Kill Switch on Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10

On January 12 Microsoft will release an “End of Life” patch to IE 8, 9 and 10. This means these browsers will no longer receive regular maintenance and technical support. A notification will go out to users running these versions to upgrade to the newest version, Internet Explorer 11. The patch will also include a last security update for IE 8, 9, and 10 browsers.

It’s no surprise Microsoft has taken this action as these older versions of Internet Explorer were a known pain to deal with among web developers. The endless security holes in the software led to many problems, so it’s recommended to all users to upgrade as soon as possible to avoid security risks. Continuing to run a browser with known vulnerabilities will cause trouble in the future.

Microsoft will be pushing users to upgrade to IE 11 or Microsoft Edge, their new browser. Edge is fundamentally different than Internet Explorer, in order to compete with the ever more popular Google Chrome. Microsoft Edge will be the only browser running on Microsoft Windows 10 mobile, but it can also be downloaded to laptops and desktops running Windows.