I'll not boast about anything. I'll just say that aside from a few
spybots, I have not been infected or affected by security problems in
several years.
And yet "spybots" as you call them are exactly the protection that
firefox provides against.
Aaron, do you have an Anti-spam, AV, and firewall programs? I'm sure
you do, and I do too. If Firefox prevented me from having to use the
above, I would probably use it.
Bob, your question puzzles me. Firefox is a browser, not a antispam
program. Ditto for Firewall. Next you will be asking me if using Firefox
means going without the OS!
As for AV, these days, I believe I can do without one. Let's face it,
most common worm these days are trival to spot, just by eyeballing it
when it arrives through the mail. This applies whether I use IE or not.
I am worried about CWS though and similar malware that install via
websites. There is practically no defence against them, unless you
cripple your browser, The rising trend these days is for them to use not
only unpatched exploits , but zero day exploits (exploits not known to
the public).
AVs can help , but they tend to be reactive, and by the time, they update
some malware is likely to have installed already without your knowledge.
And unlike suspicious attachments by email, there is no way for the user
to intervene.
Also I suspect these AV signature updates are just targetted against the
specific malware, but another malware that uses the same method to
install will not be caught, so protection is limited anyway,
You can say, I don't go to dubious sites, but as the latest fiasco has
shown, even trusted sites can be compromised. For example, I was amazed
that after visiting my normal sites late June , I found traces of Scob
everywhere in Firefox's cache.
That shows how widespread it was.
This is where Firefox can help! It uses a different html rendering engine
and is immune to exploits targetted at IE.
Bob, no one says that Firefox is a cure for all malware, but it does
close one of the major ways in which malware is installed these days by
visiting websites.
You can refrain from installing software, opening attachments, but can
you really go without surfing websites?
All it does for me is add 18mb to my
HDD and I still have to run security software. Maxthon's folder size
is 4.3 mb, and half of that is skins.
Remember the protection that comes with using the gecko engine as opposed
to reusing the IE engine makes 18mb trival really these days.
Your problem is you expect Firefox to do more , than even what the most
fanatic firefox fan is claiming. Which show me a post where somone claims
you can use firefox to do spam filtering.
Then why reply to me? You know that I already know everything you
said. You know I agree with you about the security problems in IE, but
that's not my point.
Let's refresh your memory, you wrote
"A browser should be judged on what it does for you, not what it's based
on.In fact, everything is based on something that someone may not approve
of."
You think it should not matter, I think it should. And I brought out the
point that many users were asking this very question on Myie2 forums
showing that to them it matters.
My point is they are trivial and irrelevant to
those who don't collect porn, run the 1st National Bank, or work for
the CIA.
You don't mind hackers using your computer resources to store porn, or
launch DDOS attacks? You don't mind getting lots of popups, unnecessary
slowness? Okay, but that's just you I suspect.
I'm still waiting.
See other thread. And besides even without the security advanatages of
Firefox, the extension system of firefox really makes Firefox way more
configurable then Myie2.
Security is important. A good level of security is easily attainable
by anyone to prevent getting their computer clogged up with spyware
and malware.
1 year ago, I might have agreed. But the war is only beginning and as the
surrender of CWShredder's creator has shown, I'm not too certain the good
guys can keep up.
Besides if you do choose to spend time and effort hunting down for
software, doing updates, scans, crippling your browser, to protect
yourself from the run of the mill adware, it's your choice.
But even that will leave you less secure than just using Firefox.
Lockdown security is not needed unless you work for the CIA
I suspect, you don't know what real security mean. Using Firefox hardly
qualifies as being CIA level security.
or keep
sensitive, illegal, or embarrassing material on your HDD. Most folks
don't do that.
See above. Remember most folks value their privacy, sensitive or
embarrassing material not withstanding.
If I understand what you are saying, you are most saying you don't care
if your computer is compromised, but that is not the stand taken by most
people.
Aaron (my email is not munged!)
