BSIT07-01

IE8 to be launched later today



Microsoft is set to make its Internet Explorer 8 browser available later today, tying it in with a company-commissioned report claiming IE8 is more secure against malware than rival browsers from Mozilla and Google.


Users will be able to download IE8 in 25 languages from 5.00 (GMT) this afternoon from the IE8 website or Microsoft's download centre.
Microsoft has been preparing users for the new browser since the launch of the first IE8 beta a year ago, stressing performance improvements, better support for Internet technology standards, the addition of new features to help people keep track of most visited sites and favourite sources of information, and of course, security, as highlights of the new browser.
According to the report Microsoft has just released, based on research conducted by NSS Labs, IE8's Release Candidate 1 was 69 percent effective at catching malware before it did damage to a user's system. Mozilla Firefox 3.07 came in second with a 30 percent effectiveness rate, with Apple Safari's 3 in third place with a 24-percent rate and Google's Chrome 1.0.154 in fourth place with 16 percent effectiveness rate
NSS Labs said in the report that the data was collected from tests conducted in just over 12 days from 26 February to 10 March. During the course of the test, the company said it monitored connectivity to ensure the browsers could access the live malware sites being tested, and performed 141 discrete tests. The margin of error of the tests was 3.76 percent, according to NSS Labs.