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IE 8 to have antimalware protection

In preparing for the second beta, Microsoft announces security enhancements to Internet Explorer 8 expected in August.

Robert Vamosi Former Editor
As CNET's former resident security expert, Robert Vamosi has been interviewed on the BBC, CNN, MSNBC, and other outlets to share his knowledge about the latest online threats and to offer advice on personal and corporate security.
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Robert Vamosi
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On Wednesday, Microsoft announced new security features within the upcoming release of Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2. The features are designed to combat the rising tide of drive-by downloads and malicious scripts contained within carefully crafted links embedded in e-mail and Web pages. Most of the new features require systems to be running Windows Vista SP1 or Windows XP SP3.

Perhaps the most anticipated addition is Internet Explorer's new antimalware protection. Opera 9.5 and Firefox 3 both recently added antimalware protection. Safari has so far not announced plans for similar protection. Using mostly its own antimalware technology, Microsoft will block emerging threats by masking the entire IE 8 browser screen with a warning to users. The addition of malware protection to the existing antiphishing protection will be re-branded as the Microsoft SmartScreen filter.

IE 8 Beta 2 will have a Cross Site Scripting (XSS) filter, preventing scripts within a link from executing on the browser.

Previously announced features include highlighting domain names from the rest of the URL (so you can visually see that you are on eBay.com, not some other site), and extended verification SSL.

Using Data Execution Protection (DEP) within Windows XP SP3 and Windows Vista SP1, IE 8 will scan downloads and block any that it deems dangerous. Microsoft

IE 8 Beta 1 has already introduced several changes when handling ActiveX components. Components will be installed per user, which eliminates the need for everyone to have administrator privileges. In addition, you must acknowledge or opt-in for the component to run, eliminating drive-by downloads. Components will be per site and will only be available from site of origin. Finally, site developers can request killbits from Microsoft which can be sent via Windows Update to terminate risky or outdated components.

For developers, Microsoft is including improvements for better communication between the client browser and Web server. Cross Domain Requests (CDR) is a more secure way for the browser to pull data from other domains; and Cross Domain Messaging (XDM) is a more secure means for a browser to send a message across a domain. Microsoft says it is working with other browser vendors to standardize these.

The public Beta 2 for Internet Explorer is expected sometime in August 2008.