Internet Software

Web Browsers, Addons, Email & Security

Web Browsers | Plugins | Email Alternatives | Web Security Issues

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Web Browsers

Web browsers (or simply browsers) are probably the most-used software on computers today.

Browsers are primarily stand-alone programs that pull together content from multiple sources, including text, images and video. At one time most browsers were “suites” that included e-mail, chat, web design software and more. Today this is rare and most browsers use links to external programs to provide these functions.

Use a Current Web Browser

The web has become a serious security threat to users, particularly when using Internet Explorer. In addition to their own content, sites may bring information from multiple external sources and this increases vulnerability to drive-by infections and other risks.

Older browsers are unable to display modern websites as intended, are much more vulnerable to security risks and are holding back development of the web.

Choosing a Browser

Your choice in browsers matters. You don't have to use the one that came with your operating system (and there are many reasons not to). Have a look at What Browser? by Google — World, meet your browser.

Current Web Browsers

The following are current browsers (when updated to their most recent version):

Firefox is a fast, standards-compliant Web browser. Strongly recommended. Windows, Macintosh and Linux are currently supported in many native languages.
Safari Browser is the Mac OS default web browser and is also available for Windows as well as mobile devices. Safari supports the latest standards and features.
Google Chrome is a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier.
Opera is a slim yet full-featured browser that will run quickly on Windows, Macintosh and Linux as well as mobile devices.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 is available for Windows Vista or better — not available for Windows XP. (Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 is available for Windows XP SP2 or better.)
Lesser-known browsers can be downloaded from Russ Harvey's Web Browser listing although your average user should stick with the known browsers listed above.

Security Considerations

Users should not run IE as their primary browser because of significant security issues.

While documentation may indicate that you need to use Internet Explorer to configure wireless devices or other software, this is no longer true. Firefox and other browsers are fully capable of doing so without subjecting your computer to unnecessary risk.

Internet Explorer Requires Special Consideration

Internet Explorer is so tightly integrated into the Windows operating system that it cannot be evaluated like other browsers. The European Union forced Microsoft to separate Internet Explorer from Windows and to offer users a choice.

It is strongly recommended that users not only not use Internet Explorer as their primary browser, but to disable many of the features that make it “easy to use” (and for unscrupulous sites to abuse). For example, Internet Explorer is part of Windows' installer and can allow software to be quietly installed — without your permission or knowledge.

Disable .NET Framework Assistant in Firefox

Microsoft surreptitiously installed the .NET Framework Assistant addin to Mozilla Firefox using Windows Update. Websites can take advantage of this addin to quietly install software without the user's knowledge, making your computer more vulnerable to malware. If the Uninstall button is grayed out or unavailable, follow these instructions.

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Web Browser Extensions & Plugins

Extensions

Extensions are addons that add features to your browser that may or may not be related to existing software. Extensions often add features that have been removed to slim down browsers so that they run faster, but are still useful to some users.

An extension gives the end user control of what is added and sometimes options on how it operates.

Toolbars & Search Options

Toolbars can provide quick access to software and other features. However, they can also provide the vendors with your usage data and abuse your privacy.

Most browsers have some sort of capacity for choosing your search engine tools without visiting a site. Recent changes in Internet Explorer 8 has made Bing the default and made it difficult to switch to other search providers (unlike earlier versions). Because each search engine has its own strengths and weaknesses, the user should determine what works for them and shouldn't have to search out how to replace the default search tools.

Plugins

Plugins are software that is either designed as an addon to your browsing experience or a software attachment that allows an existing piece of software (like Adobe Reader) to work in a browser.

You can test most plugins on the site where you download them.

Adobe Reader is an addon that allows you to read PDF files regardless of the operating system that it was created on.
Apple Quicktime allows you to play most video and audio formats on the Windows and MacOS platforms only.
RealPlayer gives you real-time playback of every major media type, including QuickTime MPEG-4, Windows Media, DVDs and CDs. Premium content is available with a subscription.
Adobe Flash player. Test your Flash player installation.
Oracle Java Plug-in is included in Oracle Java. Test your Java installation. Obtain more information about Java.

Uninstall Shockwave

Adobe Shockwave player is no longer needed and you should uninstall it.

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Email Programs

Email has become a primary means of communication, allowing 24/7 access using texting and email on portable devices like cell phones and smart phones. However, unlike voice, email can allow for full communication at the user's convenience.

Use a Current Email Program

To avoid security concerns, use a current email program, updating the program as newer versions become available (and abandoning obsolete or unmaintained software):

Thunderbird is a powerful free stand-alone email program from Mozilla (the same group that produces Firefox). It works great with Gmail and other webmail providers, is configurable with extensions, has advanced mail-handling and spam-filtering capabilities.
PocoMail (email only) and Barca (email, calendar, planner, notes and more) were designed for safety and have powerful yet flexible search & filtering capability to keep you organized. Learn more….
Outlook comes with some versions of Microsoft Office and can be purchased separately. Beware of the "winmail.dat" issue when sending to non-Outlook addresses.
Wikipedia's Comparison of Email Clients gives a good overview of the broad range of email clients.
More about email clients and security on Russ Harvey's Email Software & Issues page.

