Mozilla Collusion
Let us shift gears slightly and discuss where you are at, where you are going, where you think you are...
Collusion is a wonderful little add-on for your browser, available for FireFox and Chrome. It give you a visual display of what sites interact with each other. So you go to mail.yahoo.com and you think you are only sharing data with Yahoo. Think again.
While Collusion in FireFox will only show you where you are going. Collusion in Chrome will also block access to known tracking sites.
See the Ted Talk describing Collusion.
Use Collusion to get a better idea of where your information is going. Learn to control your data and opt-out of the tracking services that you can legitimately opt-out of. Learn to prevent the tracking and data sharing that you cannot opt-out of.
Another fine tracking blocker is Ghostery
Ghostery currently blocks over 1550 elements, with new elements being added frequently.
Mozilla Collusion
08 July 2013
07 July 2013
NetCraft Anti-Phishing Extension
NetCraft Anti-Phishing Extension
Used to be called a Toolbar. Used to be for IE and FireFox.
Netcraft has licensed the functionality of the Anti-Phishing Extension to Microsoft and Opera. IE and Opera browsers now have this protective software built-in to their code and do not present the user with a separate toolbar on the browser window.
The extension is now available for FireFox and Chrome.
Why should you care.
A.) The extension, in FireFox and Chrome, gives you an optional toolbar to be displayed which gives the user additional information about the website they are visiting. Host country and ISP, site uptime, and rank. While potentially uninteresting to some folks. With a little knowledge it can help spot bad sites. Why would your local pub host their website in China? Why would Microsoft's website have a date of yesterday? Either might point to the fact that the site has been spoofed and you are not really talking to who you think you are talking.
B.) The extension will give alerts when access to a known malicious site is attempted. The user will be presented with a warning and will have the option to proceed.
This is the only "toolbar" that i have ever recommended to anyone to run. Normally toolbars are a waste of time and resources to the user. Most ultimately prove to be more of a risk to the user than of any real value.
If you are running Firefox or Chrome download the extension and give it a go.
Google Chrome does also include its own anti-malware functionality based on Google's website intelligence. Firefox also claims to include its own anti-malware features. Let me remind the good reader of defense in depth, don't rely solely on a single protection mechanism.
NetCraft Anti-Phishing Extension
Used to be called a Toolbar. Used to be for IE and FireFox.
Netcraft has licensed the functionality of the Anti-Phishing Extension to Microsoft and Opera. IE and Opera browsers now have this protective software built-in to their code and do not present the user with a separate toolbar on the browser window.
The extension is now available for FireFox and Chrome.
Why should you care.
A.) The extension, in FireFox and Chrome, gives you an optional toolbar to be displayed which gives the user additional information about the website they are visiting. Host country and ISP, site uptime, and rank. While potentially uninteresting to some folks. With a little knowledge it can help spot bad sites. Why would your local pub host their website in China? Why would Microsoft's website have a date of yesterday? Either might point to the fact that the site has been spoofed and you are not really talking to who you think you are talking.
B.) The extension will give alerts when access to a known malicious site is attempted. The user will be presented with a warning and will have the option to proceed.
This is the only "toolbar" that i have ever recommended to anyone to run. Normally toolbars are a waste of time and resources to the user. Most ultimately prove to be more of a risk to the user than of any real value.
If you are running Firefox or Chrome download the extension and give it a go.
Google Chrome does also include its own anti-malware functionality based on Google's website intelligence. Firefox also claims to include its own anti-malware features. Let me remind the good reader of defense in depth, don't rely solely on a single protection mechanism.
NetCraft Anti-Phishing Extension
06 July 2013
Other Browsers
Yeah, I'm harping on the browser. They are one of the primary gateways into your system for malware. They should be comfortable and familiar to the user. The better you know your browser of choice the better your online experience will be. And hopefully more secure.
There are 4 main browser engines.
Trident - IE
Blink - Chrome
Gecko - Firefox
WebKit - Safari
Many of these I have not personally tried. Just letting you know they are out there.
