While the web is a wonderful place, there are many dangers online that can put you and your computer at risk. Your browser is the first line of defense against attacks on the web, and it plays a critical role along with anti-virus and other security software to help keep you safe online. With Internet Explorer, SmartScreen helps protect users from socially engineered malware attacks by stopping them before they have a chance to infect your PC.
NSS Labs, an independent security research and testing organization, released two reports today that show SmartScreen continues to offer industry-leading protection against socially engineered malware. According to the global test conducted by NSS, “IE9 caught an exceptional 96% of the live threats with SmartScreen URL reputation, and an additional 3.2% with Application Reputation.” The graph below compares the test results from various browsers and shows that Internet Explorer blocks up to seven times more malware than other browsers in the global test.
Source: NSS Labs, August 2010 – Global Socially Engineered Malware Protection
Other regional tests released by NSS for socially engineered malware targeted at users in Asia Pacific and in Europe showed similar and consistent results. In all cases, Internet Explorer 9 leads across all browsers in protecting users from these live threats of malware.
Source: NSS Labs, Asia, Global, and Europe Reports
We continue to improve the quality and protection SmartScreen technology offers to our Internet Explorer users. You can see these improvements in how much faster SmartScreen is in blocking malware over time. Since the October 2010 NSS report, the average time taken by SmartScreen filter to block a threat has gotten 28% faster - and if Application Reputation is considered, then the average time has improved by 85%. Not only has the effectiveness of the technology improved, but so has the speed at which it is able to identify socially engineered malware. For our Windows customers, this means fewer infections and headaches for you.
Internet Explorer is designed with your security and privacy in mind. Innovative features such as SmartScreen and Application Reputation are examples of technologies that help protect you as you browse from an increasingly prevalent threat – socially engineered malware. According to Bruce Hughes from AVG Technologies, “Users are 4 times more likely to come into contact with social engineering tactics as opposed to a site serving an exploit.” As this threat becomes more common consumers need better protection and the SmartScreen filter in Internet Explorer is designed to directly address this threat.
When it comes to browsing the web safely, your browser choice matters. If you haven’t already done so, download Internet Explorer 9 and experience a safer browsing experience.
Roger Capriotti
Director, Internet Explorer Product Marketing
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