Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
    Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn YouTube
    Trending
    • Why is it Safer to Use a Prebuilt Platform for your Website?
    • Overcoming Barriers to the Metaverse Requires Ubiquitous Connectivity
    • 10 Strategies to Stop Ransomware Attacks
    • Rajiv Kulkarni Talks about the Malware Analysis Pipeline
    • IDS Alliance Raises Awareness of IAM Fundamentals with the ‘CISO Chronicles’
    • Building Digital Accessibility: AI Requires Human Oversight to Cut Down on Algorithmic Biases
    • BlackBerry Ivy: Enabling a New Age of Electric Secure Autonomous Vehicles
    • Security Automation Cuts Down Expenses and Saves Time for IT Teams
    TechSpective
    • RSS
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Google+
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Technology
      Featured
      March 1, 20216

      Could Home Study Be Better for Education? Using Technology to Craft a Better Tomorrow

      Recent
      May 27, 2022

      Overcoming Barriers to the Metaverse Requires Ubiquitous Connectivity

      May 20, 2022

      Building Digital Accessibility: AI Requires Human Oversight to Cut Down on Algorithmic Biases

      May 20, 2022

      BlackBerry Ivy: Enabling a New Age of Electric Secure Autonomous Vehicles

    • Reviews
      Featured
      March 4, 20211

      Dell’s UltraSharp 40 – Improving Work and Workplaces with Monitor Innovations

      Recent
      April 7, 2022

      Dell’s Latitude 5430 Rugged – Redefining the Extremes of Mobile Computing

      October 12, 2021

      Innovating Home Video Conferencing: Dell’s New 27 Video Conferencing Monitor – S2722DZ

      September 22, 2021

      Review: Intrusion Shield

    • Podcasts
    • Security
      Featured
      March 7, 20212

      Pandemic Unmasks Vulnerability to Automated Bot Attacks

      Recent
      May 26, 2022

      10 Strategies to Stop Ransomware Attacks

      May 25, 2022

      Rajiv Kulkarni Talks about the Malware Analysis Pipeline

      May 23, 2022

      IDS Alliance Raises Awareness of IAM Fundamentals with the ‘CISO Chronicles’

    • Microsoft
      Featured
      September 12, 20201

      The Microsoft Surface Duo: The Communications Device for Those That Think Different

      Recent
      April 8, 2022

      AI and Why Windows 12 Could Be a Far Bigger Advance than Windows 95 Was

      October 11, 2021

      The Surface Laptop Studio: Building a Windows 11 Targeted Laptop

      August 28, 2021

      Why Microsoft’s Hardware Baseline for Windows 11 Is Important

    • News & Analysis
      Featured
      March 6, 20212

      Fixing The World One Person At A Time: Cisco Networking Academy

      Recent
      May 25, 2022

      Rajiv Kulkarni Talks about the Malware Analysis Pipeline

      May 20, 2022

      BlackBerry Ivy: Enabling a New Age of Electric Secure Autonomous Vehicles

      May 20, 2022

      IBM Think 2022 – Embracing the Present, Preparing for the Future

    • Business
      Featured
      March 6, 20212

      Fixing The World One Person At A Time: Cisco Networking Academy

      Recent
      May 27, 2022

      Why is it Safer to Use a Prebuilt Platform for your Website?

      May 20, 2022

      Building Digital Accessibility: AI Requires Human Oversight to Cut Down on Algorithmic Biases

      May 20, 2022

      Security Automation Cuts Down Expenses and Saves Time for IT Teams

    TechSpective
    You are at:Home»Internet»Browsers»Keep your PCs safe while surfing the Web

    Keep your PCs safe while surfing the Web

    0
    By Tony Bradley on May 2, 2013 Browsers, Internet, Security

    The Web browser is probably the most-used application on most PCs and mobile devices. I’d say that email might get used more, but people are increasingly using Web-based email services like Google’s Gmail or Microsoft’s Outlook.com, so the browser is still the primary tool even for that. The fact that the browser is fairly ubiquitous, and so widely used makes it a prime target for cyber attacks, so businesses and consumers need to take extra steps to make sure the browser–and any plug-ins or add-ons used–are patched and up to date. Qualys BrowserCheck is a free tool that can help people keep their software up to date and minimize the risk.

