College Tells Students Not to Use Explorer

Penn State University is urging students to drop Internet Explorer in favor of alternative Web browsers such as Firefox and Safari. The university, home to Joe Paterno and the Nittney Lions recommended that students download other browsers to reduce attacks through vulnerabilities in the Microsoft software.

The university said "media reports" and a string of warnings by Carnegie Mellon University's Computer Emergency and Response Team led to its recommendation.

Penn State's new policy highlights the many security vulnerabilities that have dogged IE over the past few months. Nearly two dozen holes in the Web browser have been discovered during the fall, ranging in degrees of seriousness.

Malicious code writers have targeted security holes in the browser to launch attacks or install spyware. These attacks are often launched when a victim clicks on a specific Web link, opening the door for criminals to take over the person's computer. Once the PC is compromised, the attacker could access account information, load other software and delete files.

Security concerns have prompted a growing number of Internet users, including some large corporations, to embrace different browsers, such as The Mozilla Organization's Firefox, Apple Computer's Safari and Opera Software's Opera. While IE remains the undisputed leader for browsers, with nearly 90 percent market share, Firefox continues to gain in popularity.

Maybe we should listen to what all these folks are telling us and change browsers. I did.