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Finland Issues IE 6 Warning

Posted by timothy on from the finally-the-u.s.-and-europe-can-agree dept.

loconet writes "ZDNet UK reports that The Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority have warned computer users against using Microsoft's Internet Explorer 6 web browser as it has a serious security flaw that compromises computer systems. Microsoft has yet to announce when it will release a patch for the vulnerability, which does not affect XP SP2 users but does affect Windows 2000 users and XP SP1 users. The vulnerability was published at the beginning of November."

9 of 22 comments (clear)

  1. on aftonbladet.se by fredrikj · · Score: 4, Interesting

    For the record: for several hours this was top news on the front page of aftonbladet.se, the most visited Swedish news site, with the headline "Don't use Internet Explorer". Hopefully at least a few people followed their link to mozilla.org...

  2. Re:I'll be the first to say it... by Flaming_cows · · Score: 2, Informative

    Next time try linking to them instead of just typing them:-
    http://www.getfirefox.com/
    http://www.spreadfirefox.com/

  3. Preaching to the dumb by aitio · · Score: 4, Funny
    Changing your browser was FICORA's last option when dealing with BOFRA. Before were upgrading to SP2, updateing virus scanning and so on.

    "#5 Erityisesti jos käytössäsi ei ole Windows XP -käyttöjärjestelmää tai XP:n Service Pack 2 -päivityksen asentaminen ei ole mahdollista, yhtenä tietoturvahaavoittuvuuden rajoitusmahdollisuutena on vaihtoehtoisen selainohjelman käyttäminen, kunnes haavoittuvuuteen on olemassa korjaava ohjelmistopäivitys."

    Loosely translated: "If you are not using Windows XP, or installing SP2 is not possible, you can also use a different Internet-browser, until the vulnerability is patched."

    This is still far from saying "DON'T USE IE, YOU MORONS!"

    My own family was an example of how these suddle ways of trying to make people to care about computer security don't work.

    Dad in the morning while reading the paper: " 'FICORA issues statement...' Why don't they stop rambling about the Internet and those viruses!"
    Dad in the evening: "What the fu*k is wrong with the computer?"
    --
    Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.
    1. Re:Preaching to the dumb by Morosoph · · Score: 2, Informative

      The moderators are clearly culturally lacking.

      --
      Wikileaks, no DNS
  4. Harsher words by Gary+Destruction · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It will only be a matter of time before we start seeing harsher words about Internet Explorer's security problems. "Don't use Internet Explorer" is more of a catch phrase than a warning.
    Imagine seeing harsher words from security firms like,"Internet Explorer is a virus vector" or "Internet Explorer makes Windows an unsafe OS."
    Harsher words may prompt harsher actions. The realization of IE's entanglement with Windows may finally be officially recognized as a problem and not an enhancement or innovation.

  5. Why are these small countries always so far ahead? by snotman88 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The US always seems to be way behind on anything involving intelligent decisions. Why don't we get warnings about MS crap stinking?

    --
    --- MS: "Working software is soooo nineties!"
  6. Few would use MSIE after learning about others by SgtChaireBourne · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Who'd use IE?
    Believe it or not, there are unfortunatley many people that do not hear about secure or functional programs. MS has not only a lock on the desktop market (for the time being), but also the advertising market.

    The demand is out there. Whenever I show or tell about the options avaiable, the non-tech people ask afterwards why haven't they received this information earlier.

    Perhaps one reason for the decision by the Finnish agencies to advise against MSIE and for Firefox, Mozilla, Opera, etc. is to compensate for harm done from the computer "security" campaign earlier this year, which amounted to nothing more than a state funded 8-page, 4-color MS ad delivered to every home, apartment or dorm in the country. Telling die hard Chairman Bill fans to update and patch is one thing, but neglecting to even name other options appears to fall somewhere between irresponsible/incompetent and graft.

    Maybe this will lead to discussion of other useful tools and operating systems. Obviously, Mozilla, Firefox and Opera are drop in replacements. Likewise, MS-Outlook has a worse track record than MSIE and should be shunned in favor of Eudora, Mozilla, Thunderbird, etc. Home users that just want a computers that works should look at OS X, though I bet there would be a good cottage industry in upgrading old x86 machines to a Linux or BSD distro.

    There are also issues like file incompatibility, technological obsolesence, and platform lock-in that those and options like OOo avoid.

    --
    Beta is broken and the link to classic doesn't work. Stop wasting our time or there won't be anybody left here.
    1. Re:Few would use MSIE after learning about others by fbjon · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yes, many people simply don't know. Thankfully, a few IE exploits have been on national evening news here now.

      --
      True confidence comes not from realising you are as good as your peers, but that your peers are as bad as you are.
  7. This just in..... by fozzmeister · · Score: 2, Insightful

    .... Unpatched versions of Solaris, Linux, *BSD and PalmOS also have security problems