Microsoft enlists security partner in browser update

[Bill Gates]

Microsoft has enlisted some outside help for one of the most anticipated new features of its updated Web browser: the ability to alert people that they may be about to enter a fraudulent Web site.

The company has tapped WholeSecurity, a maker of computer security programs in Austin, Texas, to help Internet Explorer 7, the next version of its browser, identify Web sites designed to trick people into disclosing personal data to identity thieves, the companies said. These "phishing" sites mimic legitimate sites, such as eBay and Citibank, and have contributed to a national identity-theft epidemic.

Microsoft released a beta version of the new browser, also known as IE7, this week to a select group of testers. The company plans to release a second beta version for the general public to test before shipping the final version.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]