Microsoft unveils Internet Explorer 8 - 10-Mar-09
Microsoft has never been shy when it comes to shouting about their latest product developments. In fact, as a rule, they usually dedicate many pages of their website, feed copious blogs and forums and push an almost continual stream of promotional PR and spin to the media in an effort to keep us all duly informed.
Low and behold, the much anticipated launch of Internet Explorer 8 is no different in this respect. The latest ‘release candidate’ version, which incidentally is now available to download at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/beta/, comes with a high degree of expectation and some big-ticket security claims. So much so that Microsoft claims that the new enhancements "make IE8 hands down the most secure browser on the market".
So as well as making it more aesthetically pleasing with improvements such as colour coded tabs, what other new features make IE8 supposedly better than the rest?
Upping the ante on security
Any new web browser launch, whatever the platform, will nowadays usually feature some new or additional functionality that allows it to claim better or the best security for the user. This final beta release of IE8 doesn’t just feature increased security - it focuses on it! The latest additions currently generating more interest than any other are IE8’s new clickjacking security solution and InPrivate features.
Internet Explorer 8’s raison d'être is its new solution to preventing the more recent issue of ‘clickjacking’. This is where users can unknowingly send hackers sensitive or personal details through methods such as fake links placed upon legitimate web pages. When the visitor lands on an infected site, an attacker can even manipulate the affected end users’ browser session and have them do almost anything they desire - like, For example, downloading ‘malware’ (malicious software).
Yet the overall problem it seems lies within the vulnerability of our browser. Hackers require two things to clickjack effectively. Firstly, they need to be able to sabotage a website - the more legitimate the better. Secondly, they need a user with a vulnerable browser that allows them to deliver their code. Now, this second criteria is not as uncommon as you may think. In fact when clickjacking techniques were first identified, most browsers exhibited these vulnerabilities - including Internet Explorer 7.
While offering few technical details of its methods, Microsoft appears to have not only addressed the browser-based issues, but also sought out the help of website owners to make IE8 less vulnerable to the attacks.
Another useful feature is InPrivate, a browsing mode that allows the user to surf the internet without leaving any vestige of surfing activity upon the computer being used. Many is the occasion when we’ve all wanted or needed to share a PC, borrow a laptop or use a public PC; for example, in a library. Needless to say you won’t want other people to look back and view your browsing activity. Internet Explorer 8’s InPrivate Browsing eliminates this issue by not storing session history, cookies, temporary Internet files or other data. The user simply launches a new InPrivate Browsing session and just closes the window as they would do normally. Internet Explorer then removes any suggestion that they were ever there in the first place!
Other security enhancements include improvements to Internet Explorer’s phishing filter - SmartScreen. Complete with an improved user interface, SmartScreen combines new heuristics with enhanced telemetry, enabling the URL Reputation Service to identify and block phishing sites much faster.
Searching made easier
Away from security, IE8’s new Accelerators are another great new feature. This function allows the user to highlight a word on any given web page, and then right click to list options which allow the user to submit that word to services such as search engines, social network sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter or even look it up on Wikipedia.
Finally, it should be noted that IE8 RC1 currently only supports Windows XP and Vista with a version for Windows 7 still in beta. As yet there is no official launch date for the final release of IE8, but you can be sure that with the availability of many other attractive browsers, many with new and exciting features of their own, Microsoft will be keen to get the final release out there...
Source: NetXtra
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