A more secure IE

Microsoft showed its interest in stopping spyware by buying Giant Antispyware, then releasing the software under its own brand. Now, the company announced it will make the next generation of its browser less vulnerable to drive-by spyware downloads. Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) will not allow the kinds of stealth installs via Web site that many spyware vendors have come to depend on. Unfortunately, this more secure version of IE7 will only be available in Longhorn, Microsoft's next operating system. When Microsoft takes Longhorn to market, it will truthfully be able to say that Longhorn is more secure than prior versions of Windows. Of course, some people contend that the lack of security in IE has contributed greatly to the spyware problem, so it's about time Microsoft clamped down.

On another subject, I've written about the Illinois class-action lawsuit against DirectRevenue before. Spyware Warrior posted DirectRevenue's response, which insists it's never done a stealth install. If you've ever gotten DirectRevenue on your computer, and had no idea where it came from, Spyware Warrior provides a link where you can tell your story. If DirectRevenue's response can be shown as false, its defense will suffer a serious blow.