Test your browser's safety (according to Microsoft) | Hacker News Reader

Test your browser's safety (according to Microsoft)

yourbrowsermatters.org

22 pointsmccooscoos28 comments

What a load of garbage

"Does the browser benefit from Windows Operating System features that protect against arbitrary data execution?

Does the browser benefit from Windows Operating System features that randomize the memory layout to make it harder for attackers to find their target?"

I got a checkmark on both those. Yet I'm running Mac.

I also got an "X" on "Does the browser help protect you from websites that are known to distribute socially engineered malware?" yet I'm running Chrome, and little do Microsoft know but Google keeps an entire db of "socially engineered malware" and disallows you to access it.

Good old Microsoft trash browser stats, just like the old IE is the safest browser one.

Does the browser benefit from Windows Operating System features that protect against arbitrary data execution? Does the browser benefit from Windows Operating System features that randomize the memory layout to make it harder for attackers to find their target?

If you're on OS X, then yes, both features are available to you. They're called non-executable stack and ASLR. MS did the correct thing by giving you credit for those features.

I'm surprised "does your browser's name start with IE and end with 10 (only valid data in between is \s*)?"

Double awesome points for checkmark for windows-only features on a mac.

I BET once that is discovered the site will browser-sniff.

The "known malware" is an interesting thing. That may be pre-canned inside the browser. I rather my browser have that knowlege, and update a master list hourly, than send info to google to ask "is this ok"... IDK what chrome does so can use some citation on this info.

> Good old Microsoft trash browser stats, just like the old IE is the safest browser one.

In fairness, running IE6 is soon going to be like running Firefox with NoScript, so it might actually be more safe, just like Lynx.

I think the site is about browsers running on Microsoft's OS. Microsoft doesn't need to worry or evaluate browsers on other operating systems. They only want people who are already running windows to evaluate if they are running a safe browser thats it.

Shows that their test is either shit, or misnamed. If their test is shit that means that this is looking for flags, badly. If it is misnamed that means that they are trying to see if they can execute a specific attack, which fails in osx good i guess...

So Firefox 3.6 scores 1.5, Firefox 7.01 scores 2, Chrome Win (14.0.835) scores 2.5, while IE 8 gets a 3?

Safari for Windows isn't even recognized.

Chrome 13 scores 2.5. I thought Chrome latest was 14, which definitely addresses some of the missing points from 13.

Neither is Opera. IE 9 gets a 4. (suprise?)

Your scores aren't necessarily representative for the browsers you mentioned, as the outcome of some of those tests depend on your browser/system settings.

The scores are predetermined, according to http://yourbrowsermatters.org/docs/methodology.pdf

Most of the security features that were included in the score are publically documented by the browser manufacturers and the presence can be verified directly through the browser itself. Additionally, tools like the Sys Internals process expirer were used to verify the use of DEP, Protected Mode, and ASLR.

Funny how I get the annoying hit-backbutton-twice effect ... Always the hallmark of a good website ...

"We do not have any data for your browser, so we can’t give your browser a score."

Chrome 16.0.904.0

tl;dr: Firefox is 2, Chrome is 2.5, IE is 4. (Out of 4, of course. And assuming latest versions.)

Site doesn't even render in IE6 on XP. Not sure if that's a good thing or not.

IE7 on XP scores 1. That's something, I suppose.

Doesn't recognize firefox nightly (10) on arch - so it gives me Xs for everything. Excellently done.

I don't particularly care about the spin that this website puts on various browsers. What I do like about it is that it may convince some users to upgrade their browser. Everyone wins when users pick modern browsers, regardless of which one they choose.

HA! The most ironic thing is that this tool has Facebook like buttons all over it. Give the state of Facebook privacy and not actually being able to log out. The Facebook buttons are the biggest privacy and security concern, not your browser.

Is it just me, or are the icons in the "old browser" distinctly Chrome-like?

Only supports firefox, chrome, and IE it seems.

Google chrome on GNU/Linux, 2.5. Do tell...

No love if you're running linux :/

yeah man, that OS is so unsafe. Better get some Windows!

Thats not the point. Its Microsoft. Why do you think they care if you run any operating system other than theirs? The point of the website. is: If you are running windows, see how safe your browser is.

The point of the website. is: If you are running Windows, see how safe our browser is and ignore the other browsers because they're obviously of a lesser value with lower levels of security.

I cheated. By changing the user agent of Firefox to IE 8 I got 3 (otherwise 2 for FF).

Doesn't recognize Firefox 8.

This is essentially a measure of how much turd polishing has been applied to your browser. To people who think that furious effort mummifying design faults with a flurry of band-aids is a good substitute for fundamental design quality and objective, external results this is fantastic. To people who think otherwise this is decidedly underwhelming.

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