From 12th January 2016, Microsoft is no longer offering support for any versions of Internet Explorer other than the latest v11 (for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1) or Edge for Windows 10 (though IE11 remains an installed option). In Microsoft’s own words,
“Internet Explorer 11 offers improved security, increased performance, better backward compatibility, and support for the web standards that power today’s websites and services. Microsoft encourages customers to upgrade and stay up-to-date on the latest browser for a faster, more secure browsing experience.”
If your PC is set to install updates automatically, you should already be on the latest version but it is worth checking to be sure. From within Internet Explorer, left click the cog icon towards the top right (see image below – red arrow) and drop down to left click on “About Internet Explorer” The resulting window (below right) shows the current version. Note that the “About” window does give you the tick-box option to install updates automatically.
If your version shows v10 or below then we recommend that you take action and upgrade to the latest version with some haste – in the absence of security updates and technical support from Microsoft you will no longer be patched to protect against vulnerabilities that may be exploited by malware.
For any queries regarding the version of software you use or help with best practice for safer web browsing please contact us.