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We are constantly working to help protect customers against online threats by providing a safer and more trusted browsing experience through Internet Explorer. Today, NSS Labs, an independent, information security research and testing organization, released a report that finds Internet Explorer offers the best protection against socially-engineered malware.
When your friend sends you a link to download a file containing “some awesome pictures,” your first thought isn’t to question whether this link may contain something bad like a virus that can shut your computer down or steal your identity. Why would someone you trust send you something harmful? Unfortunately, this good-natured instinct is exactly the behavior that malware creators like to exploit. Attackers are looking to take advantage of contacts and personal relationships - relying on user actions rather than software vulnerabilities to harm people. These attacks are known as socially-engineered malware attacks and have been increasing in number.
NSS Labs research shows that Internet Explorer 9 is able to either block or warn against 99% of socially-engineered malware. According to NSS Labs, “With a unique URL blocking score of 94% and over-time protection rating of 99%, Internet Explorer 9 was by far the best at protecting users against socially-engineered malware.” The graph below compares the protection offered by various browsers against socially-engineered malware attacks. You can see from the report that Internet Explorer 9 leads all browsers with the highest block rate - and best protection against malware.
[Source: NSS Labs, October 2010 - based on latest browser versions as of date of testing]
The award-winning Internet Explorer leads the industry in providing protection from socially-engineered attacks. Jason Miller of Shavlik Technologies, a global leader in simplifying the complexity of IT management, notes that with the recent NSS findings, “Microsoft is showing, with their current browser technologies, that security for end user browsing is important to them.” Through its SmartScreen technology, Internet Explorer 8 and Internet Explorer 9 Beta help protect customers by detecting and blocking websites that distribute socially-engineered malware and phishing attacks. The difference in performance between IE8 and IE9 above comes from the addition of innovative features such as SmartScreen Application Reputation. This new feature for Internet Explorer 9 adds an additional layer of protection by warning users when they attempt to download a higher risk application.
If you haven’t yet done so, download Internet Explorer 9 Beta to see how you can enjoy a more beautiful – and trusted web - experience.
Roger Capriotti
Director, Internet Explorer Product Marketing
"Today, NSS Labs, an independent, information security research and testing organization, released a report that finds Internet Explorer offers the best protection against socially-engineered malware."
Except, of course, NSS Labs is not independent, but is paid by Microsoft and adapts the test to make IE look as good as possible.
The "tests" by NSS Labs have been exposed as fraudulend multiple times. It's quite amazing that you are still playing this game.
"Director, Internet Explorer Product Marketing"
Indeed. This is nothing but marketing. Pay a corrupt company to do "research", and voila, marketing!
Why, on a Microsoft website, are the user comments field fubar? All of the comments are cut off on the right hand side.
@sinina - perhaps others would appreciate your comment more if you would back it with facts and support it with sources. I'm perfectly willing to accept that Microsoft's done something like that, I'm not some crazy fanboy. But in my experience they've been honest and legitimate, not sneaky like you've said. Perhaps you should have mentioned that Google's browser topped the "Top 10 Insecure Software Products" list. (and yes, i have a source for that. i saw it in a ComputerWorld magazine and can dig it out if you want me too ;-) )
When you'll release IE9 Beta 2?
So, they're testing the Beta version of IE, yet the version of Chrome they're testing is 3 Versions out of date?
(I'm using Chrome 9 at the time of writing - They tested Chrome 6)
Sheesh :|
As excited as I am about ie9, I am disappointed that ie9's performance is being compared to old and outdated browsers. That's no way to bring a new browser recognition. It's supposed to be thrown against the latest and greatest, like comparisons that I've seen with ie on winphone7 and browsers on android and iphone. Come on Microsoft and NSS Labs! Step your game up! Do it like you did winphone7!
