Posts tagged Browsers at Switched

Posts with tag browsers

Google's Chrome Browser Vulnerable to Hackers

by Tim Stevens, posted Sep 3rd 2008 at 10:37AM

When Google's new browser Chrome launched by surprise yesterday, many fans of the famously "do no evil" search company rushed to download it. Who wouldn't be wooed by its clean looks, fast performance, and pledges of security? So far, we think the browser delivers on the first two -- but we're not so sure on that last one. Word is hitting the Web that Chrome is vulnerable to a Safari-related security issue that Apple has already fixed, but Google has (apparently) not.

The exploit lets a hacker automatically download an executable malware file to the user's computer. It's then up to the user to actually click on the file to run it, but with a little encouragement (as shown in the proof-of-concept), that's not difficult to do. Should you avoid Chrome? Not necessarily, but if you're going to use it, use a typical common sense while online and don't go crazy opening any file you like. The Internet's still a dangerous place, you know. [From: ZDNet]

Firefox Gets Guinness World Record for Most Downloads

by Evan Shamoon, posted Jul 3rd 2008 at 9:46AM

As we now well know, the Internet is serious business.

And to further clarify the point, the Guinness organization (World Records, not beer) has now given the title of "most downloads in a 24-hour period" to Mozilla, which hurled 8,002,530 copies of its Firefox 3 browser into cyberspace on June 17.

"As the arbiter and recorder of the world's amazing facts, Guinness World Records is pleased to add Mozilla's achievement to our archives," Gareth Deaves, Guinness' records manager, said in a statement.
While "Download Day," as Mozilla branded it, may have been a bit of a publicity stunt, it's still a pretty hefty achievement; this is the biggest launch to a piece of software, free or otherwise, in the history of the series of tubes that we have come to know as the Internet.

So how do things stand? Net Applications gave Firefox 3 2.31 percent market share for the entire month of June, compared with 4.28 percent for Safari 3.1, 16.13 percent for Firefox 2, 26.38 percent for Internet Explorer 6, and 46.45 percent for the Internet's 400 lb. gorilla, Internet Explorer 7.

And to the longtime users of IE, we have some advice: try Firefox for a week. Install some plug-ins. You may never go back. [Source: CNET]

Firefox 3.0 Released, Sets Download Record

by Tim Stevens, posted Jun 18th 2008 at 10:32AM

A few weeks back, developers of the Web browser Firefox announced that when the eagerly anticipated 3.0 version of their software was released, they wanted to break the Guinness World Record for most downloads in a 24-hour period. The only problem was they didn't say when that day would be. As it turns out, the clock started ticking yesterday at 2pm, and they've already eclipsed the 5 million mark they set out to achieve.

As of this morning, downloads currently stand at 6,250,796 worldwide, a third of those coming from the U.S. This is despite a number of problems that plagued the Firefox download sites yesterday, as they struggled to handle the demand from all those would-be record breakers. But, they made it, and so far, initial reports are very positive for this new release. Browsing is noticeably faster than with the last version, stability seems to have been improved, and the graphical refresh the menus and buttons have received gives everything a nice, clean appearance.

We'll have a full review of the release later, but if you still want to be a part of history you have until 2pm E.S.T. today to fire up your (older) browsers to start the downloadin'. [Source: Mashable]

Hackers Target Safari and Firefox Browsers

by Tim Stevens, posted Apr 28th 2008 at 9:49AM

It's long been held that Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) browser was far and away the least secure browser available. Anyone who thought otherwise only had to look at the long and constant IE security bulletins to see what could be perceived as a glaring hole in the thing. But it seems as though maybe those updates are at least partially due only to commonality, as the increasing popularity of Firefox and Safari is putting those browsers under fire.

Firefox has released two updates to Firefox over the past six weeks, fixing five critical security holes that could let attackers access a user's browsing history -- not exactly life threatening stuff here, but still disconcerting. Apple's Safari is rather more compromised, since it allows attackers to completely take over your computer, and rather less fixed, as no updates to solve the problem are available.

These attacks and compromised levels of security are held to be due to those browsers' new-found popularity. IE, on the other hand, which has seen its usage wane in recent months, had no security vulnerabilities to report in the last month, meaning hackers may be getting tired of beating up on the thing. So which browser is most secure? Our money's still on Firefox, but IE is clearly not a bad choice either. [Source: Washington Post]

Netscape Officially Closes Down On March 1

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Feb 22nd 2008 at 5:09PM

A pioneer in the Internet revolution will fall silent on March 1. The venerable Netscape Browser (owned by our parent company AOL) -- once the leader in Web browsers -- is finally throwing in the towel. Netscape will still be available to download after the end of the month, but AOL will no longer update the product or offer any technical support.

After losing the browser wars of the '90s to Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Netscape struggled in obscurity and irrelevance. Eventually, Netscape opened its source code, allowing anyone to see it, use it, and alter it , which eventually gave birth to Mozilla and Firefox (now the second most popular browser after Explorer).

At this time, Netscape has a dismal 0.61 percent of the browser market, so it's highly unlikely you know anyone who is still using it. But if you do, then you should encourage them to follow the advice to be found on the Netscape site, which suggests you download Firefox.

If you really miss the all-in-one nature of Netscape, then also check out SeaMonkey, which is based on the same code as Firefox and is compatible with many of the same extensions.

From ArsTechnica

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