Opera - Based on the Presto engine, decent selection of extensions
Safari -
Multi-Engine browsers rather than worry about website compatibility try out a few of these
Maxthon - Trident and Webkit
Lunascape - Trident, Gecko, Webkit
Avant - Trident, Gecko, Webkit
Sleipnir - Trident and Webkit, can use chrome extensions
Other browsers
ThreeTeeth - Trident based
Green - Trident based
Pale Moon - Gecko based
K-Meleon - Gecko based
There are 4 main browser engines.
Trident - IE
Blink - Chrome
Gecko - Firefox
WebKit - Safari
Many of these I have not personally tried. Just letting you know they are out there.
Opera - Based on the Presto engine, decent selection of extensions
Safari -
Multi-Engine browsers rather than worry about website compatibility try out a few of these
Maxthon - Trident and Webkit
Lunascape - Trident, Gecko, Webkit
Avant - Trident, Gecko, Webkit
Sleipnir - Trident and Webkit, can use chrome extensions
Other browsers
ThreeTeeth - Trident based
Green - Trident based
Pale Moon - Gecko based
K-Meleon - Gecko based
05 July 2013
Google Chrome / Chromium
Google Chrome / Chromium Portable
Chrome has made a strong showing. While initially fast it can also become a resource hog. Partially driven by the popularity of Android and the synchronization options in Google services. Some reports have Chrome at a 45% market share of all browsers.
Chrome also shares the two main values as Firefox over IE, flexibility and a large selection of extensions.
Flexibility
Chrome is a casual browser that I use and I have not yet personally looked at any of the 'about:' menu options.
Extensions
For me Chrome does not have comparable versions of all the extensions that I like and use in Firefox. One of the reasons Firefox continue to be my primary browser as mentioned in the previous post. However Chrome does have a version or comparable version of extensions for all your primary security and privacy extensions.
ScriptNo
AdBlock
Netcraft AntiPhishing
Ghostery
Collusion
If you do not like the heavy hand of big brother Google, you can alternately run Chromium, or like I do Chromium Portable.
Chromium is the original open-source project on which Google Chrome is based. It has all the same base browser functionality but does not have all the integrated Google services.
If you are familiar with "portable apps" there is also a custom Chromium Portable available for use. I personally prefer the portable apps when I can find them. The concept behind portable apps is that they are "self-contained" and do not use the typical Windows installer and does not write to the registry. This allows for the application to be stored on a usb drive and easily used on more than one system. For example if you travel and want to carry your favorite apps without losing your preferred settings etc. Or simply if you do not want to clutter your Windows OS with a ton of installation data. I highly recommend giving Chromium Portable a spin around the block.
Alternately if you are looking for that Chrome feel with pre-built security in mind check out the custom version from Comodo, Comodo Dragon
Google Chrome / Chromium Portable
Chrome has made a strong showing. While initially fast it can also become a resource hog. Partially driven by the popularity of Android and the synchronization options in Google services. Some reports have Chrome at a 45% market share of all browsers.
Chrome also shares the two main values as Firefox over IE, flexibility and a large selection of extensions.
Flexibility
Chrome is a casual browser that I use and I have not yet personally looked at any of the 'about:' menu options.
Extensions
For me Chrome does not have comparable versions of all the extensions that I like and use in Firefox. One of the reasons Firefox continue to be my primary browser as mentioned in the previous post. However Chrome does have a version or comparable version of extensions for all your primary security and privacy extensions.
ScriptNo
AdBlock
Netcraft AntiPhishing
Ghostery
Collusion
If you do not like the heavy hand of big brother Google, you can alternately run Chromium, or like I do Chromium Portable.
Chromium is the original open-source project on which Google Chrome is based. It has all the same base browser functionality but does not have all the integrated Google services.
If you are familiar with "portable apps" there is also a custom Chromium Portable available for use. I personally prefer the portable apps when I can find them. The concept behind portable apps is that they are "self-contained" and do not use the typical Windows installer and does not write to the registry. This allows for the application to be stored on a usb drive and easily used on more than one system. For example if you travel and want to carry your favorite apps without losing your preferred settings etc. Or simply if you do not want to clutter your Windows OS with a ton of installation data. I highly recommend giving Chromium Portable a spin around the block.
