SafeOnline notifies when Hosts File "blocks" website...

Just as a for your information.

I have MVPS and other hosts files.

I guess this is to alert to possible Hostsfile manipulation?

Also Winpatrol notifies when the Hosts File has been changed....like when updating Hosts Files.

 

Does SafeOnline use a blocklist?

 

Lots of info here: http://pxnow.prevx.com/zeroL/SecureBrowserWhitePaper.pdf

And here: http://www.prevx.com/safeonline.asp

But not sure about any list?

TH

 

SafeOnline will warn if it detects user browsing being redirected via the hosts file, which could potentially trigger a warning from the MVPS host file depending on where you browse to. If you are browsing to a legitimate website, you can click "Allow" in the dialog which will add the domain to the trusted list.

SafeOnline uses a blacklist and a wide set of heuristic rules to help identify malicious websites before the user visits them

 

Mmmm, unfortunately, the logic is not right though. The three options offered are:

(1) Close
(2) Fix
(3) Ignore

(1) Close shuts down the browser.

(2) Fix deletes the entry from the hosts file and presumably visits the site with the IP address given by the DNS. (I don't know what happens if the host file is read only though).

(3) Ignore "Allows" you to override the protection, visit the website, and add it to the list of sites (like an overide list). But there's no point in doing this if the IP address is 127.0.0.1. In fact it removes one layer of protection if the website is also on SafeOnline's blacklist.

What SafeOnline should do is have a "Keep blocked" option instead of an Ignore option when the IP address is 127.0.0.1. This has been suggested in the future changes thread too.

if IP == 127.0.0.1
Keep blocked button offered
else
Ignore button offered

Its just a small point, but I think it would improve usability a lot for those who use the hosts file to block websites.

 

I agree - I'll see what we can do to have this added into the next release, if not the immediate next one, a release in the near future at least

Thanks for the suggestion

 

Nice, I would like it too