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Software Should Be Like Food
David Utter
Staff Writer
2008-07-02
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Researchers of web browser security suggested a "best before" approach to informing people their software may not be so fresh any longer.
 | | Software Should Be Like Food |  |
Getting people to perform software updates for their web browsers appears more difficult than it needs to be. For a variety of reasons, people using Firefox, Opera, Safari, or Internet Explorer don't always update to the most current versions, even when automatic updates exist.
The research by engineers from IBM, Google, and Zurich's Computer Engineering and Networks Laboratory (CSG) presented at TechZoom.net found even the most rigorously updated browser, Firefox, had nearly 17 percent of its userbase using insecure versions. Internet Explorer showed over 52 percent of browsers running older, less secure versions of Microsoft's product.
To counter this, the researchers suggested a 'best before' dating system aimed at enhancing the visibility of out of date software. "While the "best before" date for software is not actually known at the time of a software release, it will be defined upon detection and availability of a security patch for an already released version," they said.
Visual reinforcement of the best before date, whether in the browser itself or displayed on websites visited by a browser with an out of date reference in the browser's user-agent field, could influence people who may not normally update to do so.
The researchers compared the food industry to the software industry in showing how people may perceive software. Few people eat food past its best before date, but they keep using software that's long needed a patch. Making the availability of newer software more noticeable could help mitigate threats aimed at exploiting older browser that people should not be operating anyway.
About the Author:
David Utter is a business and technology writer for SecurityProNews and WebProNews.
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