Explorer over the coming months - and the same is now true of Google’s product suite too.

To avoid complications that might arise as a result of the end of IE support, Google has advised users to switch to one of a handful of supported web browsers.

Unsurprisingly, the company’s own Chrome browser sits at the top of the recommended list. Rival offerings Firefox, Safari and Edge, meanwhile, are said to “work well with Workspace”, but do not support offline access to Google products.

• Here's our list of the best email services right now

Microsoft Teams will soon drop support for Internet Explorer (IE) 11, meaning users of the web browser will no longer be able to join video conferencing sessions, nor access chat functionality.

As part of the sunsetting process that will spell the end of Internet Explorer’s 25-year history, various Microsoft applications will begin to withdraw compatibility. The process is designed to facilitate a smooth transition away from IE and encourage users to migrate to the company’s new flagship, Edge. 

According to a Microsoft blog post, the Teams collaboration suite will be the first to drop the outmoded browser, on December 1. By August 17 2021, meanwhile, all remaining Microsoft 365 apps and services will have followed suit.

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After the relevant end of support date has passed, users of Microsoft 365 apps will suffer a “degraded experience” or will be outright unable to connect to the service via Internet Explorer, Microsoft confirmed.

Microsoft Teams on Internet Explorer

You might think this change will only affect a small minority, because very few people still use Internet Explorer to access the internet and web-based applications - but you’d only be partially correct.

According to Statcounter data, Internet Explorer is the browser of choice for only 1.05% of web users, down from 95% at its peak. However, given that estimates suggest more than 7 billion internet-connected devices are in circulation worldwide, this small percentage still represents millions of users.

The move to retire the cult browser (despite its inexplicably loyal following) can be seen as an admission of its growing irrelevance in modern contexts, as well as an attempt to preserve the quality of experience for users of the company’s other apps and services.

“Customers have been using IE 11 since 2013 when the online environment was much less sophisticated than the landscape today. Since then, open web standards and newer browsers - like the new Microsoft Edge - have enabled better, more innovative online experiences,” said Microsoft.

“We believe that Microsoft 365 subscribers, in both consumer and commercial contexts, will be well served with this change through faster and more responsive web access to greater sets of features in everyday toolsets like Outlook, Teams, Sharepoint and more.”

The simplest solution for users inconvenienced by the withdrawal of support is to download the Teams desktop client, available for Windows, macOS, Linux and more. Alternatively, the web client remains operational via most popular browsers.

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Venerable browser Internet Explorer continues to have millions of users worldwide, despite Microsoft actively trying to wean customers off the software, new data has found.

The latest figures from NetMarketShare found that 5.57% of all users are still utilising the company's venerable Internet Explorer browser.

Microsoft has been hard at work pushing Windows 10 users to upgrade from Internet Explorer to Edge as it looks to provide customers with a faster, more effective service.

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Internet Explorer vs Edge

The company has even gone as far as to automatically divert users from Internet Explorer to Microsoft Edge in recent weeks. When an Internet Explorer user visits an incompatible site - of which there are currently more than 1,000 - the page will be launched automatically in Microsoft Edge, along with a message that reads: “This website doesn’t work in Internet Explorer”.

Microsoft confirmed it would kill off both Internet Explorer and Edge Legacy earlier this summer as plans for a phased termination were brought to a close.

As of November 13, users will no longer be able to log into their Microsoft accounts via Internet Explorer, Microsoft Teams will drop support at the end of the same month and, by August 17 2021, no Microsoft 365 app will be compatible with the browser. 

After these deadlines have passed, users of the unsupported web browser will suffer a “degraded experience”; new Microsoft 365 features will be unavailable to stragglers and existing web apps will be disabled.

However Microsoft may still have some room to improve, as elsewhere, the continued Windows 10 push to get users to move over onto Microsoft Edge instead of Google Chrome may finally be paying off.

