Users of Firefox Are Safest Online

According to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in collaboration with Google and IBM, internet browsers who use Firefox are the safest users online. The study, which was held between 2007 and June of 2008, showed Firefox users were more likely to install and use updates of the world’s biggest downloading software.

According to the study, less than 60% of all internet users keep their web browser up to date. This will greatly increase a user’s chance that they will be compromised in terms of security online. Firefox users, on the other hand, were inclined to use the latest and greatest update of their favorite browser by 83%.

So where do the other browsers rank? According to the research, Apple’s Safari ranked #2 while Opera, ranked third.

Microsoft Internet Explorer’s users came in dead last, with only 48% installing the latest and greatest security updates. According to the Inquirer, “the study also estimated web browser market shares, reporting that Internet Explorer had 1.1 billion users or 78.3 per cent, Firefox had 227 million users or 16.1 per cent, Safari 48 million users or 3.4 per cent, and Opera just 11 million users or 0.8 per cent.”