Modern/2011 anti-malware preventative??

Gang, I have a question. I help people with their PC issues, business and private/personal [and networking etc]. I've had great success with measures I outline below. What I specifically am unsure about at this stage of development is this: IE7/IE8/IE9/IEn best I can tell are still vulnerable to intruders, hijackers, etc. In the past I've used Spybot, and later Spywareblaster to close the loopholes in hopes of preventing some of the issues. I also use Chrome as the recommended 'go to' browser, AVAST anti-everything package, Ccleaner, MBAM for cleanup, and more nuclear options if the wheels come off [which, knock on wood, has been exceptionally rare].
It appears that Spywareblaster, like Spybot, is falling into disuse and may be spotty as to updates. What current, forward-leaning package accomplishes the similar goal of preventing the "easy assault" on Microsoft's browser of the day???

thx
z