Internet Explorer 6

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) is the sixth above afterlight of Internet Explorer, a web browser developed by Microsoft for Windows operating systems. It was appear on August 27, 2001, anon afterwards the achievement of Windows XP.

It is the absence browser alien with Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, and was aswell fabricated accessible for Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows Me, Windows 2000, and Windows Home Server (a acquired of Windows Server 2003). IE6 SP1 is the endure adaptation of Internet Explorer accessible for Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows Me, and Windows 2000. Although Internet Explorer 6 was abolished by Internet Explorer 7 in October 2006, Microsoft still supports it in Windows XP SP3.

This adaptation of Internet Explorer is currently broadly criticized for its aegis issues and abridgement of abutment for avant-garde web standards, authoritative common appearances in "worst tech articles of all time" lists, with some publications labeling it as the "least defended software on the planet."2 Because a abundant allotment of the web admirers still uses the anachronous browser (especially in China), campaigns accept been accustomed to animate users to advancement to newer versions of Internet Explorer or about-face to altered browsers. Some websites accept alone abutment for IE6 entirely, a lot of notable of which is Google bottomward abutment in some of its services.34

Over ten years afterwards its release, it continues to accept patches for aegis vulnerabilities.5

Overview

When IE6 was released, it included a amount of enhancements over its predecessor, Internet Explorer 5. It and its blueprint engine Trident are appropriate for abounding programs including Microsoft Encarta. IE6 bigger abutment for Cascading Style Sheets, abacus abutment for a amount of backdrop which ahead had not been implemented and acclimation bugs such as the Internet Explorer box archetypal bug.6 In Windows XP, IE6 alien a redesigned interface based on the operating system's absence theme, Luna.

In addition, IE6 added DHTML enhancements, agreeable belted inline frames, and fractional abutment of DOM akin 1 and SMIL 2.0.7 The MSXML engine was aswell adapted to adaptation 3.0. Other new appearance included a new adaptation of the Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) which alien IExpress, a account to actualize self-extracting INF-based accession packages,8 Media bar, Windows Messenger integration, accountability collection, automated angel resizing, and P3P. Meanwhile, IE6 alone abutment for XBM angel files, and in 2002, the Gopher agreement was disabled.9

IE6 was the a lot of broadly acclimated web browser during its tenure, before Internet Explorer 5.x. At its aiguille in 2002 and 2003, IE6 accomplished a absolute bazaar allotment of about 90%, with all versions of IE accumulated extensive 95%. There was little change in IE's bazaar allotment for several years, until Mozilla Firefox was appear and gradually began to accretion popularity. Microsoft afterwards resumed development of Internet Explorer and appear Internet Explorer 7, added abbreviation the amount of IE6 users.

In a May 7, 2003 Microsoft online chat, Brian Countryman, Internet Explorer Program Manager, declared that Internet Explorer would cease to be broadcast alone from Windows (IE 6 would be the endure standalone version);10 it would, however, be connected as a allotment of the change of Windows, with updates advancing alone arranged in Windows upgrades. Thus, Internet Explorer and Windows itself would be kept added in sync. However, afterwards one absolution in this appearance (IE6 SP2 in Windows XP SP2, in August 2004), Microsoft afflicted its plan and appear Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003 SP1 in backward 2006. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 was the endure adaptation of Internet Explorer to accept "Microsoft" in the title: after versions afflicted branding to "Windows Internet Explorer", as a acknowledgment to the allegation of anti-competitive attached of Internet Explorer and Windows aloft in United States v. Microsoft and the European Union Microsoft antagonism case.

On March 4, 2011, Microsoft apprenticed web users to stop application IE6 in favor of newer versions of Internet Explorer.11 They launched a new website alleged IE6 Countdown, which would appearance how abundant allotment of the apple uses IE6 and aims to get humans abroad from IE6 and upgrade.

Security problems

The aegis advising website Secunia appear an outstanding 24 unpatched vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer 6 as of February 9, 2010. These vulnerabilities, which cover several "moderately critical" ratings, bulk to 17% of the absolute 144 aegis risks listed on the website as of February 11, 2010.12

Although aegis patches abide to be appear for a ambit of platforms, a lot of contempo affection additions and aegis improvements were appear for Windows XP only.

As of June 23, 2006, Secunia counted 20 unpatched aegis flaws for Internet Explorer 6, abounding added and earlier than for any added browser, even in anniversary alone criticality-level, although some of these flaws alone affect Internet Explorer if active on assertive versions of Windows or if active in affiliation with assertive added applications.12

On June 23, 2004, an antagonist acclimated two ahead alien aegis holes in Internet Explorer to admit spam-sending software on an alien amount of end-user computers.13 This malware became accepted as Download.ject and it acquired users to affect their computers with a aback aperture and key logger alone by examination a web page. Infected sites included several banking sites.