NetMarketShare found that Microsoft Edge's market share has grown to more than 10% for the first time as the browser steals users away from long-time leader Google Chrome.

This marked a major jump for Microsoft Edge, which only scored 8.84% of all users in September 2020.

The company's figures for October 2020 found that Microsoft Edge now boasts 10.22% of the total market share - boosting its push for second place behind Google Chrome, which remains way out front with 69.25%.

NetMarketShare's numbers also showed Microsoft Edge is extending its push ahead of other rivals, with Firefox now on 7.22% and Safari on 3.40%.

• Here's our list of the best anonymous browsers out there

In the summer, Microsoft confirmed it would kill off defunct web browsers Internet Explorer and Edge Legacy, as plans for a phased termination are brought to a close.

However, a sizable pool of users have remained loyal to Internet Explorer, forcing Microsoft to take additional steps to incentivize switching to the new Chromium-based Edge.

Now, when an Internet Explorer user visits an incompatible site - of which there are currently more than 1,000 - the page will be launched automatically in Microsoft Edge, along with a message that reads: “This website doesn’t work in Internet Explorer”.

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The roster of websites that do not support Internet Explorer is ever-expanding and currently includes popular services Twitter, Instagram, Google Drive, Yahoo Mail and more.

Internet Explorer end-of-life

Internet Explorer has long been the butt of jokes in the technology community, ridiculed for its speed issues and clunky user interface. The web browser’s reputational decline is writ large in its market share, which currently sits at a mere 1.19% according to StatCounter data (down from circa 95% at its peak).

The move to retire the browser, which first hit the scene in 1995, can be seen as an admission of its growing irrelevance to modern users.

“Customers have been using IE 11 since 2013 when the online environment was much less sophisticated than the landscape today. Since then, open web standards and newer browsers - like the new Microsoft Edge - have enabled better, more innovative online experiences,” said Microsoft.

“We believe that Microsoft 365 subscribers, in both consumer and commercial contexts, will be well served with this change through faster and more responsible web access.”

However, despite the fact Microsoft is sunsetting Internet Explorer in favor of a new flagship browser, tens of millions of people continue to use the outdated service - and this has pushed the firm to take further action. 

Not only will certain webpages now redirect automatically to Edge, but Microsoft will also continue to withdraw support for Internet Explorer from its product suite.

As of November 13, users will no longer be able to log into their Microsoft accounts via Internet Explorer, Microsoft Teams will drop support at the end of the same month and, by August 17 2021, no Microsoft 365 app will be compatible with the browser. 

After these deadlines have passed, users of the unsupported web browser will suffer a “degraded experience”; new Microsoft 365 features will be unavailable to stragglers and existing web apps will be disabled.

• Here's our list of the best anonymous browsers out there

Via Bleeping Computer

Microsoft's venerable Internet Explorer browser has once again topped the list when it comes to being the most-hated software systems out there today.

The browser came top in a list of pain points in a global poll of developers from Mozilla, edging out Apple's Safari browser for the prize.

The Mozilla Developer Network's 2020 Browser Compatibility Report found that Internet Explorer was named as the top pain point by 21.8% of respondents, far ahead of Safari on 10.4% - with general layout and styling problems slotting in to second place on 14.1%.

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Internet Explorer

Respondents were asked the question, “Overall, what is your top pain point with browser compatibility?” with their answers forming the results of the survey.

Asides from Internet Explorer and Safari, Chrome was mentioned in 6% of complaints, with both Firefox and Microsoft Edge on 3%.

Looking at some of the individual responses highlighted by the pollers, Internet Explorer was criticized for bugs, rendering issues, and lack of support for newer technology. However the most common complaint was that it was still the default internal browser for many organisations, showing a shocking lack of investment in digital upgrading for businesses. 

Overall, the study found that almost 75% of respondents were either satisfied or very satisfied with the Web as a whole, but only 44% were happy with their browser compatibility.

