Consumer Reports pans Safari’s lack of phishing protection
Consumer Reports, in its annual internet security survey, recommended that Mac users avoid Safari because of its lack of phishing protection. Instead, they recommend users install Firefox 3 or Opera 9.5 as their default browsers, since both will warn users before displaying the contents of sites known to be source of scams and personal information theft.
Jeff Fox, technology editor at Consumer Reports, noted that “e-mail is the weak vector on the Mac,” meaning that most successful phishing attacks on Mac users arrive via email.
“Windows users are used to being paranoid about not clicking [links in phishing emails],” he said. “Mac users aren’t, even though they say, ‘Antivirus software, who needs it?’”
As we’ve mentioned before, 1Password does a great job of adding phishing protection to Safari. Also, always be extra-wary of clicking links in emails from people you don’t know.
[Via Computerworld.]
Popularity: 9% [?]
Firefox 3.0.1 fixes blended-threat vulnerability
Mozilla has updated Firefox to 3.0.1 (and 2.0.0.16 for those still using Firefox 2): both updates containing critical security and stability updates.
You might remember the “carpet-bombing” vulnerability discovered last month that affected Internet Explorer and Safari for Windows: Turns out Firefox was vulnerable, too. Security researcher Billy Rios found the problem, but disclosed it only to Mozilla. (Mac users remain unaffected.)
Mozilla found that Firefox could litter the desktop with files, and potentially contribute to the unwanted execution of malware using the same carpet-bombing technique.
Apple patched the Safari-end of the vulnerability with Safari 3.1.2.
[Via Macworld.]
Popularity: 6% [?]
Mac 101: Browser tab tricks
How did we ever get buy without tabbed browsing? Think back to the days of OS 9 and IE 4. Ugh.
JimD at creativebits has shared a cool trick (Firefox and Safari) for quickly returning to a previously visited website in a new tab, thus preserving the site you’re currently browsing.
This got us thinking of some of our favorite browser tricks, like this one. If you’ve got several tabs open, you can move from one to the other with keyboard shortcuts. In Firefox, it’s Command-Option plus the arrow keys. In Safari, it’s Command-Shift plus the arrow keys.
Quickly jump to the address field with Command-L (both Firefox and Safari). It selects the full text, so you can either just start typing or hit Command-C to copy the url. Of course, Safari 3 lets you grab Web Clips and turn them into Dashboard widgets.
Have you got a favorite browser trick to share with newcomers to the Mac?
Popularity: 7% [?]
Beefing up your Phishing net
Phishers — in their sinister attempts to bilk you out of your time, money, and personal information with bogus emails — are becoming more and more clever. Luckily, with a little critical thinking and up-to-date software, you can keep yourself safe.
Typically, to avoid falling victim to phishing, check the URL that the email is asking you to click. Does it look right? One popular façade for phishing attempts is PayPal, and there’s a new technique that makes it look like the request is coming, securely, from paypal.com. For the technical among us, it exploits a flaw in one of PayPal’s screens that allows a phisher to include a redirect URL in an address that begins with https://www.paypal.com. Sneaky. Thankfully, Firefox blocks it on the rebound.
Also, emails that ask you to verify or enter account information (that you’ve already entered) have a high degree of poopiness about them. Reader Allan noted that because Apple is in the process of switching people to Mobile Me, some phishers are using the confusion to send people emails asking them to enter new billing information for the new service. That, of course, isn’t necessary, and if you get that kind of email, you should delete it.
Another good way to protect yourself is to use an up-to-date browser. Firefox includes protection against known phishing sites, and warns you about them before letting you proceed. Safari, currently, does not, but 1Password does, and it works seamlessly with Safari. Installing one of these options is especially important for parents and grandparents that may not be as familiar with these attacks as their kids.
Lastly, there’s a great overview at macphishingprotection.com, which notes, “Phishers win even if you make only one mistake.” Truer words never spoken.
Thanks, Allan, Fernando and Aviv for the heads-up!
Popularity: 5% [?]
Minefield offers custom builds of Firefox 3
If you think Firefox could run a little faster on your Mac, then you might want to download one of BeatnikPad’s custom builds of Firefox 3. “Minefield” (previously known as BonEcho for pre-3.0 releases) is Neil Lee’s custom build of Firefox. He is currently offering custom builds for:
- Minefield (Firefox) 3.0 for Intel
- Minefield (Firefox) 3.0 for PowerPC G5
- Minefield (Firefox) 3.0 for PowerPC G4
Neil Lee has been offering custom builds of Firefox for many years now. They can make Firefox run a bit faster and smoother on older Macs. You can download them for free (though donations are accepted) from the BeatnikPad website.
[via IGM]
Popularity: 8% [?]
