The French and German governments are both publicly calling on their citizens to stop using Microsoft’s default Internet Explorer web browser, following news that a vulnerability in the program was responsible for China’s recent hacking attack on Google.

The move has prompted just about every news outlet in the free world to consult their local tech expert on whether or not readers should give IE the flick for an alternative service:

Sydney Morning Herald: IE security threat overblown: Australian experts:

Australian computer security officials believe France and Germany are jumping the gun in advising citizens to ditch Internet Explorer … abandoning IE might give people some security, but “it would be security through obscurity”.

Independent: Why you should change your internet browser and how to choose the best one for you:

If your current default browser is Internet Explorer (for over 60 percent of you it is) you might want to start looking for some new internet surfing software.

Wall Street Journal: Internet Explorer: Should You Stay or Should You Go?:

“My advice is to only switch from Internet Explorer if you really know what you are doing with the browser you’re swapping to,” Mr. Cluley said. “Otherwise it might be a case of ‘better the devil you know.’”

Times: The row between Microsoft and Germany: Should you stop using Internet Explorer?

… simply upgrading to the latest version of Microsoft’s web browser should do the trick.