Microsoft has built new security features into the latest beta to try to get closer to that goal. For example, IE 7 allows users to switch on ActiveX controls--Web applications often used in attacks--as needed and encourages safe browser settings.
It also has a filter to protect users against prevalent data-stealing online scams known as phishing. These attacks typically use spam e-mail messages to lure victims to fraudulent Web sites, where they are duped into disclosing sensitive information such as credit card numbers and Social Security numbers.
"(Phishing) is a growing problem, and it has not been solved yet," said Alan Packer, product unit manager for family safety and reputation services at Microsoft. "We're putting together a solution that is going to help a lot. But our adversaries are not sitting still, and we expect to be in for a battle."
Microsoft's phishing filter uses three methods to prevent people from surfing to spoofed sites, Packer said. It analyzes Web pages and checks for characteristics of phishing sites; it compares addresses to a blacklist of known bad sites; and it includes a list of known trusted Web sites. Firefox is also getting a phishing shield, with help from Microsoft rival Google.
IE 7 is also part of Windows Vista, the successor to Windows XP, where it promises more security. On Vista systems, IE 7 runs with fewer user privileges in a virtual sandbox. This means that any malicious software that attempts to run shouldn't be able to touch the underlying operating system, Microsoft has said.
Security is the primary feature of the browser, but it does have other bells and whistles, such as tabbed browsing, RSS support, a search box on a more streamlined toolbar and improved printing capabilities, concepts that should be familiar to Firefox users.
Feature changes between the beta 2 and beta 3 releases include giving users the capability to add an e-mail button on the toolbar, reorder tabs and scroll horizontally while zooming in on a Web site, Microsoft said. Users can also update all RSS feeds at once, the software maker said.
IE 7 beta 3 works only with Windows XP Service Pack 2. It is available from Microsoft's Web site on Thursday. Prior to final release, slated for the second half of this year, Microsoft may provide so-called "release candidate" versions, the company said.
An updated version of IE 7 will also ship with the next Vista preview, Microsoft said.
The effort to build security into the next browser is part of the broader focus on security at Microsoft, which began with Bill Gates' Trustworthy Computing Initiative, launched in early 2002. That effort has had its setbacks, though, and Richard Stiennon, chief analyst at research firm IT-Harvest, has his doubts about how effective the IE push will be.
"It is all well for Microsoft to continue to improve the security of IE, but any update does not address the hundreds of millions of people who do not update their applications," Stiennon said. "Microsoft forgets that it has created this nightmare. Fixing the problems for the most savvy, who use the latest and greatest tools, does not make the problem go away."
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