Waterfox vs Firefox from a security standpoint...

Are there any reasons to prefer Waterfox (due to it being 64 bit) to Firefox where security is concerned? I would assume things like 64 bit ASLR would be more effective, but is there really a valid reason to switch to Waterfox? Speed is not a major concern. The difference is imperceptible.

 

You'll be slower on patches. I'm not sure if Waterfox updates for every security update. You get 64bit ASLR though.

 

bear in mind that some extensions are not compatible with Waterfox such as IETAB which i use often

Waterfox / Palemoon is a no go for me because of this

 

Binary extensions are not compatible. JavaScript based ones are, which is most of them. I don't bother with IETab, I just use IE if I want to see something in IE.

 

Ok, nevermind. I had a copy of Waterfox on a machine as an alternate browser. It was version 13 so I downloaded the update to 15. It by default wants to install an AVG security toolbar (can be unselected, but says it only works in 32 bit browsers. Why pack it with the install for a 64 bit browser?) Then when I tried to launch Waterfox and it gave several .dll errors and crashed. So I guess I don't care anymore. I will not be using it.

 

Waterfox is basically just a 64bit version of Firefox, and its developer seems to closely mirror the Firefox updates/security fixes. Its version number always matches its Firefox counterpart. Unfortunately, Waterfox's developer hasn't been successful in compiling a 15.0.1 build, so the current 15.0 build is lacking whatever changes last occurred in Firefox.

 

You can also try this if you have intel cpu https://code.google.com/p/lawlietfox/

I used it, it was smooth.
I am also wondering security standpoint with those patches!

 

Waterfox is based on the Mozilla Firefox source code. Its fast and stable on 64-X based systems.

The only thing I disliked about it was the installation took virtually forever. In the end, it finally installed and nearly everything in Firefox 32 bit works in Waterfox.

 

Maybe a quick uninstall/reinstall would sort that out? I've been using Waterfox for a while and haven't had any updating problems. I do seem to remember that it was necessary to uninstall one version before installing another because of code changes, but I can't remember which version transition that was. Perhaps this is what caused your crash?

I do find that Waterfox is faster than Firefox and compatible with all of the extensions I use, but I don't know that there are any security advantages. If I couldn't use it for some reason it wouldn't be a big loss though. Follow your bliss...

 

It did actually. Now it runs. I guess I am back to my original question of "Do I have a compelling reason to run it?"

-I take it back. It runs but there are still errors when I click on jumplist items that complain about version 13 that had been uninstalled. I can probably figure out how to fix it but it is more work than I am willing to do on a regular basis to keep it updated and running.

 

Had a problem with the Waterfox Updater issuing an "invalid command" error message upon launch.

The fix is to open properties and add to the executable a forward slash followed by "check now." That resolves the issue and the Waterfox Updater will then run as it should.

 

Waterfox well I don't trust it... Maybe just me but it's not up to scratch. ASLR is good but the rest is not great.

 

Hmm, sounds like the uninstall wasn't clean - too bad. There's always Pale Moon x64.

Regarding your original question about security I wonder if there is some benefit to using 64 bit browsers given that they are native to the OS? In other words I wonder if they have less attack surface and/or may be immune to some exploits that 32 bit browsers are vulnerable to?

 

They seem to run faster and take up fewer resources on a 64 bit system.

The Waterfox project was started because Mozilla had no real interest in developing a 64 bit version of Firefox. All its current builds are experimental and unstable and are not meant for every day use.