In 2011, a serious zero-day vulnerability in fully patched versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer was leaked to attackers, allowing arbitrary code execution and full system takeover simply by clicking a malicious link or email. This incident marked one of many critical security failures in Internet Explorer's design.
Between 2011 and its official retirement, hundreds of additional vulnerabilities were discovered. Although Microsoft introduced the Edge browser in 2015, Internet Explorer was not formally discontinued until June 2022.
As of 2026, Internet Explorer components still remain in Windows 11 for backward compatibility with legacy web technologies. While no longer usable as a standalone browser, these components can still present a security risk if left unrestricted, particularly on systems that rely on older software or internal web-based tools.
How to fix Internet Explorer vulnerability
If you do not use any outdated programs that require Internet Explorer, you can partially disable it via Internet Properties in Control Panel on Windows 11. This can improve security and usually does not affect normal Windows use.
Some Internet Explorer settings still control older parts of Windows itself. Even if you never open Internet Explorer, Windows Explorer and some older programs may still use the same underlying web components.
Changing Internet Options can affect:
- Older built-in Windows help files
- Very old programs that display web pages inside their own window
- Some legacy system dialogs that load HTML-based content
Setting all Internet security zones to High mainly blocks older web features like scripts and add-ons.