Internet Explorer 8 was released on March 19, 2009 and is supported in Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 on both 32-bit as well as 64-bit versions of these operating systems.
Here are three ways Internet Explorer 8 can help you have a safe Web browsing experience:

#1 – SmartScreen Filter – Avoid phishing scams and malware. In Internet Explorer 8, the SmartScreen Filter helps to protect you from unsafe Web sites as you browse. It alerts you if a site you are trying to open has been reported as unsafe, and allows you to report unsafe sites yourself.

SmartScreen Filter helps to protect you in three ways:

- It operates in the background as you browse the web, analyzing webpages and determining if they have any characteristics that might be suspicious. If it finds suspicious webpages, SmartScreen will display a message giving you an opportunity to provide feedback and advising you to proceed with caution.

- SmartScreen Filter checks the sites you visit against an up-to-the-hour, dynamic list of reported phishing sites and malicious software sites. If it finds a match, SmartScreen Filter will show you a red warning notifying you that the site has been blocked for your safety

- SmartScreen Filter also checks files downloaded from the web against the same dynamic list of reported malicious software sites. If it finds a match, SmartScreen Filter will show a red warning notifying you that the download has been blocked for your safety

#2 – Identify Fake Web Addresses – Internet Explorer 8 helps you avoid deceptive Web sites that are designed to trick you with misleading addresses. The domain name in the address bar is highlighted in black and the remainder of the address is in gray to make it easy to identify a Web site’s true identity.

#3 – Cross Site Scripting (XSS) Filter – Cross-site scripting attacks try to exploit vulnerabilities in the websites you use. In this attack, you might receive an email that contains a tampered website address. Once you click on the link, you are directed to a legitimate website that has been compromised to contain malicious content that can capture keystrokes and record your login and password. These attacks have emerged as a leading online threat so Internet Explorer 8 includes a cross-site scripting filter that can detect these types of attacks and disable the harmful scripts.

Kind Regards

Marc Liron – Ex-Microsoft MVP (2004-2010)
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