Internet Explorer is going to block outdated plug-ins

From August 12, Internet Explorer will block outdated versions of plug-ins. Initially, this only concerns older versions of java. Outdated plugins are often used by attackers to install malware.

If users are running an outdated java version and come to a website that uses java, they will receive a warning from August 12th and the plugin will be automatically blocked; that coincides with the Windows 8.1 update, but it only has IE11. The block also applies to older versions of Microsoft’s browser and therefore to older operating systems.

If desired, a user can choose to run the plugin anyway. Initially it only concerns older versions of java, but Microsoft also wants to block outdated versions of other browser plug-ins.

Microsoft updates the list of obsolete plug-ins automatically, outside of Windows Update. Firefox and Chrome have been blocking outdated Java versions for some time now. According to Microsoft, a large proportion of malware attacks on the Internet target Java – last year it was between 84.6 and 98.5 percent each month. Attackers use holes in the outdated plugins to install malware, for example by infecting ad networks.