"We heard about challenges with all major web browsers, and the largest number of compatibility challenges were reported for Internet Explorer and Safari," the report concluded.

"With Chromium-based Edge rolling out with Windows updates we believe reported issues with Microsoft Edge Legacy and Internet Explorer will decrease."

Microsoft recently confirmed it will kill off Internet Explorer next year, as plans for a phased termination are brought to a close, with Microsoft 365 apps ending support for Internet Explorer 11 on August 17 2021.

After these deadlines have passed, users of the unsupported browsers will suffer a “degraded experience”; new Microsoft 365 features will be unavailable to stragglers and existing web app features will be disabled.

However the most recent NetMarketShare figures (for August 2020) show that 5.55% of all users are still using Internet Explorer.

• Here's our list of the best anonymous browsers out there

Via The Register

Microsoft has released Edge 85, with a new mode that emulates Internet Explorer so you can browse old legacy websites that won't run in modern browsers.

It's a niche problem, but occasionally older websites won't display correctly in Edge, Chrome, Firefox or their derivatives, with images in disarray and menus missing. You're not likely to encounter it often (certainly not frequently enough to keep an outdated browser installed on your desktop) but when it does happen, it's extremely frustrating.

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• Find out how to enable Chrome dark mode
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Now, when you encounter such a page you can choose to simply re-load it in Internet Explorer without leaving Edge. As Techdows explains, this feature has been available to business users for a little while, but now home users can benefit as well.

A blast from the past

To enable it, make sure you have the latest version of Edge, then click the menu icon at the top right and select 'Settings'. Select 'Default browser' from the list of options on the left (if you can't see this list, try making the browser window wider). Toggle the switch marked 'Allow sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer mode' then restart Edge.

Now, when you come across an incompatible site, just hit the menu button again, select 'More tools' and choose 'Reload page in Internet Explorer'. Occasionally the option won't be available and will be greyed out, but in our tests that only appeared to be the case on Edge's own settings pages.

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Microsoft has confirmed it will kill off defunct web browsers Internet Explorer and Edge Legacy next year, as plans for a phased termination are brought to a close.

According to a new blog post published by the firm, Edge Legacy will reach end of life on March 9 2021 (replaced by the far superior Edge Chromium), while Microsoft 365 apps will end support for Internet Explorer 11 on August 17 2021.

After these deadlines have passed, users of the unsupported browsers will suffer a “degraded experience”; new Microsoft 365 features will be unavailable to stragglers and existing web app features will be disabled.

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Microsoft web browsers

Internet Explorer has long been the butt of jokes in the technology community, ridiculed for its speed issues and clunky user experience. The web browser’s reputational decline is writ large in its market share, which currently sits at a mere 1.28% according to StatCounter data (down from circa 95% at its peak).

The move to retire the browser, which first hit the scene in 1995, can be seen as an admission of its growing irrelevance to modern users.

“Customers have been using IE 11 since 2013 when the online environment was much less sophisticated than the landscape today. Since then, open web standards and newer browsers - like the new Microsoft Edge - have enabled better, more innovative online experiences,” said Microsoft.

“We believe that Microsoft 365 subscribers, in both consumer and commercial contexts, will be well served with this change through faster and more responsible web access to greater sets of features in everyday toolsets like Outlook, Teams, SharePoint and more.

Microsoft will, however, continue to honor investments made by businesses in Internet Explorer. While customers will no longer be able to access Microsoft 365 apps via the browser, all private IE 11 applications will continue to function. 

HTML-based Edge Legacy, meanwhile, will be superseded by the new Chromium-based Edge - the company’s new flagship offering. Edge Chromium delivers a host of security, productivity and quality of life upgrades that should bring the experience in line with what users might expect from a modern web browser.

“At a time when IT professionals are being asked to do more with less on an unprecedented level, we want to make it simple for our customers to balance productivity, security, privacy, and cost,” said Microsoft.

