| Is Firefox the new target for hackers? |
Dec. 08, 2005
 Given that Firefox has already entered double-digit market share territory in just one year, grabbing users from Microsoft's Internet Explorer, is it logical that hackers will increasingly target Firefox with a whole host of exploits?
"Dig into the details of existing Firefox issues and you'll find threats that allow remote users to access and control your system, launch denial-of-service attacks, leave you vulnerable to phishing, and even spoof dialog boxes to trick you into performing unintended actions. These are similar to the issues that have put IE users at risk for years," writer Dan Dinicolo asserts in a new PC Magazine article.
Many users have moved to Firefox largely because they believe it is safer than IE. But the tide may be turning. As of October, there were approximately 86 known security vulnerabilities targeting IE 6.x users and 25 facing those running Firefox 1.x, according to security firm Secunia.
"Alas, 'safe' is relative," Dinicolo writes. "There's little question that IE has taken many people for a bad ride. Malicious ActiveX controls and various security holes have resulted in dangerous toolbars, keyloggers, and dialers being installed on millions of PCs. Unfortunately, many users believe that switching to Firefox is enough to keep them safe. That's just not the case."
What's your take? Is Firefox running on a Linux system just about the safest environment we have at this point -- or not? Read the rest of Dinicolo's article here.
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