Which is the best browser – IE, Firefox, Safari or Chrome?
I read a recent article on PCWorld Magazine October 2010 issue regarding common myths about technologies and one of them was browser vulnerabilities. According to the article, they first reviewed Symantec’s twice-yearly Internet Security Thread Report which indicates the total number of vulnerabilities for 2009. Firefox had the most at 169, followed by Safari coming in at 94, Internet Explorer (IE) at 45 and Google Chrome at 41.
For more-recent data, PCWorld reviewed the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), which hosts the National Vulnerability Database which indexes reported computer vulnerabilities. The data results for the recent-three-month period yielded 51 vulnerabilities for Safari (including mobile and desktop versions), 40 for Chrome, 20 for Firefox and 17 for IE.
Vulnerabilities are holes in the program that can be manipulated by hackers to access, disrupt, sabotage or steal information from your personal computer. According to the article, Symantec’s report in vulnerability count alone is not the best way to measure a browser’s security. “A browser with 100 security flaws that are patched a day after being discovered is safer than a browser with only one exploit that hasn’t been patched for months.” According to Symantec’s report, the average window of vulnerability which is the time between when the flaw is reported and when it is patched, in 2009 was less than a day for IE and Firefox, 2 days for Google Chrome and a scary 13 days for Safari.
Obviously, Internet Explorer 8 is the best out of all the browser contenders but recommend that you ditch any earlier version of Internet Exporer. It is also highly recommended that you conduct updates on a regular basis to make sure that all vulnerability patches are implemented without delay.
Since IE still has the biggest number of users, therefore, cybercriminals are more likely to target an IE user than any other browser.
Internet Explorer 8 is the winner!
