Spyware, viruses, & security forum: Whats the most secure Internet Browser

what browser is that you are currently using?

the IE browser, has had 128 bit encrytioin built in since IE versoin 5.5.

if your version is lower, then you would be well advised to go to the Windows Update site and download the latest version and patches.

david williams

I agree with most of the above respondents, but it is always wise to look around. Microsoft have never been too good at communications. I am starting to develop some web sites, and start to discover that both IE and
Netscape do not support the latest security issues in an optimal way. I am currently lookin at Opera, which supports the W3C standards in a better way, and has a better reputation for safety. The problem is that approx. 90% of users worldwide uses IE, so most banks will support mainly that browser. I recently had some issues with Opera and my bank, but after sending them an email they confirmed that they are more an more moving to standard-supporting sites, that should be "browsable" by browsers that are not IE.
Opera does have a few other facilities that I like: It supports the latest standards, it supports multiple I-net sessions while running the app. once, has integrated search facilities, etc., etc.

Have a look! You can download it for free: http://www.opera.com.

Swier

I believe you are asking the wrong question,
The browser is not the problem, it's the operating system .
Let's face it you are trying to work with the most attacked operating system in the world.

Try switching that and all your security problems will almost instantly vanish.

I can tell you, at college our instructor used Mozilla to show us how vulnerabilities can be exploited. So no, Mozilla isn't secure at all.

First of all there is no such thing as a secure browser, any determend hacker can and will crack any browser, computer system. all you can do is make it harder for them to do so, hopefully detering any attempts or makeing it so the hacker is 90 years old before he/ she finnaly suceeds. second of all if you keep a fire wall up, and keep both windows and IE updated you should stay perty secure, oh and change your passwords often and make sure they are combinations of both numbers and letters.

128 bit SSL encryption is 128 bit SSL, one is no more secure than another, period. The question is what operating system are you using, two methods I, well maybe someone, would use to gain your account info would be a trojan key logger, or a more difficult way (Steal your private certificate for the encryption)

Since lazy-ness rules, a key logger is ideal and Windows is the most hacker prone. Ohhh, and for those that think windows is the most patched....

Microsoft does not release patches for exploits THEY know to exist, they release patches SOMEBODY found in their operating system. And sometimes these patches are not available for months and even UP TO A YEAR after they are known.

Because Microsoft is gaining a bad rap for having a zillion holes in their XP/ NT kernel system they are also combining patches in groups, therefore further delaying release. They like to combine "features" (Better known as massive security holes {Say Active-X controls})

Sorry for going wayyyyy off topic, pesonally I've been burned too many times by windows (And I'm not the kind to open attachments, ect.) but am forced to run their patched together crap for they same reason everyone else does (popularity) but know run it firewalled (SP2) over a proxy to an apache (Mandrake 10) server which is port forwarded/NAT firewalled by a cisco router and finally I haven't had a glitch in over a year and a half! (Occasional spyware, nothing serious)

So it's not your browser for-say, but other factors that can get you! If I was to trust one system hooked to the net it would be Mozilla running on Solaris or FreeBSD with a good IPTABLES config (Firewall) simply because of the "Security through obscurity factor"

Netscape is a commercial browser based ON TOP of Mozilla GNU source, so saying Netscape can be more secure than the lastest Mozilla release is crazy as well.

Virus/Trojan scanners for Windows are so bloated (as well as Windows) that they make the system noticeably slower which seems to be the recommended trend nowadayz... Insecure bloatware patched and protected by more bloatware eating CPU cycles that can be better used. Press CNTL-ALT-DEL 2x and click on Processes. Name what every one on the list does and you win the grand prize (Bill Gates and Microsoft employees excluded) plus not every running process even "needs" to be listed thanks again to Microsoft. They like to hide "their" processes and what can't stop somebody from hiding a keylogger. And there is of course the Windows advocates.... I run Windows 3.1 for workgroups at work. That seems to be the MOST unstable, unreliable, "1st" attempt at a networking operating system Microsoft made that seriously SUCKED and was wide open to attacks and this was in 1993. Seems like a long time ago but back then UNIX did more, handled multi-user, and did it more securly (Thank you AT&T/Sun Microsystems)

