Internet Explorer 8 has become the world's most popular web browser, taking over from the previous leaders Internet Explorers 6 and 7, figures from NetMarketShare have revealed.
 
Meanwhile, Firefox 3.5 garnered 17.1 per cent of the usage statistics between March 2009 and January 2010 and Chrome captured 3.92 per cent.
 
Cliff Saran, managing editor of Computer Weekly magazine, said that the popularity of Internet Explorer is unsurprising, as it is the latest version of the Microsoft browser that ships with Windows 7.
 
"Some people prefer Firefox, which has less security issues, simply because fewer people use it - it is not worth the time hacking Firefox since an IE attack will affect more users. Google Chrome also looks like a promising alternative," he added.
 
Following concerns about Internet Explorer's role in a recent Chinese-based hacking exploit, Microsoft recently advised users that the browser's security holes can be plugged simply by changing the security settings to high.