The Mozilla IE Debate

Let's discuss the ongoing Mozilla IE debate for a moment. There was a news story that hit the major media recently alerting Internet surfers about something that many of us Mozilla users already knew: Internet Explorer is not a very safe browser to use. There are way too many ways for scammers and viruses to attack your computer when you use Internet Explorer on a daily basis. I figured this out years ago when I started seeing dot com toolbars and other spyware programs magically appear on my computer, even though I never downloaded anything. I would suddenly hear funny noises coming from my Internet Explorer browser even though I wasn't even using it. It turns out that many spyware programs and viruses can download themselves onto your computer using Internet Explorer. So I signed up for a new browser at the time called Mozilla Firefox. When I started using this browser on a regular basis I stopped having the issues. Now I cringe whenever I see a friend or family member opening up an Internet Explorer browser.

What You Need to Know

There are vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer that most viruses and spyware programs target to download themselves to your computer. Internet Explorer has the most market share among all Internet browsers, and has held that title since the days when AOL came on the scene. So most Internet viruses and spyware programs are targeted for Internet Explorer users.

Why Mozilla is Ideal

Mozilla has actively designed its web browser to thwart attacks from viruses and spyware. Mozilla's goal is "making the Internet better for everyone." The Mozilla browser has the following great security features:

- Anti-Malware. When you visit a known suspicious site, instead of allowing you to visit the site, the Mozilla browser will send you a warning message. Then you can quickly exit from the site unharmed.

- Integrates Well With Anti-Virus Software. The Mozilla browser works in perfect harmony with your anti-virus software to thwart virus attacks.

- Anti-Phishing. The Mozilla browser will warn you if you are about to visit a site that is known to "phish" for information from visitors by disguising itself as a trusted site.

- Add-on Protections. Mozilla will confirm that you have a secure connection before allowing an add-on program to download or update to your computer.

These are just a few of the great protective features that Mozilla offers Internet users. While Internet Explorer still seems to be a work in progress, even after all of these years, it just makes more sense to use Mozilla in the meantime to protect your computer's stability and privacy.