Microsoft enters the security lion's den

Microsoft has let hackers loose on its new browser

Microsoft has presented a preliminary beta 2 version of Internet Explorer 7 to an audience of hackers at the Hack in the Box security conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

The presentation marked the first time that the company has spoken about security for its browser, which has been ridden with vulnerabilities over the years.

Microsoft does not typically present products to the security community before their release.

"IE 7 is not just about patching problems but about making deep architectural changes to provide defence in depth at every level of the browser," wrote Christopher Vaughan, lead project manager for the IE team on the project's blog. 

IE 7 is currently in beta and is scheduled to be released some time next year before the unveiling of Windows Vista. 

The security record of IE has been cited as a major factor in the rise of the Firefox browser, although the open source project has suffered some major security problems in recent weeks. 

Microsoft made security its top priority three years ago and has now designed the architecture of its software in a way that solves many of the past problems, the company's chief executive Steve Ballmer said earlier this year.