Last week, the results of a study conducted by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Google and IBM Internet Security Service were made public. The study was started back in January 2007 and lasted until last month; its purpose was to analyze how users behave online and what kinds of web browsers are usually preferred. One of the most important aspects the study focused on was security.

Understanding the Web browser threat: Examination of vulnerable online Web browser populations and the insecurity iceberg made several very interesting browser-related observations. According to the information it made available, Mozilla Firefox users were found to be getting the highest degree of protection.

It seems less than 60 percent of Internet surfers use the latest web browser versions; as found in the study, using old software significantly increases vulnerability to remote hacker attacks.

With regard to the web browsing population involved in the study, Firefox fans came out as the most likely to be using the latest version of the software, with more than 83 percent. Next in line, with 65 percent, were Apple's Safari users.

Web browser market shares were also brought into discussion: Internet Explorer has about 1.1 billion users (78.3%), Firefox recorded 227 million users (16.1%), Safari was third with 48 million users (3.4%) and Opera, with 11 million users, has a market share of 0.8%. By the end of 2008, some analysts expect Firefox to reach a 30 percent market share.