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Firefox Browser Holds Off Hackers:
A new version of the popular Firefox web browser could help to end the recent spate of infections caused by visiting hacked websites.
Firefox 3, will not open websites infected with malicious software. It works by using a list of known hacked websites.
This list is generated by the Stopbadware initiative led by Harvard Law and Oxford University and is updated every 30 minutes.
Mike Schroepfer, of Mozilla, the organisation that develops Firefox, told Computer Active magazine, this tool could stop the recent attacks that exploit faults in other software to gain access to a computer. (www.computeractive.co.uk/2208438)
' Even if there's a flaw in your operating system, or applications such as Quicktime, Java or Flash, the updated Firefox 3 will stop access to infected websites before you get attacked. It's like putting a lock on your door ', he said.
The technology was given a cautious welcome by David Emm, senior technology consultant at security firm Kaspersky Lab. He described it as ' a positive move '. However Mr Emm warned that a ' filter doesn't offer a panacea for all ills. It depends on who is providing the filtering and how good they are at it '. He also said that as Firefox becomes more popular, attacks against it could increase.
Meanwhile Microsoft is also looking at the problem of protecting people against infected websites. Internet Explorer 8 is also available as a pre-release test version (as of June 2008). New features including a safety filter that, according to the company, blocks access to "confirmed phishing or deceptive websites."
*This information originally appeared in Computer Active magazine.
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