For those still using Internet Explorer

zenheretic said:
However, after reading articles about Chrome in a nerdy computer magazine, it sounds like a great system.
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I guess we'll see in time. After reading this thread, I set up two identical computers: One with Firefox and one with Chrome. After a few hours I seem to like the UI of Chrome a little more. Spell Check works fine. Chrome won't accept Adobe Movie as an upload yet, so it has to be loaded thru Firefox. Talk about going around your elbow to get to your...well, you know. This ain't W&C! :D
 
The thing is, hasn't this threat already been identified years back? I remember some white hat hacker-types already doing it just to get MS's attention to fix it.
 
Thanks for the heads up, just made Mozilla my default browser. IE can stand aside until they iron out their problems.
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I wouldn't switch browsers just because of a temporary security flaw, especially for one that was promptly patched. Every browser and every operating system is constantly releasing security patches and updates as new holes are discovered.

LINUX OS & OPERA or FIREFOX BROWSER POWER!
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Opera and Firefox also released patches for potentially serious security issues this week.

I can understand why people use Internet Explorer for the few ball-breaking sites that still require it, and for environments where no other option is available (such as work restrictions that disallow any other browser use), but I just don't understand why people choose it as a primary browser for full-time personal use. Don't get me wrong: everyone has the right to that choice...
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Because it comes installed on most computers.

The thing is, hasn't this threat already been identified years back?
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That was something different, I believe. Got a link?
 
Bob W said:
That was something different, I believe. Got a link?
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Nope, sorry Bob (wish I did). From what I remember though, I think the whole point of the "white hack" was they spotted a problem and tried to raise the concern about it.
 
Nope, sorry Bob (wish I did). From what I remember though, I think the whole point of the "white hack" was they spotted a problem and tried to raise the concern about it.
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I've heard of that process; many software companies actually employ "white hat hackers" to test their security. But I believe the problems encountered recently with several of the big-name browsers are newly-discovered issues. At least I haven't read anything to the contrary.
 
I've been using Google Chrome since it first came out and find I rather like it. There are things I miss but nothing I can't work around. They are said to be improving it all the time so I expect it will just get better. Right now you can't email from the browser and there are a few other things but other than this I like it.

I no longer get cookies, don't have too many issues about security at all with it actually with the exception that very few pages load correctly on some sites. For some reason the Spyderco forum (not the one here) is one of them. It loads fine to read posts browse the forum and make posts but the top menu bar is askew and not loaded correctly and it doesn't load the catalog page right for some reason. No issues with security any though but you know, I only browse the knife and blade forums, sometimes check the weather and basically don't visit a lot of what I'd call troublesome sites so for that I'm pretty happy so far. I got a report a while back saying they were patching all their vulnerability issues. Reports I've seen make all the browsers look weak so its kind of six of one half dozen of another. I mean for you guys switching to Firefox its only top dog right now because it certainly hasn't been that great for the year.

"Mozilla’s flagship Firefox browser has earned the dubious title of the most vulnerable software program running on the Windows platform.

According to application whitelisting vendor Bit9, Firefox topped the list of 12 widely deployed desktop applications that suffered through critical security vulnerabilities in 2008. These flaws exposed millions of Windows users to remote code execution attacks.

The other applications on the list are all well-known and range from browsers to media players, to VOIP chat and anti-virus software programs. Here’s Bit9’s dirty dozen:"

So I wouldn't be too secure feeling using it anymore than IE or Chrome or any of the others. They all have issues and go in out of where they stand security wise.

One other thing I like about Chrome is that it seems to be pretty fast. I can't speak for how it compares to NetScape or Mozilla/Firefox but its certainly loading faster and pulling up better than IE ever did.

STR
 
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STR said:
I mean for you guys switching to Firefox its only top dog right now because it certainly hasn't been that great for the year.

"Mozilla’s flagship Firefox browser has earned the dubious title of the most vulnerable software program running on the Windows platform.

According to application whitelisting vendor Bit9, Firefox topped the list of 12 widely deployed desktop applications that suffered through critical security vulnerabilities in 2008. These flaws exposed millions of Windows users to remote code execution attacks.

