ie 9: Safest Browser Against Socially Engineered Malware

from JoeUser Forums

 

 

 

 

Microsoft sure has gone all out and geared itself up, to address the security concerns of netizens, while creating the new age browser – Internet Explorer 9. Not only is it safe and secure, it also gives you a beautiful and speedy browsing experience. Earlier (at the holidays) I posted about scams to protect yourself from, and it turns out that ie9 helps a good deal in doing just that, especially for malware coming via the social networking sites.

A just-released study by NSS lab research, which reported that Internet Explorer is the industry leader in protecting users against malware with Internet Explorer 9 blocking an outstanding 99% and Internet Explorer 8 blocking 90% of it; it has blocked over 1.2 billion malware and phishing attacks through its SmartScreen filter that detects and blocks websites that distribute socially engineered malware and phishing attacks.

In keeping with its focus on innovation with IE9, Microsoft recently announced a new functionality called Tracking Protection.

Tracking Protection advances and demonstrates ‘Privacy by Design’ and provides consumers with more choices to control information about their online activities. It essentially helps you to filter out content in a page that you think may impact your privacy. Also, you can filter out content from any website by using Tracking Protection Lists which are almost like ‘do not call’ lists!

By adding this Tracking Protection List, IE9 prevents your information from being sent out by limiting data requests to the websites in the list and from now on, anyone using IE9 can create a Tracking Protection List to gain control over the information shared outside.

“For a long time, the hottest issue of consumers on the web has been – Security and consumer privacy! Due to the sheer nature of the web, netizens have had little or no control on the threats like malware attacks and misuse of their personal information. But with Internet Explorer 9, consumers can expect a secure and speedy browsing experience,” says Senthilkumar Sundaram, Business Lead for Internet Explorer, Consumer & Online Business, Microsoft India.

You can read more about Tracking Protection here.

Source:  http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ie/archive/2010/12/07/ie9-and-privacy-introducing-tracking-protection-v8.aspx

76,907 views 31 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Interesting information.  I still prefer FireFox or Chrome.  ;)

Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I think the key here is what kind of a 'Net Surfer' are you.  If you do it with security in mind then you will probably be safe using your browser of choice.  :sun:  

I use IE 8 and will more than likely upgrade to IE 9 when it is out of beta.

Curtains - Customize Windows with additional styles
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Shouldn't be a problem unless using the social networking sites. I keep ie9 just for that.

Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top

Sneaky Redmond bastards - won't install on XP.  Not surprising.

Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top

hehehe.... you can't win, eh?

Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I already have it for FireFox. Ghostery + NoScript

Google relies on tracking for ad placement, looks like a good way to stop the Juggernaut.

Who makes up the lists, Doc? I can't find the information.

Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting Daiwa, reply 4
Sneaky Redmond bastards - won't install on XP.  Not surprising.
End of Daiwa's quote

 

Xp is nearly a decade old, and wasting time to adapt ie9 to it is probably not in Microsoft's interests.

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top

Microsoft had bought out a number of software security companies such as antispyware co. GIANT.  What you are seeing is that IP being implemented into applications like IE or MSE.

Reply #9 from JoeUser Forums Top

wasting time to adapt ie9 to it is probably not in Microsoft's interests
End of quote

Meh, customers.  Nothing but annoying pests.

Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top

LOL... actually, they want them to be repeat customers. ;)

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Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top

So we go to IE9 and soon afterwards BAM! some herkyjerk dude finds a way to circumvent even that. I like my Firefox and since I don't go to nor use social networks its pretty much business as usual. Uh ... about the title. It sounds like IE9 makes it safe 'for'  Socially Engineered Malware. Just sayin'.       

Reply #12 from JoeUser Forums Top

Ah, ok, that explains it.  I was thinking (before reading this) that IE was somehow more secure from hacking.  That is the other side of the security issue. 

I can believe this, and it makes sense.  After the lethargy of IE6 was broken, Microsoft has started to pay attention to the browser and is doing much better (although like others, I prefer Firefox).

Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I use Pale Moon, as it runs faster than ff on Windows and was specially engineered for Windows.

Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Pale Moon does run faster ... but when I used the uninstaller, kaspersky gave me a virus warning. Could not find any information to suggest that Pale Moon was dodgy so I put it down to a false positive.  I deleted the Virtual Machine drive file and copy over my backup, just to play it safe.

:\

Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting DrJBHL, reply 10
LOL... actually, they want them to be repeat customers.
End of DrJBHL's quote

 

Perfect comment. :D

Reply #16 from Stardock Forums Top

True of any company making things.

