An article in InfoWorld looks at the recent security vulnerabilities in web browsers that required security updates. While Safari’s recent security update fixed some bugs, and other browsers have issued patches recently as well, it’s important to highlight that the browser is one of the main vectors of attack these days, far more so than viruses, Trojan horses or other forms of malware. One advantage of browser-based – or “drive-by” – attacks is that they exploit vulnerabilities that don’t require user intervention. All a user has to do is load a web page – or have a part of a page load on a hacked web site – to expose themselves to risks. If exploits are there behind the scenes, malicious hackers can do a great deal of damage, going as far as installing software or controlling computers.
This is why Intego combined its malware and network protection features in a single application with the latest version of its VirusBarrier X6 program. Neither tool is sufficient any more to protect users from the dangers of the Internet. With advanced web-threat protection in VirusBarrier X6, users are protected from malicious web pages and the types of exploits they can run.
No matter what, you should always make sure your browser is up-to-date, to ensure that any known security vulnerabilities are fixed.