Internet Explorer beat all other browsers hands down when it cames to preventing socially engineered malware, according to NSS Labs latest report.
Socially engineered malware is a form of malware that tricks users into installing it from the social sites.
Thanks to Internet Explorer 9’s SmartScreen URL filtering the browser prevents 92% of it; and up to 100% when you include “Application Reputation” to filter untrustworthy exe’s.
IE 8 also does well blocking 80% of all socially engineered malware.
Other browsers look just pitiful in comparison: Safari 5, Chrome 10 and Firefox 4 (the latest browsers at the start of Q2 2011) managed to block just 13% of the malware, with Opera 11 performing even worse and filtering just 5%.
While the report does reveal Internet Explorer 9 is the best at preventing unwanted malicious software from being installed, it comes at the cost of a higher-than-average false positive detection rate.
Image source: NSS Labs
Source: http://www.nsslabs.com/research/endpoint-security/browser-security/web-browser-group-test-socially-engineered-malware-q3-2010.html
They might be, but where's the evidence this was sponsored by MS?
Have seen NSS 'IE is the safest browser' reports on other sites before ...like
Here , here
and at the MS site http://www.microsoft.com/westindies/homesecurity/Browser-Introduction-Better.aspx
"Computerworld: According to NSS Labs, which conducted the Microsoft-sponsored study, IE8 blocked 69% of the 492 malware-distributing Web sites that were included in the survey data. Mozilla's Firefox, meanwhile, blocked only 30% of those same sites. "I was surprised that IE8 did as well as it did," Rick Moy, president of NSS Labs, said in an interview Tuesday"
BUT!!! this is not to say that the report is wrong ...
Thanks for the tip Doc. I do know people that are on facebook but I've always stayed away because it's such a minefield. (I have been known to make a few stray mouseclicks just out of pure klutziness.) If I ever do get brave at least I know which of my browsers to use now.
I went all over the NSS site, taz before deciding to write. They made no mention as to whether this test (2010) was MS sponsored. The tests you quote were in 2009. Still, this is disturbing since they should make a positive statement one way or the other.
Thanks, taz.
One could always partion a gig or two just for facebooking, then when one is ready to return to reality... just a reboot away
Or use a Linux LiveCD if one is really concerned.
Put your 'virtual friends' in a virtual machine.....
Makes sense....
I use Facebook on Firefox and play the Facebook games. Never had any issues.
It is very disturbing. I think perhaps there is more to it than meets the eye. It could be as posted, but I would like to see other independent tests done. When one company, not just beats, but humiliates the competition, my spidey senses start tingling with "set up".
In addition to Tazgecko's findings, also note their codicil of "Note: This study does not evaluate browser security related to vulnerabilities in plug-ins or the browsers themselves." In that they were honest. in not reporting past associations with MS makes me look for more information before handing my soul over to MS.
So, there's some virtue to this suggestion?
I still like my FF and IE9 still sits collecting dust. Even though I never use it you'd be surprised how many temp files are found in IE when I use CCleaner to take out the trash. Always IE has the most temp files. go figure.
The original report was reviewed by arstechnica, and no findings of a sponsorship issue were mentioned. This was an issue in 2009, I believe.
On a related note the Firefox 6 beta is out.
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