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Browsers And Security

Google to help rid PCs of trojan that will prevent web access

Dan Kaplan May 23, 2012

With a July 9 deadline looming for machines infected with the DNSChanger trojan to still be able to access the internet, Google is lending a helping hand to inform users of compromise.

Firefox and Opera unveil new security, privacy features

Dan Kaplan April 26, 2012

Firefox's update includes a new auto-update capability, while Opera's new release contains functionality to prevent the tracking of online users by websites.

Mozilla greenlights encrypted Google search by default

Dan Kaplan March 21, 2012

Mozilla, which controls roughly a quarter of the browser market, plans to turn on encrypted Google search by default for Firefox users, according to release notes.

Safari update plugs scores of holes

Dan Kaplan March 13, 2012

Apple late Monday released a new version of its Safari browser to patch a record number of vulnerabilities, many of which could lead to code execution if a user visits a malicious website.

New Chrome version contains malware download security

Dan Kaplan February 09, 2012

Google has issued an official update to its Chrome browser to fill 20 security holes, one of which is deemed "critical" and eight of which are considered "high" in severity.

Chrome adds malware download warning functionality

Dan Kaplan January 09, 2012

A new beta version of the Google Chrome browser contains malware download protection.

At 10 years old, Internet Explorer 6 is almost an artifact

Dan Kaplan January 04, 2012

Internet Explorer 6 (IE 6) usage has dropped below one percent in the United States, Microsoft announced Tuesday. Security is a big reason being used to encourage users to update.

Mozilla fixes crash issue after new Firefox version issued

Angela Moscaritolo December 22, 2011

One day after releasing version 9 of its Firefox web browser, Mozilla on Wednesday issued Firefox 9.0.1 to address an issue that caused Windows, Mac and Linux users' browsers to crash.

Microsoft to begin silently updating IE in 2012

Angela Moscaritolo December 15, 2011

Borrowing a page from other web browser manufacturers, Microsoft soon will automatically upgrade Windows customers to the latest version of IE.

Google releases Chrome update to fix high-risk security bug

Angela Moscaritolo November 17, 2011

Google on Wednesday released Chrome 15.0.874.121 to address a high-severity vulnerability affecting the V8 JavaScript engine that could allow for the execution of arbitrary code.

Firefox updates for security, user add-on control

Dan Kaplan November 09, 2011

Mozilla joined Microsoft and Adobe with security software updates on Tuesday.

Google closes 18 Chrome holes

Dan Kaplan October 25, 2011

Google on Tuesday pushed out a new version of its Chrome web browser to rectify 18 vulnerablities, including 11 that are deemed "high" in severity. Version 15, part of the "stable" channel of Chrome, also includes protection against Browser Exploit Against SSL/TLS (BEAST), a JavaScript hacking tool disclosed last month at a security conference in Argentina that can decrypt HTTPS requests and encrypted cookies. Microsoft has since issued an advisory that acknowledges the issue, along with a Fix-It solution. Meanwhile, researchers who disclosed the flaws in Chrome received more than $26,000 combined for their finds as part of Google's bug bounty program.

Bug may enable remote code execution in Chrome

Angela Moscaritolo October 24, 2011

Google Chrome suffers from a security flaw that could allow an attacker to silently execute remote code on a target machine, but the tech giant doesn't view the issue as much of a threat.

Internet Explorer fixes get top billing in Microsoft update

Dan Kaplan October 11, 2011

Microsoft on Tuesday released eight fixes to address 23 vulnerabilities that lie across its software and operating system components.

Mozilla releases Firefox 7.0.1 to fix add-on issue

Angela Moscaritolo September 30, 2011

Mozilla released an update for its Firefox browser to address what it called a "rare" bug that caused add-ons to be hidden for some users after upgrading to version 7.

Mozilla's newest release closes 10 memory bugs

Dan Kaplan August 17, 2011

Mozilla on Tuesday released version 6 of its Firefox web browser, in the process closing 10 vulnerabilities. "Some of these bugs showed evidence of memory corruption under certain circumstances, and we presume that with enough effort, at least some of these could be exploited to run arbitrary code," according to a security advisory. Mozilla also upgraded its Thunderbird email and news client and SeaMonkey internet suite.

Web browsers offer more protection than you may think

Sam Alapati, senior technical director, Miro Consulting August 02, 2011

Browser security has come a long way in recent years, and utilizing certain features can help stave off attacks. Our author calls out three browsers he thinks stands above the rest in protecting you against threats and safeguarding your privacy.

Massive Safari update fixes dozens of security flaws

Angela Moscaritolo July 22, 2011

Along with the release of its latest platform, OS X Lion, Apple this week issued a new version of its Safari web browser, closing dozens of security flaws.

One of two responsible for AT&T iPad breach pleads guilty

Dan Kaplan June 23, 2011

A San Francisco man who was charged with exploiting a flaw on the AT&T website to obtain personal information about Apple iPad subscribers has pleaded guilty, prosecutors said Thursday.

Mozilla releases Firefox 5, ends support for version 4

Angela Moscaritolo June 22, 2011

The latest version of Mozilla's Firefox web browser, version 5, was released on Tuesday with fixes for a number of vulnerabilities that could allow an attacker to crash a victim's browser, run arbitrary code on their computer, steal data or perform cross-site scripting attacks. Mozilla also fixed several security vulnerabilities in Firefox 3.6 this week, but ended support for Firefox 4, which was released just three months ago and received its only update, Firefox 4.0.1, in April. Users of Firefox 4 are being advised to upgrade to Firefox 5.

Exploits begin for patched Internet Explorer bug

Dan Kaplan June 17, 2011

Attackers are now actively exploiting one of the 11 Internet Explorer (IE) vulnerabilities patched Tuesday by Microsoft, a Symantec researcher said Friday

Microsoft's 16 patches include one for "cookiejacking"

Dan Kaplan June 09, 2011

Microsoft is prepping a large security update for Tuesday, with plans to deliver 16 patches to fix 34 vulnerabilities across its product line.

Apple delivers updates related to Comodo, Pwn2Own

Greg Masters April 15, 2011

Apple released a number of security updates for Mac OS X, Safari and iOS.

Microsoft distributes 17 patches for 64 flaws

Dan Kaplan April 12, 2011

The software giant ranks fixes for Internet Explorer, SMB as the month's most pressing.

Exploits underway for IE flaw, to be patched today

Dan Kaplan April 12, 2011

Attackers are exploiting an Internet Explorer flaw ahead of a planned Tuesday fix for the vulnerability, according to the Microsoft Security Response Center. "We're looking into limited, targeted attacks on a known Internet Explorer issue we're addressing in tomorrow's bulletins," read a Monday tweet. Microsoft is readying 17 patches to address 64 vulnerabilities in its April security update, including publicly known issues in in the MHTML (MIME Encapsulation of Aggregate HTML) protocol handler and Windows Server Message Block.

New Google Chrome version notifies of unpatched plug-ins

Dan Kaplan April 01, 2011

Google's latest version of Chrome warns users if they are attempting to run a plug-in that is out of date.

Firefox 4 includes new feature for thwarting web attacks

Angela Moscaritolo March 23, 2011

The latest version of Mozilla's Firefox web browser, version 4, was released this week with a number of new security features, including a mechanism for preventing web-based attacks.

Microsoft, Google warn of limited MHTML exploits

Angela Moscaritolo March 14, 2011

Cybercriminals are launching "limited, targeted attacks" against an unpatched scripting vulnerability that affects all supported versions of Windows, Microsoft has warned.