The only thing Microsoft can do for software is make it look "pretty" and bloat it up with graphics. I hear their NEW release will have 3d windows and require at least 1GB of memory and be so long booting that special
hard drives with so much cache they will recommend HIBERNATION instead of a full powerdown. Windows NT (Which 2000 and XP and future M$ OS'es will be based on) was STOLEN from IBM OS/2 (Ok, Legally agreed upon)

If they were stuck with their 3.1,95,98,ME system ....ummmm

Ok getting angry, must get a cold drink and calm down.... It's just that a degenerate company that rakes in Quantum $$$ that can't catch up with a completly FREE OS (Linux) on many fronts, steals it's ideas from others w/o permission (Many which result in big MS class-action payoffs) and STILL can't come up with an original idea of their own needs to be put down like a rabid dog for something better....

I wouldn't be soo mad if I wern't forced to use it..

I bought a printer... Lexmark inkjet. Hard lesson learned, only runs on Windows and cunsumes mass amounts of ink that costs more than the printer.... Got a HP laser printer b/w to replace it... Very happy, now I don't feel guilty zapping out 400 pages just to refer to 2 or 3 times. Printer used was $300 and ink is 30,000 pages for $80.

Bought a wireless network card for my notebook. Ohh, a Microsoft MN-720.... Since Microsoft doesn't have a frekin clue about software, it sure can't know a thing about hardware so it uses a Broadcom chipset. Microsoft must put good stock in Broadcom since their wireless cards frequency can be software controlled they cannot release open source drivers so Linux cannot use it. Sounds like Microsoft invests in dumb ass companys much like itself....

Boycott Microsoft.
Boycott Broadcom.
Boycot any hardware that starts with Win (WinTel, Win Modem....)
Lexmark/Compaq Printers are the same way.

Only in a perfect world in my dreams.... Joelol75@netscape.net

Try Mozilla Firebird 0.9. It is one of the best in this area. Check out http://www.mozilla.org/

Having spent the last week ridding my PC of spyware/malware/browser hijackers (and I had Norton at HIGH settings but they still got in) I was advised to switch browser from IE (I had previously done this to Avant Browser but apparently that is just an IE shell) as the vast majority of 'bugs' exploit IE. I've switched to Mozilla Firefox - don't like it as much but if it helps prevent further episodes like this last one I'll get used to it!!

being a novice techead i just now wised up and got mozilla firefox to get myself out of the line of fire. got a nasty case of "about:blank" and pulled whats left of my hair out for 2 weeks and ground my teeth down to little yellow nubs.
had no idea what i was in for when i started reading this thread , all i can say is " !!! " some very good pionts here with a bonus rant or 2. the argument of security through obscurity is perhaps one of the most valid.
my philosophy of staying underneath the radar has worked well for me in my professional/personal lives. it is even possible to obfuscate oneself to the piont of avoiding crapp on its downhill trek. why i failed to do this online, in retrospect, is even more baffling to me. i like firefox its fairly easy to use and does things in a slightly different way, and best of all , eveyone and their dog arent out to exploit the flaws.
i had no idea there was an alternative to windows os. i thought linux was for mac and ive heard that you have to have a degree in rocket science to use it(i did mention that im still a novice).
though i knew that ms were a bunch of 2-bit hax, i had no idea to what degree. i agree they should be boycotted and their aparrent monopoly is in need of toppling, i dont have the greatest hopes(and i dont use punctuation properly:P) lets face it: youll never hear the best "genuine" music broadcast on comm. radio, the anniversary of d-day was forgotten because of the death of r. reagan, even when the only person on the planet of any merit whatsoever , Mother Teresa, passed away her death became a footnote because (former)princess diana expired the same week.
i better stop now before this turns into an aimless rant...