ElectroMan
Well-known member
<"In this case, hackers found the hole before Microsoft did," said Rick Ferguson, senior security advisor at Trend Micro.>
That's no surprise, is it?
That's no surprise, is it?
matthewpiano
Well-known member
Remember, remember, no browser is safe. As the user base of Firefox rises, so will attempted exploitations. The very best security is to be very selective about the links you follow, the sites you visit and the software you download/install. Couple that with some anti virus software that's kept up to date and you'll be as safe as you can be.
Firewall + WEP or WPA encription on network + Spyware software + Anti-virus software = safe as possible on any browser.
Always ensure that when you are doing something like typing in a password or entering credit card details that the site is secure. A little lock somewhere in the window will confirm this.
Always ensure that when you are doing something like typing in a password or entering credit card details that the site is secure. A little lock somewhere in the window will confirm this.
professorhat
Well-known member
Actually, if anyone is really super worried about this, there is an incredibly safe way to browse the internet from a Windows PC that I've just remembered seeing in my travels. It's a bit of effort to get it set up and also a bit of faff to actually get on the internet (compared to just opening up IE or Firefox for example) but it really is the most secure way you can browse the internet.
It involves a product called VMware Player which basically allows you to run a virtual PC within your PC - this is completely isolated from your own operating system meaning there's no way anything running within this virtual PC can access any of your data on your normal PC. It can also be set to completely refresh each time you shut it down meaning, even if some sort of trojan / rootkit or virus makes it past the security measures in the virtual PC, when you shut it down, everything that's happened is completely wiped so none of these nasties will be around the next time you run it.
If anyone is interested I can post more details / even do a walkthrough on how to get it setup if you like - not an issue as virtualisation is actually what I do for a living these days!
It involves a product called VMware Player which basically allows you to run a virtual PC within your PC - this is completely isolated from your own operating system meaning there's no way anything running within this virtual PC can access any of your data on your normal PC. It can also be set to completely refresh each time you shut it down meaning, even if some sort of trojan / rootkit or virus makes it past the security measures in the virtual PC, when you shut it down, everything that's happened is completely wiped so none of these nasties will be around the next time you run it.
If anyone is interested I can post more details / even do a walkthrough on how to get it setup if you like - not an issue as virtualisation is actually what I do for a living these days!
Gerrardasnails
Well-known member
JohnDuncan:As for anti-virus software, i got completely sick of Norton taking over my life and charging me through the nose for the privilege, so changed to AVG's free version. Kaspersky is also highly regarded, though I can't speak for it.
I use Kaspersky and it's decent.
By the way, to the OP, I am now using Firefox!!
I use Kaspersky and it's decent.
By the way, to the OP, I am now using Firefox!!
Gerrardasnails:JohnDuncan:As for anti-virus software, i got completely sick of Norton taking over my life and charging me through the nose for the privilege, so changed to AVG's free version. Kaspersky is also highly regarded, though I can't speak for it.
I use Kaspersky and it's decent.
By the way, to the OP, I am now using Firefox!!
I stopped using int ex because i got a virus from hell. Had to wipe the slate clean and start again from scratch. Been on firefox eversince.
I have zone alarm and superantispyware (both freebies !!!) running alongside avg with total compatability. Superantis' scan is much much quicker than avgs by the way john,its worth a look at.
I use Kaspersky and it's decent.
By the way, to the OP, I am now using Firefox!!
I stopped using int ex because i got a virus from hell. Had to wipe the slate clean and start again from scratch. Been on firefox eversince.
I have zone alarm and superantispyware (both freebies !!!) running alongside avg with total compatability. Superantis' scan is much much quicker than avgs by the way john,its worth a look at.
Just to add, Google Chrome is my fave browser at the moment. I like the way it expands the "real estate by using the very top line as the tab line. I don't like firefox, I detest the awful mess that is Safari (on windows anyway).