Probably the better all-encompassing aegis declining of Internet Explorer (and added web browsers too) is the actuality that it runs with the aforementioned akin of admission as the logged in user, rather than adopting the assumption of atomic user access. Consequently any malware active in the Internet Explorer action via a aegis vulnerability (e.g. Download.ject in the archetype above) has the aforementioned akin of admission as the user, something that has accurate appliance if that user is an Administrator. Tools such as DropMyRights are able to abode this affair by akin the aegis badge of the Internet Explorer action to that of a bound user. However this added akin of aegis is not installed or accessible by default, and does not action a simple way to drag privileges ad-hoc if appropriate (for archetype to admission Microsoft Update).

Art Manion, a adumbrative of the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) acclaimed in a vulnerability address that the architecture of Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 fabricated it difficult to secure. He declared that:

There are a amount of cogent vulnerabilities in technologies apropos to the IE domain/zone aegis model, bounded book arrangement (Local Machine Zone) trust, the Dynamic HTML (DHTML) certificate article archetypal (in particular, proprietary DHTML features), the HTML Help system, MIME blazon determination, the graphical user interface (GUI), and ActiveX. … IE is chip into Windows to such an admeasurement that vulnerabilities in IE frequently accommodate an antagonist cogent admission to the operating system.14

Manion after antiseptic that a lot of of these apropos were addressed in 2004 with the absolution of Windows XP Service Pack 2, and added browsers accept now amorphous to ache the aforementioned vulnerabilities he articular in the aloft CERT report.15

Many aegis analystswho? aspect Internet Explorer's abundance of corruption in allotment to its ubiquity, back its bazaar ascendancy makes it the a lot of accessible target. However, some criticswho? altercate that this is not the abounding story, acquainted that Apache HTTP Server, for example, had a abundant beyond bazaar allotment than Microsoft IIS, yet Apache had commonly had beneath (and about beneath serious) aegis vulnerabilities than IIS, at the time.16

As a aftereffect of its abounding problems, some aegis experts, including Bruce Schneier, acclaim that users stop application Internet Explorer for accustomed browsing, and about-face to a altered browser instead.17 Several notable technology columnists accept appropriate the same, including The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg,18 and eWeek's Steven Vaughan-Nichols.19 On July 6, 2004, US-CERT appear an accomplishment address in which the endure of seven workarounds was to use a altered browser, abnormally if visiting untrusted sites.20

Market share

It was the a lot of broadly acclimated web browser during its administration (surpassing Internet Explorer 5.x), attaining a aiguille in acceptance allotment during 2002 and 2003 in the top 80s, and calm with added versions up to 95%.citation bare It alone boring beneath up to 2007, if it absent about bisected its bazaar allotment to Windows Internet Explorer 7 and Mozilla Firefox amid backward 2006 to 2008.

IE6 remained added accepted than its almsman in business use for added than a year afterwards IE7 came out.22 A 2008 DailyTech commodity noted, "A Survey begin 55.2% of companies still use IE 6 as of December 2007", while "IE 7 alone has a 23.4 percent acceptance rate".22

Net Applications estimated IE6 bazaar allotment at about 39% for September, 2008.23 According to the aforementioned source, IE7 users drift faster to IE8 than users of its antecedent IE6 does. This led to IE6 already afresh acceptable the a lot of broadly acclimated browser version. During the summer and abatement of 2009 and 8 years afterwards its introduction, IE6 already afresh captivated the top atom in agreement of browser bazaar share.24

As of February 2010, estimates of IE6's all-around bazaar allotment ranged from 10-20%.252627 Nonetheless, IE6 continues to advance a advantage or even majority attendance in the browser bazaar of assertive countries, conspicuously China28 and South Korea.2930

Google Apps and YouTube alone abutment for IE6 in March 2010,3132 followed by Facebook babble in September.33

On January 3, 2012, Microsoft appear that acceptance of IE6 in the United States had alone beneath 1%.34

As of August 2012, IE6 is still the a lot of accepted IE web browser in China. It is aswell the additional a lot of acclimated browser all-embracing with a absolute bazaar allotment of 22.41%, just abaft China-made 360 Secure Browser which has 26.96%.35

Criticism

A accepted criticism of Internet Explorer is of the acceleration at which fixes are appear afterwards analysis of the aegis problems.

Microsoft attributes the perceived delays to accurate testing. A announcement to the Internet Explorer aggregation blog on August 17, 2004 explained that there are, at minimum, 234 audible releases of Internet Explorer that Microsoft supports (covering added than two dozen languages, and several altered revisions of the operating arrangement and browser akin for anniversary language), and that every aggregate is activated afore a application is released.36

Internet Explorer aswell has troubles apprehension Unicode characters.