The other applications on the list are all well-known and range from browsers to media players, to VOIP chat and anti-virus software programs. Here’s Bit9’s dirty dozen:"
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Thanks for posting that - searching on Mozilla/FireFox for "security updates" I came across -

Mozilla/FireFox's response -

" The Importance of Good Metrics
12.15.08 - 02:48pm
There has been some interest in the last few days about a recent report from a company called Bit9 about application vulnerabilities. While we’re always happy to see stories that focus on educating our users about security, there are some problems with Bit9’s methodology that hinder its ability to draw any meaningful conclusions.
Bit9 says it drew up this list by identifying popular applications that have had a critical vulnerability reported in 2008. This is an ineffective test, as it rewards software companies that conceal their security vulnerabilities. Mozilla focuses a great deal of energy on building world class code, and we stand by our reputation on security; we don’t play games with it.
Mozilla security process involves regularly identifying, fixing, testing, and releasing security updates to keep our users safe, and we do that in a public way so that others can scrutinize our processes and help make them better. To suggest that this openness is a weakness because it means that we have “reported vulnerabilities” is to miss the reality: that software has bugs. A product’s responsiveness to those bugs and its ability to contain them quickly and effectively is a much more meaningful metric than counting them.
Bit9 seems to understand this in its focus on application support for updates, but again it fails to account for the real world experience. Firefox does not deliver WSUS updates, but our built-in update mechanism requires no user intervention, and we consistently see 90% adoption within six days of a new update being released.
The Firefox vulnerabilities Bit9 discusses are long-since fixed, with the majority of these fixes coming within days of it being announced. That is the real measure of application security: are known vulnerabilities fixed promptly, tested carefully, and deployed thoroughly? When people have asked that question, Firefox and Mozilla have consistently come out ahead.
Bug counting is unfortunately common because it’s easy, but it should not be a substitute for real security measurement. This is why we’ve continued to work on things like the Mozilla security metrics project, to help people make informed decisions about the security of their software. We invite people who are interested to be a part of that process.
Johnathan Nightingale
Human Shield "

It's good to know FireFox has "built-in" secuity updates
(although I don't recall my Firewall or Spybot notifying me of that?)

Having read that, and this thread - I still prefer IE7 (even though I do have FireFox kept up-to-date on my PC) -
but it's a personal choice - I like the way IE7 works - of course as always YMMV

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UnknownVT said:
It's good to know FireFox has "built-in" secuity updates
(although I don't recall my Firewall or Spybot notifying me of that?)
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The "built-in" updates are those that pop-up on your screen while using Firefox saying:

"An update for Firefox is available:
Firefox xx.xx.xx.xx
It is strongly recommended that you upgrade Firefox as soon as possible

View more information about this update (clickable link)

Buttons:
Later
Download & Install Now"

It wouldn't be picked up by a firewall or spybot app because it's not a separate process running (like Adobe Updater or Java Updater or whatever) but rather just part of the Browser itself.
 
You can also turn off the automatic updates in Firefox. So if you're not seeing occasional update notices, you may have that feature turned off. I prefer to have that stuff turned off too, and update manually when necessary.
 
Bob W said:
You can also turn off the automatic updates in Firefox. So if you're not seeing occasional update notices, you may have that feature turned off. I prefer to have that stuff turned off too, and update manually when necessary.
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No, mine is On (at least in my latest version 3.0.5)

I have seen the Update nag -
but I thought they were for actual updates to new versions -
perhaps I missed that they may have been security updates -
but I do not recall ever seeing anything specific saying that it was for security -
also they do not seem as frequent as MS IE updates........
(no, that does not necessarily mean FireFox is "better" -
please read Mozilla/FireFox's response -
where they say they were supposed to have more publicly known security issues .....)

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Bob W said:
You can also turn off the automatic updates in Firefox. So if you're not seeing occasional update notices, you may have that feature turned off. I prefer to have that stuff turned off too, and update manually when necessary.
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Where do I check for that?

Thanks,
Frank R
 
Where do I check for that?
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Using the drop-down menus:
Tools - Options - Advanced - Update - Automatically Check for Updates To...

I'm still on Mozilla Firefox 2. Version 3 could be someplace different.
 
Ya made me go look.
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LOL!

Some programs have such complex navigation menus, it's hard to navigate by intuition. But you remember the days before drop-down menus? Lose the printed software manual and you were SOL...
 
I'm another Firefox fan, been using it since it first appeared. Even if I didn't think it was a better browser than IE, (which I do), I'd still use it for the Adblock extension alone. Then there are heaps of other extensions.

I've also tossed out other MS bloatware stuff like Office. I'm now using Open Source stuff. Faster, leaner and best of all, free.
 
I've also tossed out other MS bloatware stuff like Office. I'm now using Open Source stuff. Faster, leaner and best of all, free.
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That's a good move overall, but I wouldn't make such a blanket statement comparing open source to commercial software. Some versions of OpenOffice, for example, were slower than their comparable version of MS Office. And don't get me started on GIMP!

Plus, once you've already purchased Microsoft Office, switching is much less compelling. On my new computer I'm using an old copy of Microsoft Office 2000 - it's faster and less bloated than new versions of either MS Office or OpenOffice.

And of course there is the occasional software title with no comparable freeware or open source option (Publisher comes to mind, although Scribus is making advances).

Freeware is great though, and I appreciate all of the open source contributors, scientists, and hobbiests who make their programs available for us casual computer users.
 
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