Battle Browsers War? Which provides the highest level of protection ?

Status
Not open for further replies.
D

Deleted member 21043

Hi,

It's debatable as to which is more secure: Internet Explorer or Google Chrome.

Before I continue, ever thought about spyware? Both browsers, and most browsers too (unless it's a very secure browser from a real security company) can have information stolen.

One malware infection could equal to more malware being downloaded and ran, and can result in programs hiding in the background eating your data and submitting it to the attacker: this can include the websites you visit, a live stream/photographs of your browsing activity/PC, passwords and banking information, messages typed in and so on.

If there is a application on your system which has the ability to inject into the browser, it will do so. I think I'm going a bit off-topic now, however it is related to the browser so... Yeah.

To start off, both can easily be hijacked. Google Chrome uses a file which stores the homepage address and other information, and Internet Explorer uses the registry to save and obtain information such as the homepage address, search provider and other information.

On both occassions, any application with the correct priveleges could alter the information, causing issues as the incorrect start page loading up and other things. (Adware, we could note here).

Aside from this, extensions can also hijack the browser. I have seen more occasions of Google Chrome being attacked through extensions more than Internet Explorer, however both are as easy as each other.

Secondly, I would like to point out that browsers aren't "responsible" to preventing malware attacks. This is normally let down to the Antivirus/Antimalware companies who's company are actually dedicated to this job. However, I do agree that a browser should have some security, to an extent.

Google Chrome does block some phishing URLs and malicious downloads, as does Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer has smart screen, which I should probably mention. It also seems to flag files with no digital signature, which also helps identify threats; I should also point out here that there are many legit, safe programs which are not digitally signed. However, it's a common technique for companies to digitally sign their application, as a big alert showing to the user from Windows SmartScreen/IE telling them their program may be unsafe doesn't really help attract users, right?

If you would like a "more secure" configuration, I recommend using Google Chrome with Adguard, HTTPSEverywhere and Click & Clean. Personally, I think that would be better. Adguard also helps prevent phishing and malicious attacks through the blacklisting of websites, along with removing Advertisements (which also helps towards your privacy: advertisements can track you).

In th end, you can take a look at the above video reviews @Dani Santos provided in his post, and that could help decide as to which one is more secure. However, my opinion is that they are not really made for protecting from malware, they are made to surf the internet. With a good Antivirus product, Antimalware product on-demand (scanning reguarly), Sandboxie (or another sandbox) for suspicious files you are not 100% sure on and good extensions like Adguard with your browser, you have a more secure and stronger config against the latest threats.

Cheers. ;)
 

Cats-4_Owners-2

Level 39
Verified
Honorary Member
Top Poster
Well-known
Dec 4, 2013
2,800
I agree with Dani Santos' previous comment:
chrome is faster, but internet explorer uses less ram and has the smart screen filter which in windows 8 with windows defender can detect a lot of malware, but both detect a lot.

@kram7750 , your eloquent narrative reminded me of two ever present points, whilst I read about the 2 popular browsers in question.
I was urged to consider both..
  1. Addressing vulnerabilities that continue to morph and recur in Internet Explorer as well as Google Chrome &..
  2. ..precisely the way our browser preferences (formed one over the other, and then again..) shift along with the our need to maintain patches, attending to their respective holes (lots of agonizing flash player updates) and our own decisions on how we secure our privacy against spyware.o_O I'd not heard the name of those ever present ghosts in the machine in ages!;)
Thank you for reminding us how our perceived 'better browsers', in fact, have more in common with the layers of protective clothing one chooses before stepping out into the cold!:D
Well, done.

Btw, in choosing between the (2) I have switched as of late from Chrome to it's Chromium sibling, Opera; and yet, I seldomly find myself gingerly testing the internet waters, while at the very same time more and more frequently (while also reacquainting myself with) using IE after it's much aligned misfortunes having had the largest target on it's back. Now that target has seemed to have passed over to Chrome, though I still use Chrome in linux lubuntu because (yes:rolleyes:) it feels more responsive than our beloved Firefox.:cool:
Bottom line: I would trust both IE and Chrome buttoned up properly along with some real time protections. In other words, use of extensions plus (of course) Sandboxie!:D
 
Last edited:

jamescv7

Level 85
Verified
Honorary Member
Mar 15, 2011
13,070
When we say secure, how secure?

Browsers are prone from vulnerabilities no matter how features are implemented considering its for educational purpose like (Pwn2Own) or not which conducted by truly malware writers.

In case of tests conducted its shows that IE as least of vulnerabilities compared to GC, but it doesn't matter cause everything are prone to risk.

secunia.com/vulnerability-review/browser_security.html

Malware protection is in favor for IE especially their smartscreen filter which does good job against newer threats, followed by Google Chrome.

Guide on any clicking matters, to prevent any untoward vulnerabilities taken.
 
H

hjlbx

Hello,

Think of it this way.

