Alert essentials:
On February 14th, Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) will be completely disabled on certain versions of Windows 10 through a Microsoft Edge update. If your organization still has dependencies on IE11, you must take steps now to complete your transition to Microsoft Edge’s IE Mode before February 14, 2023, or risk business disruption at scale when users lose access to IE11-dependent applications.

Email Team

Detailed threat description:
Starting on February 14th, all IE11 desktop installations on certain Windows 10 versions will begin displaying a popup redirecting users to Microsoft Edge. This change is permanent. Users on affected versions of Windows will no longer be able to access Internet Explorer and will be redirected to Microsoft Edge instead. Start Menu, Taskbar, and Desktop icons for Internet Explorer will remain on systems (but will redirect to Edge) until the June 2023 Windows security update, where they will be removed.

Affected Products / Versions
Internet Explorer 11 desktop installations on the following Windows versions will be affected by this update:

  • Windows 10 client SKUs
  • Windows 10 IoT
  • Windows 10 Enterprise Multi-Session

Internet Explorer 11 desktop installations on the following Windows versions will NOT be affected by this update:

  • Windows 8.1
  • Windows 7 Extended Security Updates (ESU)
  • Windows Server SAC (all versions)
  • Windows 10 IoT Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) (all versions)
  • Windows Server LTSC (all versions)
  • Windows 10 client LTSC (all versions)
  • Windows 10 China Government Edition

Recommendations

Engineering recommendations:

  • Immediately begin following Microsoft’s Edge transition guide [2] to discover and configure sites that require Internet Explorer/IE Mode to function.

Leadership / program recommendations:

  • Immediately begin planning to transition away from any sites or applications that require Internet Explorer/IE Mode to function properly.
    • According to Microsoft, Windows 10 as an operating system is scheduled for end of life on October 14th, 2025. Advise beginning your planning and budgetary discussions as soon as possible to address and mitigate these potentially large-scale adjustments in your environment. Coordination and communication with vendors may also be necessary for a smooth transition.

Fortified recommends applying patches and updates where possible only after adequate testing in a development environment to ensure stability and compliance with organizational change management policies.


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