“The new Microsoft Edge is our best expression of a modern browser - we’re excited for customers to experience it.”

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Researchers have identified a serious security vulnerability in Microsoft’s infamous web browser Internet Explorer 11.

Discovered by security firm Kaspersky, the bug could be exploited by hackers to perform remote code execution on a target device and seize administrative privileges.

The vulnerability is also a zero-day - meaning hackers were able to exploit it before Microsoft could administer a fix - and was handed a critical severity rating of 7.5/10, as per the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).

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Internet Explorer vulnerability

According to Microsoft’s report, the bug was found in the browser’s scripting engine and is linked to the way objects are handled in memory.

“The vulnerability could corrupt memory in such a way that an attacker could execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the current user,” explained the firm.

This could be especially problematic if an attacker were to target a device administrator, allowing them to install software, edit or delete data and create new accounts with full access privileges.

In late spring, the exploit was used in the wild to assault a company in South Korea, but the attack was mitigated by Kaspersky. It is unclear whether the zero-day has been abused in any other attacks.

“When in the wild attacks with zero-day vulnerabilities happen, it is always big news for the cybersecurity community. Successfully detection of such a vulnerability immediately pressures vendors to issue a patch and forces users to install all necessary updates,” explained Boris Larin, Security Expert at Kaspersky.

“This case includes an exploit with remote code execution capabilities, which is more dangerous. Coupled with the ability to affect the latest Windows 10 builds, the discovered attack is truly a rare thing nowadays.”

Microsoft delivered a fix for the Internet Explorer bug this week, as part of August 2020 Patch Tuesday. To shield against attack, users are advised to update to the latest version immediately.

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Microsoft has delivered a total of 120 bug fixes as part of August 2020 Patch Tuesday, including patches for two zero-day flaws.

The vulnerabilities addressed in this latest round of patches spanned 13 distinct products, including Windows, Edge, Office, Internet Explorer and more.

17 of the vulnerabilities were handed a maximum severity rating of 10/10, as per the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS), while two were classified as zero-days, meaning hackers were able to exploit the bugs before Microsoft could administer a fix.

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The high volume of vulnerabilities addressed on August 2020 Patch Tuesday makes it the third largest ever, behind only June 2020 (126 vulnerabilities) and July 2020 (123 vulnerabilities).

Microsoft August 2020 Patch Tuesday

The first of the two zero-days patched by Microsoft is a spoofing vulnerability affecting Windows OS, which could be used to “bypass security features and load improperly signed files.”

“In an attack scenario, an attacker could bypass security features intended to prevent improperly signed files from being loaded. The update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how Windows validates file signatures,” explained Microsoft.

The second zero-day was present in web browser Internet Explorer 11 and has been described by the Redmond giant as “critical”.

Disclosed by security firm Kaspersky, the bug was found in the browser’s scripting engine and could be used to perform remote code execution on a target device.

“The vulnerability could corrupt memory in such a way that an attacker could execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the current user,” reads the vulnerability report. 

This could be especially problematic if an attacker were to target a user with administrative privileges, allowing them to install software, edit or delete data and create new accounts with full access privileges.

To mitigate against both zero-day vulnerabilities, as well as the 118 others addressed by August 2020 Patch Tuesday, users are advised to update to the latest versions of all Microsoft products.

The full list of vulnerabilities patched can be found here.

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Following the reveal of a major security flaw in Internet Explorer that is currently being exploited by hackers, Microsoft has confirmed its existence though the software giant has no immediate plans to release a patch to fix it.

The security flaw in the company's legacy browser was first disclosed by a division of Homeland Security called US-CERT, that reports on major security flaws, in a tweet which contained a link to a security advisory concerning the bug. According to the advisory, the vulnerability has already been “detected in exploits in the wild”.

All supported versions of Windows, including Windows 7 which will no longer receive security updates, are affected by the flaw according to Microsoft.