Alternately if you are looking for that Chrome feel with pre-built security in mind check out the custom version from Comodo, Comodo Dragon
Google Chrome / Chromium Portable
04 July 2013
Mozilla Firefox
Mozilla Firefox
While Firefox has lost a lot of its luster for me it is still my primary browser. I have been using Firefox since the early 0.x days when it was still called Phoenix. The original lore and draw was that it was based on open standards, was lite weight, and very fast. Since then and partially due to the general change in web technologies and their implementation Firefox has joined the ranks of bloated, slow, hoggish browsers. I've been looking something better but today it seems to be an issue of which is the least bad rather than which is the best.
Firefox has two exceptional values, flexibility and a vast selection of extensions.
Flexibility
While I have not personally delved to far into the flexibility arena, I do occasionally utilize customizations via the 'about:' menus. Mozilla 'about:' is an entire set of subjects unto itself and will not be covered her. Just know that it exists and query it in your favorite search engine. You might find some options you like.
Extensions
Much like the do not track lists available in IE, there are many privacy extensions for Firefox from cookie management to script restriction, to do not track, to data obfuscation.
Some of my favorites include
NoScript
AdBlock
Netcraft AntiPhishing
Ghostery
Collusion
Alternately if you are looking for that Firefox feel with pre-built security in mind check out the custom version from Comodo, Comodo IceDragon
Mozilla Firefox
While Firefox has lost a lot of its luster for me it is still my primary browser. I have been using Firefox since the early 0.x days when it was still called Phoenix. The original lore and draw was that it was based on open standards, was lite weight, and very fast. Since then and partially due to the general change in web technologies and their implementation Firefox has joined the ranks of bloated, slow, hoggish browsers. I've been looking something better but today it seems to be an issue of which is the least bad rather than which is the best.
Firefox has two exceptional values, flexibility and a vast selection of extensions.
Flexibility
While I have not personally delved to far into the flexibility arena, I do occasionally utilize customizations via the 'about:' menus. Mozilla 'about:' is an entire set of subjects unto itself and will not be covered her. Just know that it exists and query it in your favorite search engine. You might find some options you like.
Extensions
Much like the do not track lists available in IE, there are many privacy extensions for Firefox from cookie management to script restriction, to do not track, to data obfuscation.
Some of my favorites include
NoScript
AdBlock
Netcraft AntiPhishing
Ghostery
Collusion
Alternately if you are looking for that Firefox feel with pre-built security in mind check out the custom version from Comodo, Comodo IceDragon
Mozilla Firefox
IE
Okay this one is a break from the focused objective.
Ideally I will only discuss tools that are free and replace the usually inferior native tools in Windows. Sure, sure, I already mentioned Microsoft Security Essentials, but that is not technically native, it is a separate download.
But it is time to talk about Browsers, and honestly I have to include IE in the discussion. Despite its reputation IE has come a long way and the last couple of versions have actually been climbing the secure browser rankings. The biggest single flaw in IE is still ActiveX.
While IE is not my personal browser of choice there are some services that just run better on it. This is and will hopefully continue to change with the broader adoption of HTML5.
As the OS gets more secure and as more OSes gain larger market share and as more services turn to web based models more attacks are targeting the browsers. The average user probably does more on their device from a browser than any other application. Thus browser security is paramount.
While IE is lacking in the add-on department there are some options to consider.
Tracking Protection - Currently there are 11 options from 7 different companies. Review which one fits your needs best and start regaining some of your privacy.
InPrivate Browsing - This effectively disables local logging of internet activity. Keep in mind any other logs by your ISP, the remote web server, search engine, etc. are still collected and stored remotely. If you want to flush your cache after a session start by using InPrivate Browsing.
ActiveX Filtering - Enable this one. Read up on some of the additional options for ActiveX under Internet Options. The extra prompts may save you from some malware.
Smart Screen Filter - This one is manual and has to be initiated by the user (you) for each page you want to check. Play around with it. Run it on sites you have not visited before.
Here is another blog with a round up of security settings for the big 3 browsers.
Remember a browser is just another tool. It is how you use it that makes it safe or unsafe.
These things are designed to work out of the box, and most people never scratch the surface of their browser options.
Ideally I will only discuss tools that are free and replace the usually inferior native tools in Windows. Sure, sure, I already mentioned Microsoft Security Essentials, but that is not technically native, it is a separate download.