    Most cyber criminals are lazy. They’re not motivated enough to find their own vulnerabilities, so they wait for a vendor like Microsoft or Adobe to release a patch, and then reverse-engineer it to work backwards and figure out what the flaw is so they can exploit it. Most cyber criminals are also opportunistic. If they’re going to bother to invest time and effort crafting and deploying an exploit, they want it to be something with a relatively large pool of possible target systems so that the chances of success are greater.

    An exploit that targets Windows PCs has a much larger pool of potential targets than one that targets Mac OS X systems, so attackers tend to focus more on Windows exploits. When it comes to the browser, Internet Explorer has the most market share–with more than Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and all other browsers combined–so it has the biggest bullseye painted on its back. But, there are different versions of IE out there, so the pool of targets is fragmented depending on the exploit.

    Attackers have realized, though, that there are lower hanging fruit–like Java or Adobe Flash–that are used across different operating system and browser platforms, which often contain critical vulnerabilities. More importantly, attackers know that these third-party add-ons and plug-ins are frequently forgotten and neglected even by businesses and users who try to keep their systems patched and up to date.

    The problem is that there are so many things to keep track of, and so many new vulnerabilities and exploits to monitor, that most businesses and users simply can’t keep up…at least, not without a tool to help out. Qualys has such a tool, and they asked me to take a look at it. I spent some time working with Qualys BrowserCheck, and wrote a white paper about the tool.

    Click this link to view my report (it’s a PDF file) and learn more about this free tool from Qualys: Keep your PCs safe while surfing the Web.

    Full disclosure: Qualys is a sponsor of TechSpective.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleAll tablets are PCs, but not all PCs are tablets
    Next Article Sign up now for SMB Nation Livexperience 2013
    Tony Bradley
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn

    I have a passion for technology and gadgets--with a focus on Microsoft and security--and a desire to help others understand how technology can affect or improve their lives. I also love spending time with my wife, 7 kids, 2 dogs, 5 cats, 1 rabbit, 2 ferrets, a pot-bellied pig, and sulcata tortoise, and I like to think I enjoy reading and golf even though I never find time for either. You can contact me directly at tony@xpective.net. For more from me, you can follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

    Related Posts

    Why is it Safer to Use a Prebuilt Platform for your Website?

    10 Strategies to Stop Ransomware Attacks

    Rajiv Kulkarni Talks about the Malware Analysis Pipeline

    Comments are closed.

    Site Sponsors
    Intel
    DevOps.com
    Adobe
    PopSpective
    • Technology
    • Popular
    • Top Reviews
    May 27, 2022

    Overcoming Barriers to the Metaverse Requires Ubiquitous Connectivity

    May 20, 2022

    Building Digital Accessibility: AI Requires Human Oversight to Cut Down on Algorithmic Biases

    May 20, 2022

    BlackBerry Ivy: Enabling a New Age of Electric Secure Autonomous Vehicles

    9.0
    July 14, 2016

    Review: Lenovo Yoga 900S

    9.5
    March 2, 2015

    Review: Asus Zenbook UX305 ultrabook

    8.0
    February 9, 2015

    Review: Burg 12 smartwatch

    9.7
    November 16, 2018

    Review: BlackVue DR900S-2CH Vehicle Dash Cam

    9.5
    September 2, 2015

    Review: Microsoft Band

    May 27, 2014

    Protect your family photos with ScanMyPhotos

    Adobe
    Popular Posts
    9.0
    July 14, 2016

    Review: Lenovo Yoga 900S

    9.5
    March 2, 2015

    Review: Asus Zenbook UX305 ultrabook

    8.0
    February 9, 2015

    Review: Burg 12 smartwatch

    PopSpective
    Adobe
    Adobe
    PopSpective
    • RSS
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Google+
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    About

    TechSpective covers technology trends and breaking news in a meaningful way that brings value to the story, and provides you with information that is relevant to you. We offer in-depth reporting and long-form feature stories, as well as breaking news coverage, product reviews, and community content in plain English terms, and with a unique perspective on technology.

    Adobe

    © 2020 Xpective, Inc.

    • About
    • Privacy
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Contact
    © 2021 Xpective, Inc.
    • About
    • Privacy
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Contact

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.