Internet Explorer was first introduced in 1995 and Chrome in 2008.

Internet Explorer has undergone 13 major revisions with hundreds, upon hundreds, of vulnerability fixes with no end in sight.

Chrome has been revised about 40 times with hundreds, upon hundreds, of vulnerability fixes with no end in sight.

Browsers are simply bad news from a security perspective.

I use IE11 because my AV-of-choice, Emsisoft, provides some browser protections. Additionally, Chrome's performance on my x64 system is just plain crummy - it lags, hogs RAM, and takes longer to complete network connections...despite being 64-bit "optimized."

I think Microsoft has a well established, but admittedly slow, routine for vulnerability fixes. Afterall, they've been at it for a very, very long time...;)
 

FreddyFreeloader

Level 32
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Jul 23, 2013
2,115
I do a lot of malware testing and some of those samples will lock up a browser. But when it locks up IE11, 9 out of 10 times all you have to do is hit the back button, or open a new tab, or just hit the close browser button to unlock it. On the other hand, using Firefox on the same samples, 9 out of 10 times the browser is locked so well the only way to release it is to restart the virtual machine.
I haven't used Chrome in testing malware so can't help there.
I've been impressed how many phishing sites IE11 will catch lately. Just go to one of the phishing sites like PhishTank.com and compare it with Firefox and Chrome.
 

kb99

Level 1
Feb 5, 2015
12
At first, I used IE all the time and I loved it (this was when I just got my PC). It ran great and I liked the Smart Screen Filter. Then, I decided to download Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Chrome was great at first, then (on my 64 bit Windows 8.1) it started running very slowly, it took web pages long to load and it would take long for the browser to launch overall. I checked my theme and extensions and I took those off, but it still ran slowly. Not bad mouthing Google, but Chrome would not run well at all. However, Firefox would load quickly every time, even with extensions and a theme. Everything runs smoothly and Mozilla updates numerous times and adds many new features. Many people may not have this problem with Chrome, but it is all up to you. Mozilla works best for me and Chrome and IE may work best for others.
- Stay Safe
 

December

Level 1
Thread author
Jan 18, 2015
8
I do a lot of malware testing and some of those samples will lock up a browser. But when it locks up IE11, 9 out of 10 times all you have to do is hit the back button, or open a new tab, or just hit the close browser button to unlock it. On the other hand, using Firefox on the same samples, 9 out of 10 times the browser is locked so well the only way to release it is to restart the virtual machine.
I haven't used Chrome in testing malware so can't help there.
I've been impressed how many phishing sites IE11 will catch lately. Just go to one of the phishing sites like PhishTank.com and compare it with Firefox and Chrome.
...very impressed that Chrome blocked all in PhishTank site, while IE 11 has done for few sites.
 

Cch123

Level 7
Verified
May 6, 2014
335
Well, I would like to point out that this isn't a very good comparison since Internet Explorer is almost certainly about to be replaced by the completely redesigned Spartan Browser. But since you are asking, here we go :)

In terms of malicious site blocking, both are comparable as they both have very active security response teams. However, I think IE smartscreen filter has an advantage due to the sheer number of users who can report malicious sites. Google's protection is not bad too anyway, even its competitor firefox is using Google's safe browsing list.

Architecture security wise, Chrome has an edge because of its more secure sandbox implementation. For example, the latest Flash player zero day exploit did not affect chrome at all, while IE and Firefox were vulnerable. Also, some would argue that the security of the various browsers can compared by the number of vulnerabilities discovered in a year. This comparison is useless as not all these vulnerabilities are exploitable. Also, for both IE and chrome, the sandbox would mean that multiple unpatched vulnerabilities must exist for hackers to run malicious code in your system. I don't want to bash firefox here, but I really do think that it needs to catch up with the other browsers security wise.

Just pick a browser that suits you, have some safe browsing habits and you are fine. Cheers :)
 
I

illumination

As mentioned above, browsers are not meant to be a security product, that being said, if we were to chose which is to be more secure, there would be two ways to look at this. First, if we went by out of the box "no additional extensions", it would be a toss up between Internet Explorer and Google Chrome, they both have their strengths and weaknesses.. Secondly, if we were to judge this by adding extensions which one you could "make" the most secure, it would be firefox hands down, as it just has better extensions.

Personally, i do not rely on browser to do any of the protecting of the system. I tend to rely on proper surfing habits, conscience clicks, and thoroughly checking downloads, as well as the systems main security and on demands.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Status
Not open for further replies.

About us

  • MalwareTips is a community-driven platform providing the latest information and resources on malware and cyber threats. Our team of experienced professionals and passionate volunteers work to keep the internet safe and secure. We provide accurate, up-to-date information and strive to build a strong and supportive community dedicated to cybersecurity.

User Menu

Follow us

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to know first about the latest cybersecurity incidents and malware threats.

Top