BREAKING: Internet Explorer patch update now available.

Last Monday we notified you about the security issue with all versions of  IE (Internet Explorer).

Here is the updated information you need to have:
1. Microsoft has issued patches to resolve the issue.
2. Microsoft has also issued a patch for XP Users.

What Can You Do?
1. If you use XP, Vista and Windows 7 it is a 3 stage fix.
    A. Go to http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer and install the latest flash player.
        (Be sure to uncheck the box that includes additional free software).
    B. Go to http://get.adobe.com/shockwave and install the latest Shockwave.
    C. Go to your windows control panel and run Windows Update.

2. If you are running Windows 8, simply go to your windows control panel and run Windows Update to fix Internet Explorer.
We think that there will be more attempts at exploiting XP and we cannot guess what Microsoft may do next time. If you are still using XP we urge you to seriously consider updating.

Here is a quote directly from Microsoft:
“We have made the decision to issue a security update for Windows XP users,” writes Dustin C. Childs, group manager, response communications at Microsoft. “Windows XP is no longer supported by Microsoft, and we continue to encourage customers to migrate to a modern operating system, such as Windows 7 or 8.1. Additionally, customers are encouraged to upgrade to the latest version of Internet Explorer, IE 11.”
If you have a question please give us a call at 781-816-9437.

This is why IES recommends Firefox or Chrome vs Internet Explorer...

Sauce Labs, an Internet software testing and development company, specializes in automated testing for mobile and Web applications by delivering a test environment that accommodates over 150 browsers, operating systems, and device platforms. In the course of all that testing they've gotten to know which ones break the most and which ones break the least. Now, for the second time, Sauce is revealing which browsers can stand the test of the Web and which ones buckle under the strain.

For the purposes of the report Sauce only analyzed browser versions for which the company had at least 1,000 jobs in the last two years. This means that the most recent versions of some browsers aren't represented in the report.

Taken all-in-all, the bottom of the barrel Web browser family was Internet Explorer (IE). But, that's not the entire story.

True, with a 0.25 percent error rate, IE was the worst Web browser, but each browser has many different versions and a close look reveals that Microsoft's Web browsers have greatly improved since IE 7 first appeared in 2006. As for IE 6, let's not even talk about it!

While IE 7 has an error rate of .29 percent, the latest version, IE 10, has "an impressive 0.05 percent error rate." Sauce has found that Microsoft has gotten much better at "squashing their historically error rates."

So, if IE has been significantly improved, which browser has the "honor" of being the poorest program? That regrettable position, of currently deployed and supported Web browsers, goes to Apple's Safari 6.

The best browser, in terms of the fewest number of defects, is Firefox 22—followed by Chrome 27, IE10, Opera 12, and Safari 6. According to Sauce, "Most versions of Chrome have error rates low enough that they didn't show up on the graph. Neither do later versions of Firefox. That means that Chrome and Firefox are solid in terms of performance. For the tech savvy that isn't too surprisingly."

All-in-all, compared to the last Sauce evaluation of browsers in 2011, the company found that "Half of the browser versions we analyzed had error rates lower than 0.07-percent. That's pretty low, and suggests that browsers are getting more reliable as more versions come out."

Source: ZDNet

Internet Explorer 10 compatibility issues with online banking sites.

During the month of March, Microsoft will be making its Internet Explorer 10 browser available for Windows 7 and 8. This browser update will be automatically propagated and installed as part of the next Microsoft Windows update.

Preliminary testing has identified compatibility issues between the new Internet Explorer browser and many online banking sites. Since many banking sites do not support Internet Explorer 10 at this time, we STRONGLY recommend that you do NOT install the new browser on computers that access any cash management or banking sites.

If Explorer 10 gets installed by mistake, there is no guarantee that we will be able to simply remove it and restore online banking functionality.

If you have any questions please feel free to give IES a call at 781-816-9437.