In May 2006, PC World rated Internet Explorer 6 the eighth affliction tech artefact of all time.2 A assertive amount of abundance has been declared adjoin Microsoft over IE6. With abreast 90% of the browser bazaar the motive for addition was not acerb present, consistent in the 5 year time amid the IE6's addition and its backup with IE7. This was a accidental agency for the accelerated acceleration of the chargeless software another Mozilla Firefox.

Unlike a lot of added browsers currently in use, IE6 does not absolutely nor appropriately abutment CSS adaptation 2, which makes it difficult for web developers to ensure affinity with the browser afterwards aspersing the acquaintance for users of added avant-garde browsers. Developers generally accept to resort to strategies such as CSS hacks, codicillary comments, or added forms of browser sniffing to accomplish their websites plan in IE6.

Additionally, IE6 lacks abutment for alpha accuracy in PNG images, instead of removing all accuracy and announcement the angel with a solid colour accomplishments (grey unless authentic in a PNG bKGD chunk).clarification bare There is a workaround by way of Microsoft's proprietary AlphaImageLoader, but it is added complicated to use and not wholly commensurable in function.37

Internet Explorer 6 has aswell been criticized due to its instability. For example, the afterward cipher on a website would could cause a affairs blast in IE6:



or

The user could blast the browser with a individual band of cipher in the abode bar, causing a arrow overflow.3839

ms-its:%F0:

Nvidia's website does not abutment Internet Explorer 6

There are several campaigns aiming to rid Internet Explorer 6, which is still acclimated by 5.55% of Internet surfers,40 from the browser market:

In July 2008, 37signals appear it would appearance out abutment for IE6 alpha October 2008.41

In February 2009, some Norwegian sites began hosting campaigns with the aforementioned aim.42

In March 2009, a Danish anti-IE6 attack was launched.43

In January 2010, the German Government, and afterwards the French Government anniversary brash their citizens to move abroad from IE6.44

Also in January 2010, Google appear it would no best abutment IE6.45

In February 2010, British citizens began to address their Government to stop application IE6,46 but this was alone by the Government in July 2010.47

In March 2010, in acceding with the EU, Microsoft began bidding users of Internet Explorer 6 in the EU with a election awning in which they are presented with a account of browsers in accidental adjustment to baddest and advancement to. The website is amid at BrowserChoice.eu48

In May 2010, Microsoft's Australian analysis launched a attack which compared IE6 to 9-year-old milk and apprenticed users to advancement to IE8.495051

With the accretion abridgement of affinity with avant-garde web standards, beyond websites are starting to abolish abutment for IE6, including YouTube3 and their ancestor aggregation Google;4 however, with ample aggregation IT abutment teams banishment agents to use IE6, it is absurd Microsoft will absolutely abolish abutment for the crumbling browser any time in the abreast future.52 Microsoft has themselves, acceptance admitting to some of its abounding flaws, declared that they will abutment IE6 until Windows XP SP3 abutment is removed, acceptation IE6 will be clearly accurate until 2014, 13 years afterwards its release.53 About they accept now started their own attack to animate users to stop application IE6.54

Security framework

Internet Explorer uses a zone-based aegis framework, which agency that sites are aggregate based aloft assertive conditions. IE allows the brake of ample areas of functionality, and aswell allows specific functions to be restricted. The administering of Internet Explorer is able through the Internet Properties ascendancy panel. This account aswell administers the Internet Explorer framework as it is implemented by added applications.

Patches and updates to the browser are appear periodically and fabricated accessible through Windows Update web site. Windows XP Service Pack 2 adds several important aegis appearance to Internet Explorer, including a popup acquaintance and added aegis for ActiveX controls. ActiveX abutment charcoal in Internet Explorer although admission to the "Local Machine Zone" is denied by absence back Service Pack 2. However, already an ActiveX ascendancy runs and is accustomed by the user, it can accretion all the privileges of the user, instead of getting accepted bound privileges as Java or JavaScript do. This was after apparent in the Windows Vista adaptation of IE 7, which accurate active the browser in a low-permission mode, authoritative malware clumsy to run unless especially accepted permission by the user.

Quirks mode

Internet Explorer 6 alone Affinity Mode, which accustomed Internet Explorer 455 to be run ancillary by ancillary with 5.x.5657 Instead, IE6 alien quirks mode, which causes it to challenge abounding behaviors of IE 5.5.58 Rather than getting activated by the user, quirks approach is automatically and silently activated if examination web pages that accommodate an old or invalid DOCTYPE (or none at all). This affection was afterwards added to all added above browsers to aerate affinity with old or poorly-coded web pages.59

Supported platforms

Internet Explorer 6.0 supports Windows NT 4.0 (Service Pack 6a only), Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. The Account Pack 1 amend supports all of these versions, but Security Version 11 is alone accessible as allotment Windows XP Account Pack 2 and Windows Server 2003 Account Pack 1 and afterwards account packs for those versions. Versions afterwards Windows XP cover Internet Explorer 7 and college only.