Subeta -

December 16, 2008 9:25 pm

<center> </center> Attention Internet Explorer Users! There is a serious flaw in all modern versions of Internet Explorer, which opens up the chance of your personal information being stolen. This is not an error with Subeta, or any website. This is a problem with the programming itself that allows malicious code to take advantage of your computer, and install malicious software, that could steal the information that you use for your banking, paypal, or other highly personal information. You can find information about this <a href=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gGrwHSPBoys1ouBd7lHjbMs9dgUgD953Q2800>here</a>, <a href=http://www.techflash.com/IE_flaw_prompts_advice_to_switch36236209.html>here</a> and <a href=http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=Internet+Explorer&btnG=Search+News>here is a link to google news, with Internet Explorer as the keyword</a> so you can get up to date news on the bug itself. Also, I want to tell you that having a firewall does not prevent this from affecting you. Most virus scanners (unless this is used to maliciously place a known keylogger on your system) will not be able to help you in this situation. The best way to fix this problem is to get rid of the software that is causing it. Now, I'm not asking you to switch to another browser. I highly advise that you move to another browser, not only because this is a very critical problem, but because the other browsers are just better. They use less memory, they are less bloated, and most importantly, if there is a critical flaw, the other major browsers are very quick to issue a patch and correct the problem. We are not being paid by either the Mozilla Foundation, or the Safari Team (or <a href=http://opera.com>Opera</a>, or <a href=http://www.flock.com>flock</a> to ask you to switch browsers. I simply care about you, our users, and don't want to see your private information stolen, or used against you. The browser I suggest looking into are <a href=http://www.getfirefox.com>Firefox</a> or <a href=http://www.apple.com/safari>Safari</a>. Doing a little <a href=http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9005614>research</a> on all the major browsers is probably in your best interest.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

Aww, man! I use IE all the time, simply because I don't like Firefox's...layout...and don't know how to change it. I've got Vista Service Pack 1, but when I try to install the update, it says it's not for the right version... Is this included in those Automatic Updates? I'm not tech savvy at all, so I wouldn't know. For now, I suppose I'll just use Firefox.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

funny cuz i always use internet explorer. But then i downloaded mozilla and only uses it when i surf on Subeta

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

i highly recommend Firefox browser...IE browser is always slow as molasses for me...i never use it unless i absolutely have to for something that only works in IE browser...hope everyone who uses Firefox also knows that you have to upgrade to Firefox 3 'cause the version 2 some sites don't work right anymore for it...just to let all know

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

And... sorry for the double post, but d0n: Quote:

; border: 1px solid ; font-family: georgia; font-size: 10;">security firm Sophos said no browser is exempt from problems.

"Firefox has issued patches and Apple has too. Whichever browser you are using you have to keep it up to date," he said.

"People have to be prepared and willing to install security updates. That nagging screen asking if you want to update should not be ignored," he said.

Got that from the Beeb (BBC), seems like its not just IE =/

is right. REALLY right. I've had problems with almost every major browser except Chrome... but that's only because I haven't used it much. There's still time to find a bug.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

zub0n...... Please, please... for the sake of Microsoft (and I dislike them, mind you), DON'T use Windows ME as an example. There's a reason that operating system was replaced and disappeared so quickly. Microsoft KNEW they messed up big time and buried. We had ME on one of our machines at home and it was TERRIBLE. Needless to say, we replaced it as soon as we could afford to buy a new OS.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

'if it was more secure it wouldn't wooorrrrkkk' with regards to IE is nonsense. I'm reminded of the snafu with the poor Sony rep fellow who really did believe that his company had DESIGNED PS3s to shutdown intermittently; it didn't. The machines would periodically go 'o hell no bonk' to save their circuits because they'd overheat. So while the shutdown may have been partially intentional, it certainly wasn't a 'feature' as they tried to spin it. it would have been better to tweak the innards of the machine so as to prevent overheatage, but Sony, like Microsoft, was more interested in releasing their product OMGASFASTASPOSSIBLE than getting it really right.

Anyone who claims Windows is reely reely stabel omg and I'm just dumb should harken to the take of my fiancÃ©'s PC. It ran Windows ME and in spite of his regularly maintaining it and my nerdily finessing at it, it ATE ITS OWN BUTT. The program DEVOURED ITS OWN BRAIN, and the computer became UNUSABLE. It was really terrifying to watch. Like - imagine watching your pet hamster turn into a Metroid. it was like that. And the repair shop guys said, "it's dead, Jim; thos OS is evil and rude and all you can do is transfer your significant data to a new machine." They couldn't do anything for it, and they tried. But it was dead. Moral of the stupidstory: Windows ME is dumb as hell, and sometimes Microsoft gets too ahead of themselves and releases thengs WAY sooner than it should, thus resulting in securityfail.

