While browsing for some information on surfers still clinging to Internet Explorer 6, I came across a company providing free information about software vulnerabilities on their website. Secunia have published some excellent data and advice on security, and while a lot of it is fairly technically written they do provide some neat features for the more casual user such as their online software update checker which can scan your computer and tell you if you have any insecure software which needs to be updated. Handy!

As for those still using IE6? Take a look for yourself: Internet Explorer 6.x Security Advisories - 142 vulnerabilities and 135 advisories, 16% remain unpatched and up to “moderately critical” in importance. By comparison, Firefox 3.x has 39 vulnerabilities and 8 advisories, 0% of which are unpatched.

Whichever browser you choose, use the latest version and keep it updated. Identity theft is on the increase and it’s simple steps like updating your browser which will help protect you online.