UK Government: We're sticking with Internet Explorer 6
 

At the end of last week, along with thousands of Brits, I received an email from the UK Government telling me that they had responded to a petition I had signed urging the Prime Minister to encourage government departments to upgrade from Internet Explorer 6.

In a nutshell, Her Majesty's Government says it is more cost-effective to stick with Internet Explorer 6 rather than switch to an alternative browser or a more up-to-date version.

http://www.hmg.gov.uk/epetition-resp...ref=ie6upgrade

Government response

In response to the concerns of many people regarding the security of Internet Explorer 6 and the use of this software by Government Departments the Cabinet Office can confirm that the Government takes internet security very seriously. This has been reflected in recent changes to the Information Security and Assurance team and the Office of Cyber Security within the Cabinet Office which are in the process of merging together to lead a joined-up approach to information assurance and cyber security strategy and policy.


Complex software will always have vulnerabilities and motivated adversaries will always work to discover and take advantage of them. There is no evidence that upgrading away from the latest fully patched versions of Internet Explorer to other browsers will make users more secure. Regular software patching and updating will help defend against the latest threats. The Government continues to work with Microsoft and other internet browser suppliers to understand the security of the products used by HMG, including Internet Explorer and we welcome the work that Microsoft are continuing do on delivering security solutions which are deployed as quickly as possible to all Internet Explorer users.


Each Department is responsible for managing the risks to its IT systems based on Government Information Assurance policy and technical advice from CESG, the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance. Part of this advice is that regular software patching and updating will help defend against the latest threats. It is for individual departments to make the decision on how best to manage the risk based on this clear guidance. Public sector organisations are free to identify software that supports their business needs as long as it adheres to appropriate standards. Also, the cost-effectiveness of system upgrade depends on the circumstances of the individual department’s requirements.


It is not straightforward for HMG departments to upgrade IE versions on their systems. Upgrading these systems to IE8 can be a very large operation, taking weeks to test and roll out to all users. To test all the web applications currently used by HMG departments can take months at significant potential cost to the taxpayer. It is therefore more cost effective in many cases to continue to use IE6 and rely on other measures, such as firewalls and malware scanning software, to further protect public sector internet users.