apowerr Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 ConsumerReports on Internet Security Computer World Article August 4, 2008 (Computerworld) Mac users should scrap Apple Inc.'s Safari and replace it with a browser that offers antiphishing protection, such as Mozilla Corp.'s Firefox or Opera Software ASA's Opera, Consumer Reports said today as it unveiled its annual Internet security survey. Although Americans reported fewer spyware attacks and malware infections in the last year than in the past, phishing attacks remain a serious concern, said the magazine, which polled more than 2,000 U.S. households with Internet access. About 6.5 million consumers, or one in every 13 online households, gave identity thieves personal information at some point in the last two years, said Jeff Fox, technology editor at the publication. And 14% of those people actually lost money through the scams, which often rely on legitimate-looking Web sites that try to trick users into divulging bank account numbers, addresses and passwords. Mac users are just as likely to fall for the fake sites as people running Windows, Fox said. "There is no significant difference" between the two groups -- Mac and Windows users -- regarding the likelihood of giving away information, he said. "Mac users are indistinguishable from Windows users here." But users going online with Safari are leaving themselves at risk because the browser doesn't include tools to warn when a site is, or might be, dangerous. "The browser of choice for most Mac users, Apple's Safari, has no phishing protection," said Consumer Reports. Until Apple adds antiphishing tools, the publication recommended that Mac users steer clear of Safari, and suggested that they instead run the latest version of Firefox or Opera. Both Firefox 3.0 and Opera 9.5 warn users when they're about to visit a known phishing or malware-spreading site, and block access to those sites. Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer, which already boasts an antiphishing filter, will get an anti-malware tool in IE8, which is currently in beta testing. This isn't the first time that Apple has come under fire for Safari's omission. In April, PayPal, eBay Inc.'s payment service, said it would bar browsers that lacked antiphishing features. Later, however, PayPal backtracked, saying that it would not block the current 3.x version of Safari. "The Mac [phishing statistics] were pretty interesting," said Fox, who named it as one of the current survey's biggest surprises. "Mac users think that they don't need to worry about viruses and spyware," he said. "But e-mail is the weak vector on the Mac." Yet another reason to use Firefox. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/120253-consumerreports-recommends-windows-and-mac-users-alike-to-drop-safari/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headrush69 Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 Or they could have recommended getting 1Password for OS X. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/120253-consumerreports-recommends-windows-and-mac-users-alike-to-drop-safari/#findComment-850851 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 Okay, I can drop Safari on Windows, no problem, Firefox works. On OS X, its a different story. I cant STAND Firefox on OS X, and no other browser can match its speed an ease of use, imho. I will always be a Safari user on OS X. Also, Safari 3 was originally planned to have anti-phishing support.. and it did in a few early build of Leopard, but Apple later removed the feature for some unknown reason... Here's a screenshot of one of the Safari 3 betas... and a close up of the Phishing bar.. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/120253-consumerreports-recommends-windows-and-mac-users-alike-to-drop-safari/#findComment-850870 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBrown Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 Yet another reason to use Firefox. Agreed and Firefox plus the noscript addon: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/se...ipt&cat=all Make for a excellent combination, from a security and protection point of view whether you use Firefox in Linux, Windows XP, or Mac OSX. By the way, Firefox is said to still not be totally compatible with Windows Vista so I would not use it in Vista. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/120253-consumerreports-recommends-windows-and-mac-users-alike-to-drop-safari/#findComment-850875 Share on other sites More sharing options...
vbetts Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 I can understand dropping Safari on Windows...But Mac? But Firefox ftw. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/120253-consumerreports-recommends-windows-and-mac-users-alike-to-drop-safari/#findComment-850916 Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColdStart Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 Well I absolutely adore WebKit and its epic betaness. I saw the security flaws quite active on Windows... but on Macs... I'd hardly drop Apple's mostly fine piece of work in the trash. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/120253-consumerreports-recommends-windows-and-mac-users-alike-to-drop-safari/#findComment-850967 Share on other sites More sharing options...
alamoa Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 Firefox+foxmarks+bettergmail 2 speed and security Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/120253-consumerreports-recommends-windows-and-mac-users-alike-to-drop-safari/#findComment-851043 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigPimpin Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 It's a reason for IDIOTS to stop using Safari, not a reason for EVERYONE to stop using it. Anyone who falls for a phishing scam deserves to get burned. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/120253-consumerreports-recommends-windows-and-mac-users-alike-to-drop-safari/#findComment-851051 Share on other sites More sharing options...
apowerr Posted August 10, 2008 Author Share Posted August 10, 2008 It's a reason for IDIOTS to stop using Safari, not a reason for EVERYONE to stop using it. Anyone who falls for a phishing scam deserves to get burned. Just because you own a computer doesn't mean you know how to use it. An email comes and links you to a site that looks just like paypal or ebay, how're regular users supposed to tell this site apart from the real thing? Anti-phising features in mail clients and web browsers are a must have, just because members of this forum know better doesn't mean everyone else does. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/120253-consumerreports-recommends-windows-and-mac-users-alike-to-drop-safari/#findComment-851994 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urbz Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 Just because you own a computer doesn't mean you know how to use it. An email comes and links you to a site that looks just like paypal or ebay, how're regular users supposed to tell this site apart from the real thing? Anti-phising features in mail clients and web browsers are a must have, just because members of this forum know better doesn't mean everyone else does. I agree. That said, I'm not switching to Firefox anytime soon... Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/120253-consumerreports-recommends-windows-and-mac-users-alike-to-drop-safari/#findComment-852138 Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLiDE FTW!!1 Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 I'm starting to use FF3 more often, Safari beachballs ALOT on my mac. Very annoying. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/120253-consumerreports-recommends-windows-and-mac-users-alike-to-drop-safari/#findComment-852142 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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