Opera is best of the rest, but I still use IE for mainstream stuff.
ÿIE is still the best browser to work with the most websites...ÿ
Opera is best of the rest, but I still use IE for mainstream stuff.
ÿIE is still the best browser to work with the most websites...ÿ
manicm
Well-known member
I agree with the Prof here, I'm using Vista & built-in firewall, with Norton AV 2008 (just normal, not suite or 360) and I have had no scares with IE7, and as you notice here I surf a lot
chebby:Gerrardasnails:I don't think you needed to use the opening line - I would say that 99% of people do and will still be using IE for the next 10 years.28.8 percent of browser users in Europe use Firefox....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_adoption_of_Mozilla_FirefoxGlobally the Firefox share is more like 20 percent and still growing strongly..(it was about 17 percent in 1st quarter 2008)..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_web_browsersNot sure where you got '99%' from for IE usage. I work for an American corporation employing 270,000 people worldwide (and usually extremely conservative about the software it permits for employee use) and they have stipulated Firefox should be used instead of IE for over 2 years now for security reasons.
During November 2008 46.6% of world-wide web surfers used the various versions of IE, 44.2% used Firefox and 2.7% used Safari.ÿ
During November 2008 46.6% of world-wide web surfers used the various versions of IE, 44.2% used Firefox and 2.7% used Safari.ÿ
Conspiracy theories abound.........no new viruses or hacks = no more sales or update contracts........
professorhat
Well-known member
Just got an email that Microsoft are releasing a patch for this today, so as long as you have Automatic Updates enabled, your PC should be protected once the patch has installed.
John Duncan
Well-known member
Hey, if 12 year olds didn't keep writing viruses, we wouldn't have this issue. It's not Microsoft's fault.....
And my life would be a WHOLE lot simpler without the continuous learning curve that the security "fixes" in internet explorer creates.
Alec
Well-known member
igglebert:Remember, remember, no browser is safe. As the user base of Firefox rises, so will attempted exploitations. The very best security is to be very selective about the links you follow, the sites you visit and the software you download/install. Couple that with some anti virus software that's kept up to date and you'll be as safe as you can be.
Good point well made if i may say so. Im no techie but i do know that many people behave as if security issues arise because of the inferiority of the software, and forget that it is often due mainly to the popularity of the software, rather than its being more flawed.
Good point well made if i may say so. Im no techie but i do know that many people behave as if security issues arise because of the inferiority of the software, and forget that it is often due mainly to the popularity of the software, rather than its being more flawed.
al7478:igglebert:Remember, remember, no browser is safe. As the user base of Firefox rises, so will attempted exploitations. The very best security is to be very selective about the links you follow, the sites you visit and the software you download/install. Couple that with some anti virus software that's kept up to date and you'll be as safe as you can be.Good point well made if i may say so. Im no techie but i do know that many people behave as if security issues arise because of the inferiority of the software, and forget that it is often due mainly to the popularity of the software, rather than its being more flawed.
Fraid not. Firefox has the same market share as IE now but doesn't share the same amount of security flaws, nowhere near. It uses a more robust security model and has a kind of open source flaw detection scheme. IE is still based on the same architecture as when it was released in 1994, Firefox was released in 2004 and has since gone through several overhauls to make it more stable.
What it boils down to is Microsoft spend oodles of money each year on fixes for fixing fixes which causes us endless problems and sometimes puts you at massive risk. What they actually need to do is start from scratch.
ÿ
Fraid not. Firefox has the same market share as IE now but doesn't share the same amount of security flaws, nowhere near. It uses a more robust security model and has a kind of open source flaw detection scheme. IE is still based on the same architecture as when it was released in 1994, Firefox was released in 2004 and has since gone through several overhauls to make it more stable.
What it boils down to is Microsoft spend oodles of money each year on fixes for fixing fixes which causes us endless problems and sometimes puts you at massive risk. What they actually need to do is start from scratch.
ÿ
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