@reelix, conyeje2, i understand your concern - but i think you're making an unfair generalization. First of all, Chrome is only up to version 8 as of the time of writing - second, Google releases updates on an odd schedule. Perhaps Google was only in version 6 at the time of the study. Thirdly - would a 2-release difference on Google's schedule really make much of a difference? All the other browsers tested were up-to-date - Would Chrome's 3% Mean Block rate REEALY increase by that much? For the record, i've hard tested IE9 against every other (up to date!) browser and only IE9 has kept me really protected. And the only thing that came close to it in speed was Firefox Beta 4 - which has a lot more beta issues than IE.
Regardless of which browser is being compared here. The fact is IE9 is blocking 99%
I doubt chrome 8 would jump from 3 to 99, same with firefox. Blocking 100 would probably be impossible, or extremely hard. So it's safe to say IE9 comes second to none when looking at blocking socially engineered malware out of all browsers
IE9 is buggy as all get out it interfers with many applications like gadgets, the mouse and with explorer its self.
I do not reccomend this until MS once again gets their stuff together
@MadDog how so? I run IE9 Beta on a Windows 7 machine and i've had zero problems other than some website compatability and plugin crashes. remember, this is a beta. It's not meant for the world, yet. But honestly - how could it "interfere" with other applications? Applications on a Windows machine run in a type of loose sandbox - they can't just directly interact with other applications. Are you sure it's not just your computer?
@sinina , I agree that the marketing company probably fabricated something on loose research. Market research companies are all the same, they talk a big game due to marketing background, and rarely research as much as they should. If someone came to me (pretend I'm Microsoft) and said "we have research that shows people in the Aylesbury area think your company offers the best value for money", guess what? I would get a newspaper page and tell the world. Now I should probably stress, I am ethical, and would not fabricate something myself, but I can see temptations by someone who is presented with data, running with it.
I am writing this in Chrome, but when I want to do something secure, or worried the page has a long winded payment or ordering process, I always switch to IE9 in comparability mode. Not failed me yet. Had other browsers get too far in to the order and fail due to some design issues on the site.
Big buzz word of the moment is password security after Gawker, would encourage Microsoft looks to make a big song and dance about secure encrypted password caching or something, would get a lot more free press.
Kieran Donnelly
MD of F8 IT Solutions Limited in Aylesbury UK
http://www.f8-it.com
Welcome to a non-customizable dumbed down web.
@7flavor - why do you say that? If anything, IE9 is the MOST customizable browser, because it most fully supports HTML 5 - which allows for very, very creative websites. Even the IE9 interface is customizable, allowing you to keep or remove the familiar web slices and favorite bars. The only thing i'd like to see is skins, similar to firefox or chrome.
Let's Assume all the core engines of IE9 are improved and is now comparable with more recent browsers; but it's not enough. IE9's UI is bulky comparing to Chrome:
-There's not enough space for Tabs and the address bar in the same row. It makes you use fewer tabs, or don't see the address bar.
-In-page searching is not as neat as the one in Chrome.
-Web history management is the same as the one in IE4.
These are issues. as much as you guys work on the complicated superfast browsing engines, you should work on the UI too.
This post discusses a new idea for UI in IE9:
blog.etabari.com/.../vcxv.html
This post compares web history management and suggests a new UI for it:
blog.etabari.com/.../closer-look-at-web-history.html
@ehsan - at first i would have agreed with you... i thought, dang, how stupid to put the tabs and address on the same row... but it's turned out fine. i've got 6 tabs open and i can easiliy tell what each one is, and on the three or four times a week i have 20+ tabs, i can still navigate them fairly easily. I do agree on the history though - its nearly impossible to find a site i visited last week!! It needs to be more intuitive... all ppl use history for is finding a site they visited, so it should be designed around that - example - "What day did you view the page?" and then "Got any idea what time of day you viewed it?" etc.
All in all though, for a beta, IE9 rox.
I like IE9. Fastest browser and minimalistic interface! Now Chrome turns in IE8 between browsers.
All new features of CSS works in it, thank's to developers.
Alex @ basketballtrainingpro.com