IE9 Tops On Malware Blocking Test

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Some good news is for offering. While the big names struggle to ensure users that they are malware protected, IE9 emerges as a winner!

An independent NSS group, ran a test on malware protection among the five most popular browsers, a competition that Internet Explorer 9 won simply because Microsoft put action into its words and employed SmartScreen Technology in IE9. SmartScreen, helps protect users from socially engineered malware attacks by stopping them before they have a chance to infect your PC.

Sounds too good to true?

Not at all. There are numbers that prove its success.

Windows IE 9 – IE9 caught an exceptional 92% of the live threats
Windows IE 8 – caught 90% of the live threats
Apple Safari 5 – caught 13% of the live threats
Google Chrome 10 – caught 13% of the live threats
Mozilla Firefox 4 – caught 13% of  the  live threats
Opera 11 – caught 5% of the live threats

Browsers

As seen clearly by the NSS report findings IE9, followed close by IE8, did out perform the rest.

This is because IE8 introduced a URL reputation system to block sites which were known to distribute malware. Simply put if the reputation cloud deems a site to have malware content it blocks it and if it is clear, it is allowed to pass through.

IE9 adds an application reputation system. Applications which are digitally signed with keys that are not associated with problems are allowed to pass and, applications signed with keys used to sign malicious application are treated with suspicion. Finally, an application which has no reputation, which is not known to the system, is flagged as suspicious; the user can run it, but by taking extra cautionary steps.

This does seem like the USP of IE9, as other browsers do not have this reputation application system yet. This is “defence in depth” and it would take extra amount of persistence for the malware to pass through this browser. Users can ignore other warnings but it is hard to ignore application reputation warning. In other words a smarter defence against a feisty enemy!

A smarter approach is also needed on the user end. Be proactive and work behind a secure VPN and safeguard yourself from malicious attacks.  VPN that not only provides you  a reliable connection, you also get a secured environment with an anonymity feature. VPN also safeguards your data against theft and data loss. So, regardless of which corner of the world you are working from, rest assured you are  web secured in every sense when using a reliable VPN connection.