So whats the safest Browser??

Discussion in 'other security issues & news' started by Jonas, May 4, 2003.

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  1. Jonas

    Jonas Registered Member

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    I was wanting to get the opinion of forum members as to which browser they think is the safest and why. Many have discussed the constant short-comings and patches of IE, Mozilla, and recently Opera. So which browser do you think has the best blend of security and usefullness. Becky's forum just recently has posted several new problems with Opera 7.x. I look forward to your responses.


    Jonas
     
  2. *Ari*

    *Ari* Registered Member

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    Hi Jonas,

    Could you specify what kind of problems with Opera? Sure there is no perfect browser available.....but, IE/Mozilla etc has so many holes it´s depressing major people on the net. And they do not even try to fill those holes up...I still stick on this new Opera. I enable java script, java, and cookies occasionally only....as far as I know there is no such option with Mozilla and others, tell me if I am totally wrong. [ I mean you can configure browser settings by hitting one button, F12 on Opera]
    But no matter which browser you use, you MUST take care IE security updates anyway, did you know that ? So don´t forget "windows update" ;) .

    welcome aboard -Ari
     
  3. Jonas

    Jonas Registered Member

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  4. *Ari*

    *Ari* Registered Member

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    Thank You Jonas,

    These things are important to know... but I still trust in Opera more than the most popular browsers, there are just maybe couple of vulnerabilities with Opera and tens of holes on others ;) , sure we could always close down whole inet connection and start reading the Readers Digest for example.....but we still hang on here :)
    By the way, thank you for the information, I did not know Mickey got his own forum.....interesting indeed....

    -Ari
     
  5. the Tester

    the Tester Registered Member

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    Krusty.

    I run Mozilla.
    There are some settings in the Preferences Toolbar extension for javascript ,cookies and popups.

    I haven't had Opera for a while so I can't recall how those controls compare to Mozilla's.

    As far as the safest browser,IMO anything is better than IE! ;)
     
  6. meneer

    meneer Registered Member

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    I totally agree.

    Opera is known for it's speedy reaction time on vulnerabilities, so regularly checking their site is required. There are plenty of alert boards to inform you quickly on any vulnerability (http://www.secunia.com being one of them, alas their free service is fast, but not configurable).

    Biggest trouble with IE is not even the holes in it, but the integration with the underlying OS. We're struggling to get IE updated from an early 5.5 to the most recent (tell me...) IE6. Very nasty job on several thousend PC's. I would prefer updating Opera or Firebird any time.
     
  7. Wayne - DiamondCS

    Wayne - DiamondCS Security Expert

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    One thing to be aware of is that many browsers use the Internet Explorer browser control to do the actual browsing (CrazyBrowser is just one example), so beware... :)
     
  8. Patrice

    Patrice Registered Member

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    Hi guys!

    Well, I'm using IE again, after that I was disappointed from Netscape, which I was using from the early beginnings. I tested Opera as well, but sorry guys, I don't like this browser. There are so many sites which were created just for IE or Netscape. Opera struggels to show these pages in a good manner. That's why I'm using IE again. AND: why not using Proxomitron next to it. There you can block EVERYTHING you want! So forget about "secure" browsers, they will never exist...

    Best regards!

    Patrice
     
  9. root

    root Registered Member

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    Since the advent of Opera version 7 I have had little if any problems with Opera rendering pages correctly. I have had no problems with the rendering of any pages with Opera 7.10. The last I heard, Opera was built to standard code even better than IE. So people building websites that are meant to show best in IE are not sticking to the standards. But then, thats the power of the 800 lb gorilla Gates.
    Patrice, everyone is not going to like the same browser, that's why there's a choice. Also when you first download Opera, the skin is terrible and there is a lot of tweaking to be done, both with settings and with modifying ini files to get it to behave like you might want it to. But that's why I like Opera. I can modify the way it behaves, shows menus, etc.
    So I understand why Opera is not immediately the first choice of everyone that tries it, but if you give it a second chance and experiment with making it behave right, it might be more enjoyable.
    Any way you cut it, I do believe Opera is safer and faster than IE or Mozilla and its offspring.
     
  10. Patrice

    Patrice Registered Member

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    Hi root!
    I completely agree to the above mentioned quote of you. I never said IE was safe... But I rely on Proxomitron to make it behave like I want. ;)

    Regards!

    Patrice
     
  11. Jonas

    Jonas Registered Member

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    Thanks everyone for there feedback and suggestions. Iam currently bouncing between IE6 and Opera 7.1. I was just a little disappointed when i read the above posts of the new problems with Opera...i was hoping to avoid so many security holes. I never tried mozilla as i was never really a fan of netscape either. maybe i'll just keep playing with Opera. Oh and Patrice, i do use Proxo sometimes with IE ...its a great help.

    Thanks,
    jonas
     
  12. I_lack_commonsense

    I_lack_commonsense Registered Member

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    How about the open source issue...
    Do you think a browser like mozilla benefits more from being open source, or is it more of a disadvantage?

    I tend to like mozilla more for general web surfing but I cant argue with Opera as one of the more secure Windows browsers.
     
  13. bellgamin

    bellgamin Registered Member

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    How come nobody mentioned the utmost safest most ultra beyootiful superb wonderful wowser-browser of them all?

    Namely...
    the *Black Diamond* firebird.

    Well.... anyway, me likum. :cool:
     
  14. root

    root Registered Member

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    I think it remains to be seen how safe it is. It is based on Mozilla which I have heard is very buggy yet.
    As always with new programs, it takes some time for people out there to discover how vulnerable they are.
    I hope it is safe. I do not wish any program to be buggy, and maybe it will turn out much safer than its predicessors.
    It took a long time for the first possible exploit of Opera to be discovered. Now, even more are popping up.
     
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