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There Is No Safe Web Browser

Michael writes "David Sheets has up an interesting article on browser security, and I have to agree with his conclusion: no web browser is safe. The article details the recent Netscape fiasco, and touches on the whole Firefox/Internet Explorer debate. From the article: 'So if it sounds as if we're all at the mercy of hackers just looking for some new challenge, that's partially true. As law enforcement officers will tell you, crime finds you if it wants you bad enough, no matter what preventative measures you take. But the vast majority of criminals have an Achilles' heel: They prefer convenience to challenge. For now, it's more convenient for them to pick on Internet Explorer.'"

9 of 444 comments (clear)

  1. Lynx is safe by Bodysurf · · Score: 4, Funny

    As is telnetting to port 80 and interpreting the HTML in your head.

    1. Re:Lynx is safe by Profane+MuthaFucka · · Score: 5, Funny

      I don't even see the code. All I see is blonde, brunette, and redhead.

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      Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
  2. No browser is safe? by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'd say this one is fairly safe...

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
    1. Re:No browser is safe? by MrAnnoyanceToYou · · Score: 3, Funny

      I dunno about you guys, but I like to just stick one finger in an electrical socket and bite down on my 10bT.

      Anyone willing to browse like a real man is completely secure from hackers.

  3. Perhaps it needed to be said by IntricateEnigma · · Score: 3, Funny

    Perhaps it needed to be said, but it seems to me like this post is a statement of the obvious.

    I'm sure I'll be modded down for just posting my blunt thoughts in responst to the post.

  4. Always protect yourself... by logik3x · · Score: 4, Funny

    Don't forget to wear a condom for safe browsing...

  5. Re:Nor is there a "safe" OS.... by RatBastard · · Score: 4, Funny

    There is not "absolutely, 100% safe from everyone" not safe and then there is "dropped the soap in the prison shower" not safe. While even Linux and Mac OS X fall into the first, Windows falls into the second. Windows is unsafe due to the lack of planning or safety concerns of the programmers. Programmers told by the marketting department to spend their time on features above all other things.

    I can't speak for Linux users as I am not one, but I can speak for some Mac users. We don't ignore the bugs, hacks and patches out there. I keep my system fully patched at all times, just as I dio my Windows boxes. The difference here is that my Mac has never had a spyware infestation, nor a virus, nor any of the other intrusive attacks that my Windows machine has suffered through. And I'm careful with my Windows machine.

    Windows has gotten safer as MS has finally deigned to pay attention to safety concerns. But a fresh Windows install is as unsafe as a child molester in a maximum security prison. A significant number of patches and extra utilities need to be installed, many of them only practically available from the Internet, before it is reasonably safe to connect that computer to the Internet. This is not true for Linux and OS X bioxes.

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    Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
  6. Re:Doesn't go far enough. by wfberg · · Score: 3, Funny

    No program that accepts input is safe. /dev/null is holding up fine.

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  7. Be careful!!! by 3770 · · Score: 5, Funny


    I telnetted to port 80 once, and interpreted the HTML in my head.

    Unfortunately there was a infinitely recursive Java script function on there.

    I'm still not quite myself.

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