Outlook Express Obsolete

Because Outlook Express is pre-installed in Windows XP many users continue to use it. Outlook Express is an obsolete legacy of Internet Explorer 6 for which Microsoft has ceased development and support.

Outlook Express Obsolete

Outlook Express is obsolete and no longer safe. Use something else.

No Native Email Program for Windows 7

Microsoft released Windows Mail with Vista but Windows 7 was shipped without built-in email software. Instead, their research into newer more secure email communications was used to update Windows Live.

Make Email Safer

In addition to the Web security issues noted later in this page you should change your usage practices to reflect these precautions:

Do not forward mail by attaching the original mail.
Protect privacy by removing unnecessary information from messages you forward.
Make sure you check attachments with your antivirus program.
Be wary of viewing messages online if your program automatically downloads external images. These are used by spamming robots to determine what accounts are active.

Precautions When Attaching Messages

Don't automatically forward messages by attaching the original message as attachments.

Instead, forward messages in-line (within the body of the message).
Forwarding messages as an attachment gets people in the habit of opening attachments, a practice that can be dangerous (especially when file extensions are hidden — the Microsoft default).
Some messages may not format correctly when forwarded (you might want to consider how necessary it is to forward such messages).
It isn't possible to edit attached messages either to add your comments or to remove extraneous content.
Some cases require you to forward messages as an attachment such as when you're having problems with spam. Your ISP will then want to see the entire message including headers. In this case attaching the original message is the easiest way to do that.

The practice of forwarding a message by attaching it to your outgoing message is partly used to avoid the untidy quote marks:

Your message.
> first generation quoted message.
>> second generation quoted message.
>>> third generation quoted message.

but this can mean opening multiple generations of nested attachments and you cannot edit these attachments. A small quoted section like the example used above would become three nested attachments forcing the recipient(s) of your message to read dozens of lines of text in each attached message to find the lines you're referring to.

Don't be lazy. Quote inline and edit to remove any unnecessary text (including the original message and email signatures).

Protect People's Privacy

You can protect privacy by removing unnecessary information from forwarded messages:

Be sure to remove any email addresses and other personal information about the sender from the message unless it is absolutely needed by the recipient.
We've all seen the messages with dozens of people's addresses that we don't know. Don't be a jerk and compromise the privacy of your friends and associates.
It also helps to remove extraneous material when replying to a message. If you're responding to one line in a long message, the rest of the quoted material simply gets in the way.

In addition, use BCC: when sending to more than one person to hide your recipients' addresses from each other. Learn more about correctly using To:, CC: & BCC: when addressing email messages.

Beware of External Images

It is a good idea to take your email program “off-line” to view messages or use an email program that doesn't automatically download external images (those not contained in the message itself).

It is common for spam messages to contain a very small (1 pixel x 1 pixel) uniquely-named image that needs to be downloaded from the sender's server.
The moment you open this type of message while on-line, you are telling the sender that your address is valid and that you actually opened the message.
Recent email programs often disable the downloading of images by default to protect you from this risk. (Pocomail — built from the ground up with your security in mind — was one of the first programs to do this.)

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Web Security Issues

Web security is not a new issue, but e-commerce is creating the necessity of improving security. There are some serious flaws in some browsers further aggravated by security holes in the Windows operating system.

Risks Higher with Older Browsers

Newer web browsers tend to have not only added features, but have fixed many of the vulnerabilities that plagued their earlier versions. As well, newer browsers are designed for the sorts of online activities we do today.

Newer standards are opening up the web to make it easier and more interactive. Sites forced to accommodate older browsers and their quirks are holding back the development of the web.

Beware of Microsoft Interoperatability

Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office applications and many other Microsoft programs make sharing of data much easier, subjecting your computer and data to greater risk than when using software from independent vendors. Outlook 2007 dropped the use of Internet Explorer for displaying enhanced (HTML) emails in favour of MS Word in an effort to reduce vulnerability to this security risk.

Download and Install Updates

Make sure you regularly check for program updates and install them. This is you first line of defense against known security weaknesses.

Windows users can minimize known potential security risks associated with Internet Explorer browsers by updating to current versions and by maintaining your Windows Updates, particularly the critical updates. Check for flaws in other browsers that you use as well.

Windows Update (Microsoft Update in newer Windows).
Office Update (for Microsoft Office 2000 or later).

Browser Security Information

Information is provided on known weaknesses of various Web browsers in use. Sometimes you need to dig to find this information, but the competition may point out the flaws for you.

Check the Mozilla Security Center for known issues.
Check Google Chrome and Browser Security for Google Chrome.
Check the Apple Product Security for Safari.
Check Security Advisories for Opera.
Check the Microsoft Safety and Security Center for news about flaws.

As Netscape is no longer being maintained, it is strongly recommended that anyone using any version of Netscape immediately move to another browser.

Check for Other Security Issues

Check the other Internet security issues noted on the Internet Security Issues page because they affect users. You'll also want to check this if you have a website or blog.

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