Review of IE9 Beta Version

JAZZED UP: IE9, now available in beta test form, has a more minimalist look and promises to make websites load and run faster. - Microsoft Corp

The beta version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9(IE9) web browser is now available online for users to try out.

Sporting a much cleaner, less-cluttered layout than its predecessors, IE9 promises a speedier and better user experience, the company said.

It is however only available for Windows 7 and Vista operating systems. Not applicable for Win XP operating systems.

According to Microsoft, users can expect trusted and interoperable online experiences that take full advantage of Windows 7 capabilities as well as a tighter integration with the Bing search engine. It supports the HTML5 video and audio tags and the Web Open Font Format.

IE9 introduces a new scripting engine called Chakra that leverages on the common multicore processors in PCs to deliver significant performance gains.

Microsoft said Chakra has a separate background thread for compiling JavaScript and multiple threads can run in parallel, each on an individual core when one is available.

IE9 also supports full hardware acceleration of HTML5, which enables it to use the graphics processor when rendering complex pages, which takes a significant load off a PC's CPU.

On the security front, IE9 includes the SmartScreen Download Reputation feature that identifies safe downloads and will immediately alert users when it encounters untrustworthy files.

MORE SECURE: The In-Private Browsing and In-Private Filtering security features have been enhanced to give users added peace of mind. - Microsoft Corp

Meanwhile, the In-Private Browsing and In-Private Filtering security features have been further enhanced to give users added peace of mind when using the browser.

Other notable new features include a URL address box that doubles as a search bar just like in Google's Chrome browser, and Windows Taskbar integration that allows shortcuts to links or favourites to be pinned to the taskbar.

IE9 also features user alerts that are more discreet - instead of a steady stream of annoying pop-ups like in IE8, a bar will now appear at the bottom of the screen to ask users about what action to take.

Stop Using Internet Explorer

In a statement issued last 4 days (January 16, 2010), the German Federal Office for Security in Information Technology (known as BSI) recommends that all Internet Explorer users switch to an alternative browser. They may resume using Explorer after a fix is issued by Microsoft for a critical vulnerability that has been implicated in the Chinese cyberattack against Google.

If you missed it, McAffee released on January 15, 2010: a report outlining details of the cyber assault on Google and around 20 other major technology companies. It specifically implicates a critical flaw in all versions of IE that allows hackers to “perform reconnaissance and gain complete control over the compromised system.” Microsoft has responded that it is developing an update to the vulnerability.

According to the statement from BSI, even running Internet Explorer in “protected” mode is not enough to prevent a hacker from exploiting this security flaw.

IE, while the world’s most popular browser, has been steadily losing marketshare over perceptions that it is slower and less secure than rival browsers, especially Firefox. This incident won’t help.

The full statement, translated via Google, is below:

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Translated Statement from Germany

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“In Internet Explorer, there is a critical yet unknown vulnerability. The vulnerability allows attackers to inject malicious code via a specially crafted Web page into a Windows computer to infiltrate and set up. The last week became known hacker attack on Google and other U.S. companies has probably exploited the vulnerability.Affected are the versions 6, 7 to 8 Internet Explorer on Windows systems XP, Vista and Windows 7 Microsoft has released a security advisory in which it discusses ways of minimizing risk and is already working on a patch to close the security gap. The BSI expects that this vulnerability will be used in a short time for attacks on the Internet.

Running the Internet Explorer in ‘protected mode’ as well as disabling scripting Acitve Although more difficult to attack, but it can not completely prevented. Therefore, the BSI recommends to switch to the existence of a patch from Microsoft to an alternative browser.

Once the vulnerability has been closed, the BSI will provide information on its warning and information about public-CERT. Keep informed about the civic-CERT and the BSI warns citizens and small and medium enterprises from viruses, worms and vulnerabilities in computer applications. The expert analysis of the BSI around the clock, the security situation in the Internet and send alerts when action is needed and safety information via e-mail.”

Source : ERM Blog