About 2 years ago, there was a migration to Firefox by many. They believed that Firefox was a safer web browser than Microsoft Internet Explorer. However, is that the case? There have been recent attacks on Firefox that have led to Mozilla releasing security patches to plug the holes.
In fact, Infostealer.Snifula is a an example. This bug downloads malicious Trojans onto a user’s computer that can subsequently steal any information the user types into a form on the Web, according to Dave Cole, director of the Symantec Security Response group.
This is the most sophisticated attack against Mozilla to date and it probably indicates that hackers are extending their reach beyond Internet Explorer.
What does this mean for the average web surfer? The same rules apply that have always applied:
- Be careful when installing software from unknown sources, especially files linked or attached to e-mails.
- If you see a Firefox update, take it, it’s probably there for a reason.
- Be safe. Don’t go to the “bad neighborhoods”, and watch where you put your mouse.
Until now, Internet Explorer has just been a “jucier” target for hackers because it is so integrated into the Windows Operating System. If a hacker can gain access to a computer through a hole in IE, he/she can work at gaining access to the rest of the computer. If that computer is on a network, that will be the next target.
Since Firefox is not meshed with the OS as tightely as IE, there is less to gain. However, that will probably change as Firefox gains in popularity. So, follow the rules above and stay safe!
If you have comments about this post, let us know! Share your thoughts.
