Staying Secure When Microsoft Drops Support for Internet Explorer 8, 9 & 10

Microsoft has announced that the support for Internet Explorer versions 8, 9 and 10 shall be discontinued in the near future. They have already released the final update for the IE8 this month. After Microsoft drops support for IE 8, IE 9 and IE 10, you will have no choice but to upgrade to the Internet Explorer 11 even if you do not use it. This is because some components of the Microsoft’s web browser are embedded deep in the Windows operating system. Since IE 11 is available only for Windows 7, 8.1 and 10, you must also upgrade your Windows operating system to a later supported version.

Internet Explorer Logo

Upgrade the operating system to Windows 10

If you are still using an older version of Windows (XP or Vista), then it is high time for upgrading your operating system to Windows 10. You cannot really buy any other earlier version of Windows anyway. This also might mean for you that you upgrade the PC hardware so that the new OS works flawlessly. You can download the Windows 10 ISO and try it out on your PC to see if your older hardware works well with it.

Upgrade to Internet Explorer 11

Internet Explorer 11 is available for Windows 7, 8.x and 10. It actually comes bundled with Windows 10. If you are using Windows 7 or 8.x, then you need to upgrade your Internet Explorer browser to version 11 even if you do not really use Internet Explorer. This is because some components of the Microsoft’s web browser are embedded deep in the Windows operating system and may stay un-patched if you keep using the older versions of Internet Explorer.

Use Third-party Web Browsers

There are many secure, third-party web browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Opera, available for Windows users that you can use for all your needs. These web browsers are considered to be even more secure than the ones provided by Microsoft. Furthermore, these web browsers can be customized with the help of thousands of plugins, extensions or add-ons.

A web browser is the most used application in an internet ready Windows PC today. You should keep it updated to the latest version to stay secure on the internet. Now that Microsoft is planning to drop support for older versions of Internet Explorer, it is high time to upgrade your operating system, the Internet Explorer or to choose a third-party web browser.