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Internet Explorer vulnerability

The vulnerability concerns how Internet Explorer handles memory and an attacker could leverage the flaw to remotely run malicious code on an affected computer. It also bears a striking resemblance to a similar vulnerability that was recently disclosed by Mozilla.

The Chinese security research team Qihoo 360 was the first to find the security flaw being used by attackers in the wild. However, the research team, Microsoft and Mozilla do not yet know which attackers are exploiting the flaw, how they're doing it or who they're targeting.

The security flaw appears to be serious enough that even the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued a warning regarding it, which reads:

“The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) encourages users and administrators to review Microsoft’s Advisory ADV20001 and CERT/CC's Vulnerability Note VU#338824 for more information, implement workarounds, and apply updates when available. Consider using Microsoft Edge or an alternate browser until patches are made available.”

Microsoft is currently working on a fix for the issue but a patch likely won't arrive until the company's next round of monthly security fixes which is scheduled for February 11.

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Via TechCrunch

Microsoft has released an emergency update for Internet Explorer following the discovery of a serious security vulnerability that could allow a third party to execute arbitrary code on a victim's computer through a specially crafted website.

If the user is logged into an account with admin rights, the attacker could even take control of the system remotely.

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The vulnerability applies to versions of Internet Explorer from 9 to 11. Anyone affected should download and install the appropriate security update from a list published by Microsoft.

Usually Microsoft fixes bugs in its monthly software update, but this vulnerability is so serious, the company has released an emergency patch to resolve it.

Still using IE?

Internet Explorer is still available for anyone who wants to use older websites that depend on legacy Microsoft technologies like ActiveX. Microsoft plans to support the aging browser with security updates throughout the life of Windows 10, but it won't receive any new functions.

If you still use Internet Explorer (or know someone who does), it's worth considering upgrading to a modern browser like Edge, Chrome or Firefox that will receive frequent feature updates.

Microsoft itself has urged businesses to drop Internet Explorer now that web developers are unlikely to be testing their products using it, which could lead to security and stability issues.

"You see, Internet Explorer is a compatibility solution," Microsoft senior cybersecurity architect Chris Jackson wrote in a blog post in March.

"We’re not supporting new web standards for it and, while many sites work fine, developers by and large just aren’t testing for Internet Explorer these days. They’re testing on modern browsers.

"So, if we continued our previous approach, you would end up in a scenario where, by optimizing for the things you have, you end up not being able to use new apps as they come out. As new apps are coming out with greater frequency, what we want to help you do is avoid having to miss out on a progressively larger portion of the web!”

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Via BBC

Microsoft's much-maligned Internet Explorer web browser has been discovered to be the cause of a new Windows exploit, which could let hackers access and obtain operating system user data.

Security researcher John Page discovered the security flaw, finding that any user with Internet Explorer installed on their system is vulnerable to the exploit, whether or not they're currently using the browser or have even opened it before.

Page reportedly reached out to Microsoft last month, warning them of the exploit and requesting an urgent security fix, but according to ZDnet, the tech giant responded by saying that “a fix for this issue will be considered in a future version of this product or service”.

In response, Page made his findings public, including a YouTube video demonstrating the exploit. (Note: mute the video unless you want to hear some low bit-rate thrash metal).

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The hack relies on Internet Explorer's ability to save its web pages in the .MHT file format, something modern browsers don't allow, thus making IE the default application to open such files.

Bad actors can use this shortcoming to send users a malicious .MHT file via email or other such communication services and, if opened, an .MHT file containing an exploit could allow hackers to obtain access to the local files and program information of these users.

According to Page, The hack has been successfully tested in Internet Explorer 11 (the latest version) on Windows 7, Windows 10, and Windows Server 2012 R2 operating systems.

Sounds like it's a great time to take Microsoft's own advice on avoiding Internet Explorer – and perhaps even go a step further, and delete the browser from your system altogether.

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[via ZDnet]