IE9 will be a beautiful thing.  I didn't think MS even had the capability to get their browser up to speed after the last several disappointing releases.

Reply #17 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting tazgecko, reply 14
Pale Moon does run faster ... but when I used the uninstaller, kaspersky gave me a virus warning. Could not find any information to suggest that Pale Moon was dodgy so I put it down to a false positive.  I deleted the Virtual Machine drive file and copy over my backup, just to play it safe.

End of tazgecko's quote

If you downloaded Pale Moon from it's website, it is totally safe. No worries, mate!

Quoting XX, reply 15

Quoting DrJBHL, reply 10LOL... actually, they want them to be repeat customers.

 

Perfect comment.
End of XX's quote

Glad someone understands me. XD

Quoting Savyg, reply 16
True of any company making things.

IE9 will be a beautiful thing.  I didn't think MS even had the capability to get their browser up to speed after the last several disappointing releases.
End of Savyg's quote

Still needs a bit of work...seems to 'stick/freeze' on me.... but it's not the RTM at this point, still it's lots better than 7 and 8.

Reply #18 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting DrJBHL, reply 17

Still needs a bit of work...seems to 'stick/freeze' on me.... but it's not the RTM at this point, still it's lots better than 7 and 8.
End of DrJBHL's quote

The RC will be out on the 28th according to the rumor mill.  I don't think I've seen official confirmation though.

Reply #19 from Elemental Forums Top

Wish the chart in the OP ranked the vastly superior Firefox (the one including its magnificent plugins like Flashblock, Ad Block, etc).

Reply #20 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting Victor5, reply 19
Wish the chart in the OP ranked the vastly superior Firefox (the one including its magnificent plugins like Flashblock, Ad Block, etc).
End of Victor5's quote

Take another look, Victor5.

Firefox is third from the top, ranked #3.

Reply #21 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I've never heard of Pale Moon before. Worth checking out?

Funny how FF ranks third yet outperformed IE8. BTW ... recently used a utility to clean house. It found malware embedded in IE's temp files not long after using IE8 when we were having that todo with Firefox 3.6.12. Since upgrading to 3.6.13 no more issues.

Reply #22 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Well, maybe Microsoft bought also NSS labs (I never heard of them anyway). It smells fishy to me. IE8 is safe? very safe to lough at it as Microsoft admitted very recently a huge hole in security that allows any website to install malware quietly (and no rush to fix it as admitted).

Anyway, with every update of their browsers, Microsoft admit another huge security hole or more.

Maybe it's not socially engineered malware, but it's malware all the same.(by the way, socially engineered malware is the easiest to avoid as it only requires common sense)

Firefox has the huge advantage of open architecture that allows plugins which this test so elegantly avoids mentioning.

For example, who needs to build his own lists when you have NoScript add-on that doesn't allow any script to run by default (and makes any malware useless), ans the WOT (web of trust) add-on that makes the best black list for it's users made by millions of people.

There are tons of security and privacy add-ons for Firefox and also many that makes surfing more productive and even fun.

IE cannot even get close to this unless they'll open the code (they'll probably never will).

Whoever trusts IE does not learn from history of publicly admitted poor security.

Reply #23 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting DrJBHL, reply 20

Quoting Victor5, reply 19: "Wish the chart in the OP ranked the vastly superior Firefox (the one including its magnificent plugins like Flashblock, Ad Block, etc)."


Take another look, Victor5.

Firefox is third from the top, ranked #3.

End of DrJBHL's quote

 

Perhaps I wasn't clear enough; I'm talking about Firefox while installed with the above (and other various) popular plugins which are not included by default (making browsing more efficient and INCREDIBLY safer).  No doubt the Firefox (default downloaded as-is version) shown in the OP isn't including any of its magnificent add-ons.

 

Therefore, the chart isn't exactly representative of the setup many Firefox users run (dare I say it may even win otherwise).

Reply #24 from WinCustomize Forums Top

IMO. Its hard to trust something that had a poor track record. Let IE9 prove itself first. With time it may be as good as FF. We'll see.

Reply #25 from WinCustomize Forums Top

^^ The OP deals with the testing of the browser itself. No add ons. Tests are done on the original product, Victor5, not on product plus other products. How this or that would do "if" is speculation. The OP doesn't advocate one or another. It simply reports results. The "A is better than B" arguments aren't necessary.

^ What track record, Uvah? It's in beta.