IE7 Released As High-Priority Update 438
jimbojw writes, "Internet Explorer 7 was finally released this morning and is available via automatic update or download from Microsoft." And an anonymous reader notes stats on IE7 and FF2 downloads, adding: "Looks like FF2 is already outnumbering FF 1.5, while IE7 is having a hard time to find followers. Will today's release as a high-priority, force-fed update fix this issue?" The sans.org stats site will be updated throughout the day, so perhaps we'll get an indication.
I heard Michael Howard talking about this one (Score:5, Interesting)
It's not exactly sandboxed, but it has to ask permission from a "request broker" before changing anything in the rest of the system, and the request broker is smaller, more auditable, and not handling malicious input all the time. Troublesome features like installing Browser Help Objects are off by default.
If we're lucky this could be like IIS 6. If we're not lucky, it should still be better than the malware installation engine [oreilly.com] everyone's running now.
Don't expect your friends and relatives to report fewer malware installations, though. The bad guys will just shift to a different infection vector if IE7 lives up to its promises.
Re:Monopoly leverage, indeed (Score:3, Interesting)
You have a choice, you just have to know how to exercise it.
My company has already said we should not take IE7 since it's not compatible with some of our stuff.
You know how you do this? Instead of using the (stupid) Express Install for updates which says "install everything", and instead of setting up auto updates to grab and install everything, you use the Custom Install, and deselect the change for IE7.
It aint that difficult. I won't be installing it on either my home or work machines for the time being.
Believe it or not, you can choose not to take this 'high-priority' update. I never just blindly install what the auto-updates thinks I should be a good boy and fetch. I look at it. =)
Cheers