It must be remembered that more than 80% of
the global market has persevered with the now hopelessly out of date
IE6. However, in more sophisticated user markets, such as Germany,
other parts of Europe, North America and Australia, Firefox has made
significant inroads. IE7 was designed to arrest the slide.
What may be a worry to many users is that the unpatched flaw in IE7
also exists in its predecessor IE6. How the flaw was able to get under
the radar during the development lifecycle of IE7 is anybody's guess,
however, what does this indicate about the enhanced security of
Microsoft's other new generation software?
IE7 is after all small change compared to Windows Vista and Office
2007. Recent Patch Tuesdays have revealed flaws in beta and release
candidate versions of Vista.
Microsoft has promised that Vista will take Windows security to a new
level and reduce the incidence of vulnerabilities requiring patches.
This is not the first time Microsoft has made such claims. A flaw
discovered within hours of release in a relatively simple software
development compared to an operating system could be the proverbial
canary in the coalmine portending more serious days ahead on the
security front.
If one were to be cynical, one could question the entry of Microsoft
into the security space on the eve of the release of Vista in the first
place. Playing devil's advocate, one could ask why an operating system
vendor in the process of releasing a supposedly rock solid secure
system would believe there's money to be made out of security products
for that system.
IE7 flaw a canary in the coalmine?
Internet Explorer 7 is supposed to be one of the big ones for Microsoft, a catchup browser five years in the making. Aside from the catchup features, it was the tighter security that was always going to be the clincher for many users, particularly in the business world. However, the perception of a more secure browsing experience with IE7 is already under strain with the discovery of a flaw just hours after release.
RECRUITMENT & RETENTION REPORT 2013
HIRE OR FIRE? BUY OR BUILD2013 is well underway and Australian companies need to know whether they should invest in IT skills training or pay a premium for the people they need.
If you want to know which choices are being made in your sector, what skills are hard to find, which sectors intend to hire or fire and where the IT spend is going, this free report is must have.
Stan Beer
Stan Beer co-founded iTWire in 2005. With 25 years of experience working in Australian technology media, Beer has published articles in most of the IT publications that have mattered, including the AFR, The Australian, SMH, The Age, as well as a multitude of trade publications.
