Browsers – Page 7 – Computer Security Articles

Microsoft delivers emergency security update for antiquated IE

September 24, 2019 admin Browsers, microsoft, Security, windows

Credit to Author: Gregg Keizer| Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2019 03:00:00 -0700

Microsoft on Monday released an emergency security update to patch a vulnerability in Internet Explorer (IE), the legacy browser predominantly used by commercial customers.

The flaw, which was reported to Microsoft by Clement Lecigne, a security engineer with Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG), has already been exploited by attackers, making it a classic “zero-day,” a vulnerability actively in use before a patch is in place.

In the security bulletin that accompanied the release of the IE patch, Microsoft labeled the bug a remote code vulnerability, meaning that a hacker could, by exploiting the bug, introduce malicious code into the browser. Remote code vulnerabilities, also called remote code execution, or RCE, flaws, are among the most serious. That seriousness, as well as the fact that criminals are already leveraging the vulnerability, was reflected in Microsoft’s decision to go “out of band,” or off the usual patching cycle, to plug the hole.

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MalwareBytes Security

Browser Guard combats privacy abuse, tracking, clickbait, and scammers

September 19, 2019 admin ad blocking, browser, browser guard, browser safety, browser security, Browsers, control, extension, faster load times, Malwarebytes, malwarebytes browser guard, Malwarebytes news, plugin, plugins, privacy, tracker, trackers

Credit to Author: Pieter Arntz| Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2019 18:27:51 +0000

The free Malwarebytes Browser Guard extension combats privacy abuse, user tracking, clickbait, unwanted advertisements, and tech support scammers while offering granular control and faster browsing.

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Malwarebytes news

Tags: ad blocking browser Browser guard browser safety browser security browsers control extension faster load times Malwarebytes Malwarebytes Browser Guard plugin plugins privacy tracker trackers

ComputerWorld Independent

Mozilla first reveals, then conceals, paid support plan for Firefox

September 17, 2019 admin Browsers, Security, software

Credit to Author: Gregg Keizer| Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2019 10:56:00 -0700

Mozilla earlier this month quietly outlined paid support for enterprise users of Firefox, but last week scrubbed the reference from its website, saying that it is “still exploring that option.”

The offering – labeled “Mozilla Enterprise Client Support” – was to start at $10 per “supported installation,” which likely referred to per-device, not per-user, pricing. It’s unclear whether that was an annual or monthly fee, and Mozilla declined to say which it was when asked.

In return for the fee, Mozilla said on the now-absent Firefox enterprise site – still visible through the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine – customers would be able to privately report bugs via a new web portal and receive fixes on a timeline dependent on the impact and urgency of the problem. Customers would also be able to file requests for help with Firefox’s installation and deployment, management policies, functionality and customization.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Mozilla previews Firefox VPN, will charge for service at some point

September 12, 2019 admin Browsers, Security

Credit to Author: Gregg Keizer| Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2019 13:09:00 -0700

Mozilla this week resurrected its Test Pilot preview program, offering Firefox users a free VPN-like service to encrypt browser-to-site-and-back transmissions over public networks.

“The Firefox Private Network is an extension which provides a secure, encrypted path to the web to protect your connection and your personal information anywhere and everywhere you use your Firefox browser,” wrote Marissa Wood, vice president of product, in a post to the Mozilla blog.

The free service is available immediately, but only to U.S.-based users running the desktop version of Firefox. A Firefox account – typically used for syncing copies of the browser on multiple devices – and an accompanying add-on are required.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Safari to ape Firefox, go all-in on anti-tracking

August 20, 2019 admin Browsers, Security, software

Credit to Author: Gregg Keizer| Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2019 11:53:00 -0700

The WebKit project – the open-source initiative that generates code for Apple’s Safari browser – quietly announced last week that it would follow in Mozilla’s footsteps and quash tracking technologies designed to follow users across the web.

In a short message on Aug. 14, the WebKit team pointed to its new Tracking Prevention Policy, a document that spells out its plans in detail, including what types of tracking it will create and how it will deal with any side effects.

“We have implemented or intend to implement technical protections in WebKit to prevent all tracking practices included in this policy,” the document read. “If we discover additional tracking techniques, we may expand this policy to include the new techniques and we may implement technical measures to prevent those techniques.”

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ComputerWorld Independent

Chrome, Firefox to expunge Extended Validation cert signals

August 15, 2019 admin Browsers, Security

Credit to Author: Gregg Keizer| Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2019 03:00:00 -0700

Google and Mozilla have decided to eliminate visual signals in their Chrome and Firefox desktop browsers of special digital certificates meant to assure users that they landed at a legitimate site, not a malicious copycat.

The certificates, dubbed “Extended Validation” (EV) certificates, were a subset of the usual certificates used to encrypt browser-to-server-and-back communications. Unlike run-of-the-mill certificates, EVs can be issued only by a select group of certificate authorities (CAs); to acquire one, a company must go through a complicated process that validates its legal identity as the site owner. They’re also more expensive.

The idea behind EVs was to give web users confidence that they were at their intended destination, that the site computerworld.com, for instance, was owned by its legal proprietor, IDG, and not a fishy – and phishy – URL run by It’s Crooks All the Way Down LLC and chockablock with malware. Browsers quickly took to the concept, rewarding EV-secured sites with in-your-face visual cues, notably the verified legal identity in front of the domain in the address bar. The identity was often shaded in green as an additional tip-off. (Chrome dismissed the green in September 2018 as of Chrome 69.)

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Kaspersky Security

How malware steals autofill data from browsers

August 7, 2019 admin Browsers, chrome, Edge, Firefox, Internet Explorer, passwords, stealers, Threats, trojans

Credit to Author: Sergey Golubev| Date: Wed, 07 Aug 2019 15:45:20 +0000

We explain how malware steals passwords and other valuable data stored in the browser — and how to protect yourself.

ComputerWorld Independent

Mozilla blames 'interlocking complex systems' and confusion for Firefox's May add-on outage

July 26, 2019 admin Browsers, Security, software

Credit to Author: Gregg Keizer| Date: Fri, 26 Jul 2019 03:00:00 -0700

Mozilla has issued multiple after-action reports analyzing the major mix-up in May that crippled most Firefox add-ons. The reports also made recommendations for preventing similar incidents in the future.

The fiasco started just after 8 p.m. ET on Friday, May 3, when a certificate used to digitally sign Firefox extensions expired. Because Mozilla had neglected to renew the certificate, Firefox assumed add-ons could not be trusted – that they were potentially malicious – and disabled any already installed. Add-ons could not be added to the browser for the same reason.

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