Microsoft’s latest version of Internet Explorer (IE) is a hit, but Google’s Chrome has been steadily gaining ground on the Web browsing software, industry figures released Tuesday showed.
Chrome’s share of the browser market rose from 1.62 percent in March of last year to 5.22 percent last month, Net Application trend data showed.
During the same period, IE’s piece of the Web browser market dropped from 68.46 percent to 62.12 percent, Net Application reported.
The percentage of people using Safari browser software tailored for Apple’s Macintosh computers went from 3.63 percent in March of last year to 4.53 percent last month.
“I think what Microsoft is seeing is that when people upgrade from IE 6 they don’t necessarily go to IE 8,” Net Application spokesman Vince Vizzaccaro said. “They have been very vocal with trying to get people to upgrade, and people may be looking around to see what other browsers are available.”
About two weeks ago, Microsoft released a patch for an IE 6 software hole through which China-based cyber spies attacked Google and other firms.
Attackers used e-mail or some other lure to get employees of a targeted company to click on a link and visit a specially crafted Web site using IE.
Malicious software would then be downloaded that has the capability to essentially install “back doors” in machines and give hackers access.
The US software giant advised people to upgrade from IE6, which is nearly a decade old.
No matter which Web browser people use, upgrading to the most current version promises to increase protection against hackers.
Net Application data from last month showed that while a fifth of the world’s machines still used IE 6 to explore the Internet, IE 8 took the top spot with 25.56 percent of the overall market.
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