Slates anti-malware, cross-site scripting defenses in August's IE8 Beta 2

Microsoft Corp. today outlined new security features that it plans to add to Internet Explorer (IE) next month, including anti-malware protection to match tools similar to those offered by its rivals and a filter the company said would block most cross-site scripting attacks.

Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2, which Microsoft has slated for release sometime in August, will include two new security tools, said Austin Wilson, the director of Windows client product management.

One, dubbed "SmartScreen Filter" by Microsoft, adds malware blocking to the antiphishing protection already embedded in IE7. The new feature, which will resemble the defenses already used by rival browsers Firefox 3.0 and Opera 9.5, will warn users when they're about to visit a site known or suspected of spreading malicious code and then block any download from that site.