In our tests, Internet Explorer warned about the execution of parts of the iBench Internet benchmark, even though this contains no dangerous code. If a Web page tries to load a disabled add-on, a warning is given – however, the user can ignore the warning and permit Internet Explorer to execute the code. The new Internet Explorer prevents dangerous HTML code from being implemented on the local PC by listing add-ons in the Manage Add-ons dialogue box, where they can be enabled or disabled by the user. However, a pop-up blocker does not make the browser safer – that is provided by the new Manage Add-ons feature.
Microsoft has taken until 2004 to implement something similar. This feature has been available since 2002 in the form of third-party add-ons such as Crazy Browser, which adds a tabbed interface and a smart pop-up blocker to the IE engine.
With Service Pack 2, Internet Explorer finally provides an effective pop-up blocker. The following pages describe these changes in more detail. XP SP2 offers improved security in four areas:
Last year's Blaster worm proved how important a firewall can be: even today, a newly installed Windows XP system will be infected after few seconds' connection to the Internet if the firewall is deactivated and the Blaster patch is missing. Microsoft is partly responsible for this undesirable state of affairs: after installing Windows XP the integrated software firewall (Internet Connection Firewall) is currently switched off by default, leaving the system unprotected from hacker attacks. Although business computers are relatively well protected against Internet-borne attacks by corporate firewalls, this is not generally the case with home PCs. More and more of today's PCs have always-on Internet connections. The main focus, apart from the fixing of well-known problems, is on security. Service Pack 2 (SP2), which will ship in mid-2004 at the latest, is nearly three times as large, at 360MB (Build 2082). Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Windows XP, which was about 130MB (compressed) in size, fixed 324 errors in the operating system. The forthcoming Service Pack 2 for Windows XP is actually a significant upgrade for Microsoft's OS, delivering much-needed security enhancements.
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