Thursday, December 15, 2011

Microsoft to Force Internet Explorer Updates

In a bid to boost reduce security issues, Microsoft said this morning that it will automatically update users to the latest Internet Explorer versions, across all of its operating systems. Microsoft said it will automatically upgrade users on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 to the latest and greatest version, automatically, a switch for the manual process previously required for upgrades. The switch adds Internet Explorer as the latest browser to switch to automatic upgrades; currently, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome both automatically upgrade users, whether or not they would like to. Microsoft said the move is an "important step" in helping to move the web forward, and also to address safety benefits and malware issues. In a concession to enterprise users -- who are often highly adverse to automatic updates, and often have enterprise apps which may not co-exist with all browser versions--Microsoft said it will provide a "Automatic Update Blocker" toolkit to enterprises to update browsers on a schedule.