Why IE must attach its butt to your HD is anyone's guess...

babble thx u Keef. I'll let the parental units now about this.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

Patch is out for IE. Go update your Windows.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

I guess I should check safari, opera or google chrome then. because firefox takes the same memory and is slower than my IE, has lower picture quality on the the most random things and crashes at least 3 times a day. Some things have worked better I guess but nothing worth noting.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

Thank you.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

security firm Sophos said no browser is exempt from problems.

"Firefox has issued patches and Apple has too. Whichever browser you are using you have to keep it up to date," he said.

"People have to be prepared and willing to install security updates. That nagging screen asking if you want to update should not be ignored," he said.

Got that from the Beeb (BBC), seems like its not just IE =/

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

=.= greaat..I have firefox..I hope it works -D8

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

Ubuntu = Blah..sorry I just have never cared for ubuntu @ all. Its way to bloated with garbage I dont need. is happy with a tilling wm n urxvt. except now im on Xfce but whatever

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

I know my post was tl;dr, but geeze... I posted the last line separate for a reason.

No. One. Is. Forcing. You. To. Switch.

...it's just recommended if you're worried about security.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

from what i saw on 60 minutes last week nobody is safe who uses the internet

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

Holy shi--! That's a major issue. I'm on FF right now, which isn't a problem, but the rest of my family uses IE for online banking and other things. Thanks for the lookout! Ilu!

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

I suppose I should be happy for being bullied to use FF. =o Ok. Maybe not.. oO Forced is more like it.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

thanks for telling us keith! huggles glad you watch out for your loyal users

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

I'm so glad I use firefox all the time. xD

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

Thanks for the heads up. I'm glad I used Opera and Safari instead of internet explorer.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

sorry, but, and Google Chrome? is the same situation? or I can use too?

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

I'm so glad I switched to Firefox a while ago ^^

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

Well, I just switched to firefox. I made the switch a long time ago, but wasn't happy with it.... Ah well. Better to use a browser I dont like than to loose all my personal info, right?

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

Oki... I changed my browser, my older brother use firefox so I'll be downloading it since I know how it works... Thanks for the information!

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

www.update.microsoft.com microsoft has the fix out now.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

That would explain the viruses I just paid $130 to have removed from my laptop. I've never liked IE anyway. Thank you for looking out for us, Keith.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

Sigh. Now I must explain to me mom that she mustn't use that crappy browser anymore. Firefox rocks in every aspect, I love it to bits. Glad it's safer than IE, too.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

It isn't a crime to use a different browser. Granted, it used to be sort-of taboo but these days it is whatever works best for you. Minus IE that is obviously flawed beyond belief.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

cool thanks for the info. i use firefox anyways. but i did have to remove alot of viruses off my computer the other from ie.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

IE is full of holes. B| And Microsoft's too busy advertising their already crap programs and hardware (VISTA, ANYONE? Grits teeth), and they're not going to fix the hole anytime soon.

So glad I use Firefox. Pets Mozilla c:

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

Quote:

; border: 1px solid ; font-family: georgia; font-size: 10;"> My husband is an IT specialist and has worked with Microsoft and other companies and knows quite a bit about the operating system. Yes, it has some issues- but it's far more secure than you might think.

Considering that this is an error in the engine that has been present since IE 5, I think it's safe to say that they aren't that secure.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

For anyone with slow computers, I'd recommend downloading a free program called CCleaner. It really sped up my computer, plus it fixes registry errors. I've never had a problem with browser slowness, but I'd imagine CCleaner could help with that too

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

Man it's so frustrating to see a person in your position display such fanboy bias.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

Chrome is awesome. I've been using it since it came out, and I've never had a problem with it, or heard anyone say anything bad about it.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

Thank you for informing us C: I use IE as my main browser, but from now on, I may use FF for a while until this gets fixed ^^ Thanks!

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

Up until recently, there were four major browsers to choose from... IE, FireFox, Safari, and Opera. IE and FireFox are the most popular browsers on PCs, Macs generally use Safari, and Opera is very popular for mobile devices. Because of Googles notability as a search engine plus (with all their various applications), their new browser Chrome (which is still Beta, mind you) rocketed up there fairly quickly to even gain an icon on W3 Schools as far as "This tag is supported by these browsers".

