Q&A: Browsers

In one of my previous blog entry, I mentioned that one of the possible reasons why a computer can be infected is through Internet Explorer. I received a text message from a colleague and asked me if the next iteration of Internet Explorer (version 7) will be more secure that the current version (version 6.xx). He also asked why I recommend and prefer Mozilla Firefox over Internet Explorer.

My short answer: I sure hope so. ;)

Here's my detailed answer: One of the reasons why a lot of malware uses Internet Explorer as its point of entry to a Windows machine is its very tight integration with the Operating System itself making it virtually impossible to remove from a system. A lot of IE's components are required by Windows in order for it to perform the way it is designed. Its own file manager (Fileman.exe in previous Windows versions) uses routine from Internet Explorer.

Another reason why IE became a virtual backdoor to a windows machine is it was designed to automatically run scripts and ActiveX controls. This feature of IE allows website to become more interactive and useful for a lot of people but to allow a website to run scripts on your machine is a really dangerous thing since it gives those websites control over the way your computer behaves. This has spawned a lot of websites that automatically download and install rogue scripts and ActiveX controls which allows unscrupulous individuals to do unexpected things such as eavesdrop on all network traffic, download information from computers, run programs and even control those machines remotely. A simple example of this is how easy it is for a malicious website to take control of Internet Explorer by popping up browser windows almost endlessly.

I recommend using Firefox instead of Internet Explorer for a lot of reasons. Firefox is an Open Source program. This means Firefox and its source codes are freely available for download. The openness of Firefox allows a lot of users and developers to look at the inner workings of the program, allowing them to identify possible security threats. Since Firefox's license allows other programmers to revise the program (as long as they share these changes to everyone), fixes to possible problems in the program are easily fixed and such fixes are always made available to other users. Firefox is also designed *not* to automatically run scripts and it does not even recognize ActiveX controls, thus it is virtually immune from any security exploits that plagues Internet Explorer.

Another reason why I like Firefox a lot is a lot of extensions are available for it. This is a direct effect of it being an Open Source project. These extensions gives Firefox more functionality not found on Internet Explorer. My favorite Firefox Extensions are:

Sage: Allows Firefox to become an RSS/Atom reader.
StumbleUpon: This extension allows me to discover interesting websites based on my interests.
Gmail Notifier: Alerts me whenever a new mail comes in to my Gmail account.
Blogthis: Makes adding blog entries much faster and easier.

These extensions can be downloaded freely at the Firefox Extensions website.