NSS
Labs, an information security research and testing organization, announced
theresults
of a test they did on Web Browser Security Comparative Test Reports against
Socially-Engineered Malware. The tests had two components: one global, and one
Asia-Pacific test. The reports examined different web browsers and how they
rank in performance against socially-engineered fraud prevention.
Browsers tested in the report
include:
- Apple
Safari 5 - Google
Chrome 12 - Windows
Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) - Mozilla
Firefox 4 - Opera
11
Out of the five
browsers, IE9 ranked the highest and continues to improve their fraud prevention
protection through its SmartScreen Filter and SmartScreen Application
Reputation technologies.
According to NSS, the key findings show:
- Browsers
can offer an additional layer of protection beyond antivirus. - Results
varied from Q3 2010 test, with IE9, Chrome, and Opera showing improvement,
while Firefox and Safari decreased in protection. - Microsofts
IE9 achieved over 99% in protection results with the new Application
Reputation feature.
From
the press release, NSS said, Socially engineered malware (SEM) remains the
most common security threat facing Internet users today, claiming one third of
internet users as victims. These attacks pose a significant risk to individuals
and organizations by threatening to compromise, damage, or acquire sensitive
personal and corporate information. European and American users have found
themselves particular targets of malware authors over the last 12 months. North
America has consistently been the primary host of malicious URLs, while users
in Asia have been victims of the greatest number of malicious URLs.