But it is time to talk about Browsers, and honestly I have to include IE in the discussion. Despite its reputation IE has come a long way and the last couple of versions have actually been climbing the secure browser rankings. The biggest single flaw in IE is still ActiveX.
While IE is not my personal browser of choice there are some services that just run better on it. This is and will hopefully continue to change with the broader adoption of HTML5.
As the OS gets more secure and as more OSes gain larger market share and as more services turn to web based models more attacks are targeting the browsers. The average user probably does more on their device from a browser than any other application. Thus browser security is paramount.
While IE is lacking in the add-on department there are some options to consider.
Tracking Protection - Currently there are 11 options from 7 different companies. Review which one fits your needs best and start regaining some of your privacy.
InPrivate Browsing - This effectively disables local logging of internet activity. Keep in mind any other logs by your ISP, the remote web server, search engine, etc. are still collected and stored remotely. If you want to flush your cache after a session start by using InPrivate Browsing.
ActiveX Filtering - Enable this one. Read up on some of the additional options for ActiveX under Internet Options. The extra prompts may save you from some malware.
Smart Screen Filter - This one is manual and has to be initiated by the user (you) for each page you want to check. Play around with it. Run it on sites you have not visited before.
Here is another blog with a round up of security settings for the big 3 browsers.
Remember a browser is just another tool. It is how you use it that makes it safe or unsafe.
These things are designed to work out of the box, and most people never scratch the surface of their browser options.
03 July 2013
Anti-Malware
Anti-Malware, yeah it sucks, yeah it is easily evaded, yeah it is needed.
Say what you want about anti-malware but it is a component of defense in depth, and it does help the average user. The question is less about should you run anti-malware and more about which one.
I'm going to high light 3 applications however there are many more out there.
Microsoft Security Essentials
Microsoft actually surprised me with Security Essentials when it was released. It does not have the most options but at the same time that is not all bad for the average user. I have been running Security Essentials for about 3 years and it has served me well. I am also a wee bit paranoid about what I download and use several browser plugins. Security Essentials is pretty much on or off.
Sourcefire Immunet
Admittedly I have not used Immunet for a substantial and dedicated period of time. However I do like the company and it is based on the open-source ClamAV. While Immunet is specific to Windows, ClamAV can run on most any OS. For those folks that run multiple OSes this might give you more of a common feel across your devices. Immunet is also fairly simplistic in the options available, though I would say it is a bit more flexible than Security Essentials. Instead of a single on/off switch, Immunet has an on/off for various sub-components of its features.
AVG
AVG used to be the king of free anti-malware. While I liked AVG it was a bit noisy and became annoying with all the various pop-ups. AVG does offer the the most flexibility and configuration options. It is typically favored by the more experienced users.
Just a small sampling of options. Find one that you like and make it work for you.
Say what you want about anti-malware but it is a component of defense in depth, and it does help the average user. The question is less about should you run anti-malware and more about which one.
I'm going to high light 3 applications however there are many more out there.
Microsoft Security Essentials
Microsoft actually surprised me with Security Essentials when it was released. It does not have the most options but at the same time that is not all bad for the average user. I have been running Security Essentials for about 3 years and it has served me well. I am also a wee bit paranoid about what I download and use several browser plugins. Security Essentials is pretty much on or off.
- It does not appear to use too much for resources.
- It also has a setting for max allowed CPU utilization.
- It has the usual custom and scheduled scan options.
- It has the option to right-click and scan an individual file.
- It ties in nicely with the Windows Security Center / Action Center.
Sourcefire Immunet
Admittedly I have not used Immunet for a substantial and dedicated period of time. However I do like the company and it is based on the open-source ClamAV. While Immunet is specific to Windows, ClamAV can run on most any OS. For those folks that run multiple OSes this might give you more of a common feel across your devices. Immunet is also fairly simplistic in the options available, though I would say it is a bit more flexible than Security Essentials. Instead of a single on/off switch, Immunet has an on/off for various sub-components of its features.
AVG
AVG used to be the king of free anti-malware. While I liked AVG it was a bit noisy and became annoying with all the various pop-ups. AVG does offer the the most flexibility and configuration options. It is typically favored by the more experienced users.
Just a small sampling of options. Find one that you like and make it work for you.
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