As of today, Microsoft is ending support for all but the most current version (11) of its venerable, if not always beloved, Internet Explorer web browser.
Of crucial interest to end-users is that this means Microsoft will no longer be providing security updates for any version of IE prior to 11. As Microsoft notes:
Security updates patch vulnerabilities that may be exploited by malware, helping to keep users and their data safer. Regular security updates help protect computers from malicious attacks, so upgrading and staying current is important.
The implications of this change are simple: systems running older versions of IE are now a critical risk to the security of enterprise, and home, computing. While Microsoft may no longer be paying attention to the security aspects of its aging browser installation base, malware authors most definitely are. And without the mechanism of security updates to keep them at bay, penetrations are all but guaranteed.
Because of this, Just-Tech recommends that any enterprise (or home) computers still running older versions of IE pursue an immediate upgrade path to version 11 as soon as possible. IE11 will continue to receive security updates – at least for the foreseeable future – and that extra layer of defense could be the deciding factor in keeping your organization’s data safe.
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