| reply to tcp1
Re: Thank You.... Sure there are no 100% secure solutions that don't involve turning your computer off and leaving it that way or pulling the plug to the internet and stop installing or using other software than what you already have on your computer...
BUT that doesn't mean that switching to more secure software won't help - It will .. A LOT.
While switching to an alternative browser (It doesn't have to be Firefox, just because many people prefer that, it doesn't necessarily mean you will) won't end all malware it will make your internet use WAY more safe.
My cousin and brother are part of the %p group .. the naive and clueless (at least when it comes to computers) and I have had to clean their PCs of hundreds of malware programs.
.. That is until I one year ago installed Firefox on both their computers.
My cousin took to it immediately liking it from the start .. my brother was more stubborn and believed that I couldn't possibly know better than a huge international company like Microsoft - If there really was something better , then everybody would be using it, and since "everybody" was using IE then I had to be wrong.
Still after using it for about a month he came to love using Firefox.
And my life wasn't invaded anymore by family members crying to me, that their PCs was doing weird things they didn't tell it to do and that it was generally extremely slow.
They haven't had a single piece of malware since that time one year ago.
Now sure if they had not been %p's I wouldn't have had to do anything , but not everybody are computer wiz's and even if they were using more secure software would be a barrier for malware to workaround.
Other browsers don't support ActiveX so they are 100% to all the many ActiveX exploits.
And they are also less likely to be attacked because they are underdogs and malware programmers do not target them .. as you point out this won't keep them safe for all time if they gain popularity , but even then then market would be more diverse consisting of not just one major browser but more .. and whatever malware specifically target one browser won't harm the rest .. there is strength in numbers .. even when you're hiding in the minority.
But the biggest reason that browsers that are not IE are more secure is that they are constantly being developed on.
IE is dead in the water .. it's not being actively developed on.
That is why the need for CWShredder and programs like it exist, because microsoft is not doing enough to provide a safe computer-experience for users of their software.
Meanwhile malware programmers are ever busy ..
Use browsers whose developers are busy preventing the success of the malware programmers !
Don't choose a browser whose development team have fallen asleep on the job or have been assigned to other projects.
I can only so well understand why Merijn Bellekom is calling it quits .. it's hard standing up to malware as an individual programmer , especially when the company that should be helping, isn't.
Its wrong saying the saying that switching your browser away from IE is a cure-all solution , but it's equally wrong to give the impression that it wont matter ..
I recommend that people try out an alternative browser like Firefox , Opera , Safari , Shiira , K-Meleon , Camino , etc .. just for a month or two .. If you don't like it you can always change back. |
