Shop safe online
Online shopping is great: quick, easy, hassle-free (and no shopping bags!) But as with all great things, there is a downside. The rise in the number of people using the internet for shopping, banking or paying bills has lead to an accompanying rise in online fraud and theft.
Even if you're not 100 percent savvy with terms like phishing, malware and identity theft, you probably know that they can put unwary internet users at risk, especially if they're conducting financial transactions - like shopping - online.
So how do you know that you are as safe online as you can be? One easy way is to download a browser that combines the latest user-friendly features with rock solid security.
Internet Explorer 9 is packed with the sort of industry-leading security that most older browsers can't handle and many newer browsers don't offer.
"To make sure you're fully protected against viruses and other malware, you need a multi-layered defence -this includes using an up-to-date operating system, web browser and other applications," says Tone Neate, managing director of GetSafeOnline.org.
Download Internet Explorer 9 now: free
Safeguard your cards and details
Cybercriminals may be getting more sophisticated, but Internet Explorer 9 is keeping one step ahead.
Malware - software that a cybercriminal can use to steal your bank account information, send out malicious software or spam, and so on - is the fastest growing online threat today.
And phishing, where cybercriminals pose as a legitimate organization (your bank, for instance) in order to deceive you into giving up personal information such as credit card numbers and account information, is also a major threat.
Thanks to its unique Smartscreen filter, Internet Explorer 9 offers state-of-the-art protection against both these problems.
When it detects a malicious site or a malicious download, Internet Explorer 9 will simply warn you of the threat or block the offending screen altogether.
Microsoft is constantly collecting data about untrustworthy sites and new phishing scams, and updates InternetExplorer 9 with the new information automatically.
Sometimes a legitimate site has been hacked and used to host malware or phishing. In that case, Internet Explorer 9 can block the malicious content without affecting the rest of the site, and you can carry on browsing in confidence.
In fact, exploiting vulnerabilities in legitimate web sites - and using them to capture your login and password, for instance - is one of the hardest threats to detect. Happily, Internet Explorer 9 contains a cross-site scripting filter that spots unseen threats on otherwise genuine websites and disables them.
Browse with peace of mind
The InPrivate browsing feature means that you can also shop without leaving a trace on your computer.
Planning a surprise? This offers another kind of security altogether in the peace of mind that comes from knowing your loved ones/significant remain oblivious to your generous gift-giving.
All this protection is available as soon as you install the software. Other browsers either don't offer you this level of protection or make you download and install fiddly third-party add-ons. So with Internet Explorer 9 you can shop online with confidence right from the get-go.
