Security threats Toolkit

Two ways to replace your browser

Michael Mullins Tech Republic

Published: 22 Aug 2005 13:05 BST

Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) has long been a favourite target of hackers, and the frequent discovery of vulnerabilities over the years has only offered more incentive. In fact, Microsoft is currently researching a new, unpatched flaw that could put users at risk of a cyberattack.

In addition, the popularity of the Firefox browser has offered computer users a browser alternative — one that millions of users have opted to try, though its market share may be declining. While not immune to its own security issues, the default installation of Firefox is rather secure, and it doesn't support ActiveX controls, a common culprit of security issues.

So if you've had enough of dealing with IE's security flaws, how do you disable or remove Internet Explorer? If you're running Windows 2000 or XP, there's good news and bad news.

The bad news is that you can't remove IE without crippling your operating system. However, the good news is that you can disable IE for your users and move to a different browser.

Several simple, popular methods exist to disable IE. The easiest way to remove users' ability to browse with IE is to add a bogus proxy server to IE's Internet Settings.

Follow these steps:

In IE, go to Tools | Internet Options.
On the Connections tab, click the LAN Settings button.
In the resulting dialog box, select the following check box in the Proxy Server section: Use a Proxy Server For Your LAN (These Settings Will Not Apply To Dial-up Or VPN Connections).
Enter 0.0.0.0 in the Address text box.
Enter 80 in the Port text box, and click OK.

Please note that adding a bogus proxy server...

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