Is firefox as secure as IE8??

Phil2008 · 2 Nov 2009 at 18:19

Ive just changed from ie8 to firefox and I noticed theres no security updates to install after installing firefox. With ie8 theres a few security updates after the install :confused:

Also is there any way you can have a "open file" button when downloading files, like in ie??

Randomface74 · 2 Nov 2009 at 18:23

I'm not sure if Firefox is more secure than IE. But it has a smaller market share, which makes it a less-obvious target. I'm sure that won't always be the case.

Broken Hope · 2 Nov 2009 at 18:25

I think due to protected mode IE8 is technically more secure, but since most people here seem to disable UAC (even though they shouldn't) most won't be running in protected mode.

raptormonkey · 2 Nov 2009 at 18:29

I like Opera myself

swinnie · 2 Nov 2009 at 18:33

Phil2008 said:
Ive just changed from ie8 to firefox and I noticed theres no security updates to install after installing firefox. With ie8 theres a few security updates after the install

Firefox isn't a Microsoft product, so the security updates won't be downloaded and installed in the standard update mode - Windows Update.

Firefox automatically detects when a new patch (or full version) has been released, and in most cases will auto install the update. Otherwise, you'll get a box asking you to update, which then leads to a very simple (and standard) installation procedure, just warranting a quick browser restart at the end.

Hope this helps.

OCDan88 · 2 Nov 2009 at 18:40

Phil2008 said:
Also is there any way you can have a "open file" button when downloading files, like in ie??

Try this extension here which adds this button to the save dialog box.

1337z0r · 2 Nov 2009 at 18:43

Firefox IMO!

As swinnie said above it detects updates automatically which for a computer novice is great as not many non-techie people will pay attention to Windows update, you can also use addons such as AdBlockPlus which can also protect you from adverts and popups.

russ0r · 2 Nov 2009 at 18:51

raptormonkey said:
I like Opera myself

This. Or Chrome. Both are more secure than either FF or IE8.

swinnie · 2 Nov 2009 at 19:11

russ0r said:
This. Or Chrome. Both are more secure than either FF or IE8.

Have you got anything that you can back that statement up with?

m4cc45 · 2 Nov 2009 at 19:15

IE8 in protected mode is going to be more secure also the massive resources that MS has to fix any vulnerabilty makes it feel more secure.

M.

theheyes · 2 Nov 2009 at 20:56

IE8 in protected mode is better (Vista onwards, doesn't apply to XP)

However having said that, Firefox is absolutely fine to use and Mozilla are one of the fastest (if not the fastest) at patching their software so as long as you install updates regularly you should be fine with either.

marc2003 · 3 Nov 2009 at 00:13

i couldn't care less if IE is more secure. it sucks features wise so that's why i use firefox.

besides, i used IE6 for years without getting compromised so i'm fairly confident my usual browsing habits will keep me safe.

Dark_Angel · 3 Nov 2009 at 00:50

russ0r said:
This. Or Chrome. Both are more secure than either FF or IE8.

I dodn't use chrome. Google it (irony) for the amount of data it gives away.

SiriusB · 3 Nov 2009 at 01:00

Firefox does have one really dumb idea, all your saved passwords can be viewed in plain-text in the options menu.

You can prevent this by using a Master Password but Firefox doesn't seem to prompt you to use it at all. I am sure it used to... maybe I am too good at dismissing all the "Are you sure" dialogs when you run a browser after reinstalling.

As for updates I *think* Mozilla update their download binary whenever they release a patch as I am almost certain I have never had to update Firefox right after installing it.

Bossk128 · 3 Nov 2009 at 11:37

Dark_Angel said:
I dodn't use chrome. Google it (irony) for the amount of data it gives away.

I agree, Chrome isn't the be all and end all. It is derived from open source though, so check out SRWare's Iron.

P.S. I'm an Opera man at heart though!

Phil2008 · 5 Nov 2009 at 13:47

Installed AdBlockPlus a few days ago and was wondering whats the best subscription to use? at the moment Im using "Easy List (USA)". Also just how safe is AdBlockPlus, ie can ppl see what sites your looking at and get your bank, card details ect?

LizardKing · 5 Nov 2009 at 14:03

russ0r said:
This. Or Chrome. Both are more secure than either FF or IE8.

I'd like to see the respectable source you used to come to this conclusion please.

Greenlizard0 · 5 Nov 2009 at 14:20

I use Opera, always wondered about the security of different browsers.

Edit - wasn't there some website that tested this? I.e. it bombarded it with thousands of computer aids?

DampCat · 5 Nov 2009 at 14:52

Dark_Angel said:
I dodn't use chrome. Google it (irony) for the amount of data it gives away.

I've always wondered this. Shamefully i've written off Chrome without having tried it or even read up about it. As good a company as Google are, I just worry about what they're mining off it's browser users.

NathanE · 5 Nov 2009 at 15:37

IE8 whilst running on either Vista or Windows 7 is *technically* the most secure browser. A combination of things like Protected Mode, Windows Updates (which have better support in a business environment than Firefox's update mechanism) and the Phishing Filter see to that.

However, Firefox probably makes up the difference by having a smaller market share and is less targetted by malware authors. That's not to say plenty of vulnerabilities aren't found in Firefox. They are. But quite rarely do any malware authors bother to actually exploit them.