Posts tagged Safari at Switched

Posts with tag safari

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]

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]

MacBook Air Hacked In Under Two Minutes

by Tim Stevens, posted Mar 28th 2008 at 9:20AM

If there's one thing Apple users love to taunt Windows users about, it's security. Mac owners giddily flaunt their lack of virus scanners and lack of worries in front of their PC comrades, whose machines look comparatively bloated with virus scanners, firewalls, and daily patch updates to fix the exploit du jour. Bad news for those Mac users, then, as a recent hacking competition showed that the new MacBook Air is able to be completely compromised in under two minutes.

The hacker in question, Charlie Miller, achieved this feat as part of a hacking competition called PWN 2 OWN. Miller hosted a malicious Web page privately, accessed it from the MacBook Air, and then, within two minutes, was able to take full control of the machine remotely and make it do his bidding.The culprit here is apparently an undiscovered flaw in the Mac Web browser Safari, which has shown to be somewhat lacking in the security department on both the iPhone and on Windows.

Charlie won $10,000 for his troubles, and he got to keep the laptop, but as part of the deal, he was also required to keep secret about the details of exploit, so hopefully there's little chance of it getting into the wild and taking over Macs around the world.

Still, we'd recommend steering clear of Safari -- and perhaps not being so smug.

From Engadget

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PayPal to Customers - Don't Use Safari

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Mar 4th 2008 at 6:23PM

As more people switch to Mac and pick up iPhones, the Apple-built web browser Safari is becoming more and more popular. Though it still only makes up 4.5 percent of the web browser market, that is still a significant number of people who should take heed of PayPal's warning: Use another browser.

The online payment company is strongly suggesting that users visit the site with a different browser, be it IE7, IE8, Firefox, or Opera, since Safari (and its Firefox-based Mac cousin Camino) lack anti-phishing features. PayPal is a popular target for phishers who want to steal your login information, and then of course your money and possibly identity.

Modern versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Opera all warn you when you visit a suspicious web site, and IE7 and 8 as well as the upcoming Firefox 3 all support Extended Validation for extra protection from fraudulent sites.

The best way to protect yourself from phishers is to pay attention to small details yourself. Double check that E-mail address. Does the URL look suspicious? are there any cosmetic differences between the page you meant to visit and the one you're on now? While only you can make sure you never fall victim to these scams, a little help can't hurt.

From Slashdot

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New iPhone Software Update from Apple

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Aug 1st 2007 at 1:00PM

Apple is wasting little time popping out those iPhone updates. 1.0.1 went out yesterday to much undeserved fan-fair. The update seems to be almost entirely Safari-related security fixes, and not many of them, based on the change log.

No new features, no stability updates mentioned, but still, plugging those security holes is better than nothing. Engadget seems to think that Safari feels more stable. What about you, our iPhone using readers? Is Apple hiding stability updates in iPhone 1.0.1?

From Engadget

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iPhone's Web Browser Vulnerable to Hacker Attacks

by Tim Stevens, posted Jul 23rd 2007 at 10:01AM

Reseachers at Independent Security Evaluators, a Baltimore-based group of security consultants, have found a bug that reputedly has the potential to allow hackers to take complete control of your iPhone. The problem lies in Safari, the Web browser installed on the phone and (currently) the only means for iPhone users to run non-Apple certified applications like Jive Talk. Apple has indicated that the iPhone's inability to download and install applications was set-up for the sake of security, but right now it doesn't look like that strategy is doing anything to ward off threats.

According to the researchers, the Safari bug could allow a hacker to do everything from peruse your call history to snoop your text messages or even extract your e-mail passwords. It's a serious flaw and one that Apple has no fix for at the moment. What makes it even more troubling is that this bug may also apply to PC- and Mac-based versions of Safari as well. The researchers have created a Web site containing more information about the hack at exploitingiphone.com, and they also plan to discuss it at the Blackhat security conference in two weeks' time.

So, with-it iPhone owner, what can you do? The safest option is to stop using Safari altogether, but then you would be avoiding what is surely one of the coolest, smoothest, and most innovative of all the iPhone's features? So, other than waiting for Apple to get off its duff and delivers a fix, you should use the typical precautions you'd use when surfing the Internet, which is to avoid shady Web sites when you're surfing with Safari on your iPhone. For your home machine, maybe it's time to think about another browser ... ?

From Engadget

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Safari for Windows Contains Trojan Horse

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Jun 12th 2007 at 12:12PM

As we reported yesterday, Apple released its Safari Web browser for the Windows XP and Vista operating systems. Within hours of that release, users not only found bugs, but they also discovered some Windows-like security risks within the browser code. Among the "bugs" is Trojan horse code that could allow a remote computer to execute operating-system-level commands on another computer. This code could potentially allow a not-so-nice person to install and delete files, as well as use key trackers to capture your passwords.

Of course, Safari for Windows is only in beta (test) format right now, but the Internet community is ablaze with Apple vs. Microsoft banter (lightly put). That said, Safari is worth a try, as it includes some cool features like drag-able tabs, resize-able text-entry fields, and versatile search.

No, Apple is not out to get you. Just be careful out there, Switcheroos.

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