There are five major browsers out there now to choose from... which, frankly, makes it a lot harder for us web programmers because there's a lot out there that's supported by about 3-4 as opposed to all 5... IE usually being the "odd man out" because of Microsoft's propensity to make proprietary stuff and try to get their own share of the money for a particular technology.

Either way, the more popular or more widely used something is, the more of a target for exploits and hackers it becomes. Trust me... the more people start switching over to Macs and FireFox, the more you're going to see attempts to get around their security features. I'm not saying jump on the new technology bandwagon the first time it comes to town... wait until it's been around a while and is relatively stable... but honestly? It's only a matter of time. It's happened, too... there have been serious exploits in open source technologies like FireFox in the past. Granted, they happen less often, but they do happen.

Nothing on the internet is failsafe. Where there's a will, there's a way. If a hacker sees enough of a market and a profit (or enough bragging rights, depending on the hacker) in attacking something, they will. It's that simple.

So, instead of whining about which browser's better, it's always best to have more than one. Sometimes, when something's broken in one browser, it just might work in another. I've had that happen here on Subeta. Just be patient, use another browser for a while if you're concerned, and go back to IE later when it's fixed.

If you're not worried... shrugs Then keep using IE. No one's forcing you to switch or bashing you for using it.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

hahahaha, I KNEW this was coming. IE sucks anyway.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

You know, sometimes I doubt I would even find out about these things if it weren't for you guys. Thanks! You may have saved my mom's (and my grandma's, and my friend's dad's) computers. ;^.^

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

Thank you for sharing this with us Keith

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

Variel Quote:

; border: 1px solid ; font-family: georgia; font-size: 10;"> NoirRaven, while IE is an integral part of the Windows OS you will not suffer from this flaw unless you are actively using IE as your internet browser. This is why Alx is suggesting you get something like Opera or Firefox, the more obscure the browser the less likely of picking up a nasty. Heck if you wanna be extra safe Safari or flock would be better because it is utilised by a small part of the internet browsing community.

Exactly. I dunno why IE or PC users have to get so defensive over this matter. I'm a PC user and prefer it right now because most people I work with have that system. Yes, IE will patch up the bug but people are missing the absolute POINT of the announcement.

Keith and Alyx (sp?) are only trying to be informative and considerate. If someone feels like the message was to bash IE users, that's totally your own interpretation.

He wrote very clearly that he's not telling people to switch, rather he's giving his opinon. And it's not like Keith or Alyx are these hacks. They work a lot more internally here with Subeta, so I feel if they're giving out free advice, it's not to be snooty or arrogant.

It's just a notice to bring awareness and give people options. I dunno why, again, a handful of people take this post as if it's a personal attack, which is completely sad.

I guess I've said my peace on this matter, but just calling out all the potential bs and drama this topic might create by a few misguided/hurt feelings.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

I should probably worry about this more than I should. But the only computer I'm ever on that has IE is at work. And while I do access things like google and Subeta there, (here rather since I'm a sitting duck waiting for Satan to return. Yay work. -.-) I don't even really know if I'd take the precautions now. One of them MAY be interested in ruining my google or Subeta (bastards) but I doubt it. And when I'm on the computer, my boss isn't, so he's not running around on his bank accounts. I think I'll just wait for the download tomorrow, simply download it and tell him nothing of it. He's the type that bitches about everything and I really don't want to explain to him WHY he needs to change browsers.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

One thing I would like to know is what is with all these So Called experts at MS everytime they put out a new version something is wrong with it

Why can't they just get the bloody thing working right before they put it out,then they would not need to patch it up.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

w0w, since when did this become a forum for people to call others idiots for not changing from IE to another browser? Sure, it makes sense to under the current circumstances, but do we really need to insult those who haven't yet, or maybe even don't want to? Sheesh, rudeness is so uneccessary

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

will issue a patch to fix security issues with its Internet Explorer 7 browser.

The emergency update is due to be available from 6pm on 17 December and is marked as "critical", Microsoft's most urgent level in its four step system.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

Oh... I use FF. :3

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

Oh nose

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

Wow, thanks for posting this Keith! I wouldn't have known anyother way -Downloads FF- ^____^ Thanks!!

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

Thank you very much Keith!! =D I don't use IE anyway. FF FTW.

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

Okay, I always use FF, but what if I've used IE before? Is my paypal stuff safe at least? Am I safe at all? It's pretty clear I can't remove IE even if I want to

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

.. a way to de-install, of course -.-

December 31, 1969, 7:00 pm by

is there any way e-install the internet explorer? cause mine keeps on opening when I go online :/ send me a subeta mail?

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