Internet Explorer is struggling with a huge security issue
A security researcher has recently revealed a dangerous vulnerability present in the latest version of Internet Explorer. It seems the browser has a serious bug which allows websites to leak whatever the user is typing in the address bar. This includes both URLs and search terms, which automatically become visible to the website the user is currently on.
Internet Explorer has a huge security flaw
Manuel Caballero is the researchers which discovered this serious vulnerability. The flaw leaves Internet Explorer’s address bar ‘open’ for the website the user is currently on. For instance, if someone is viewing a page, and wants to go on and visit another one, the former page can peak on what the user will write in the address bar.
As soon as the user hits enter, the page he is on will be able to see what page he will be visiting next, or what search terms he is interested in. This is extremely problematic, as it might leak some private information about the user. In fact, the entire browsing history of a person becomes available, which raises huge security concerns.
Microsoft is trying to replace Internet Explorer with Edge
The researcher suspects this could be a Microsoft strategy. The company has learnt Internet Explorer is outdated a long time ago, and now it’s silently trying to get rid of it, and convince people to replace it with its new browser, Edge. Therefore, they might be avoiding the providing of updates for Internet Explorer on purpose.
Many users have already given up on the classic Internet Explorer in favor of other browsers. However, there are still some people who either have to use Internet Explorers, or are not aware there are better alternatives. When informed about the issue, Microsoft declared they should provide a bug fix soon. However, the safest way to avoid such issues would be to switch to a more modern browser.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Michael Turner
