A More Secure IE?

Button up Internet Explorer? Is that laughter we hear?

After all, the technigentsia have long proclaimed that mentioning "IE" and "security" in the same breath is akin to oxymorons like "jumbo shrimp," "friendly fire," and "priceless junk."

But nearly 80 percent of the world's surfers use IE. They can't all be dim.

They're not, and neither is Microsoft, which after five years of resting on the laurels, so to speak, of IE 6, is updating the browser to version 7, both for Windows XP as well as for the upcoming Windows Vista. IE 7, promises Microsoft is more secure, and safer to use than the problem plagued earlier editions.

As in last week's "5 Ways to Bulletproof Firefox," we sniffed out five tools for Internet Explorer that lock down the browser and help make online time safe time (or at least safer).

We're still convinced that Firefox is more secure, especially when armed with extensions like the ones we detailed, but IE is a fact of life. And with these tools and tips, the "genuine imitation" jokes may sting a little less.

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