Choosing the “Prompt” option does nothing but serve incessant pop-up prompts to allow or disallow scripts (see the video below). Turning JavaScript off isn’t much of an option, but leaving it completely open is unsafe. In IE9, you can select among JavaScript on, off, or prompting you to load JavaScript. Internet Explorer allows users to block scripts, but even the latest version of IE still doesn’t give the user much choice in handling JavaScript. Readers don’t have to look very far on this blog for examples of why I recommend this, but here’s one. However, if you have Java installed, you’re best off either unplugging it from the browser, or uninstalling it. NotScripts and NoScript will both block Java applets from running by default. It plugs straight into the browser and is a favorite target for malware and miscreants alike. Java is a widely-installed and quite powerful software package that requires frequent and attentive security patching. Please note that Java and Javascript are two very different things. In addition, there is a very handy add-on for Chrome called ScriptSafe that works very much like Noscript. In my testing, I had to manually refresh the page before Chrome allowed scripting on a site that I’d just whitelisted. If you click that and select “Always allow JavaScript on ” it will permanently enable JavaScript for that site, but it doesn’t give you the option to block third-party JavaScript content on the site as Noscript does. If you tell Chrome to block JavaScript on all sites by default, when you browse to a site that uses JavaScript, the upper right corner of the browser displays a box with a red “X” through it. Users can choose to allow specific exceptions either permanently or for a single browsing session.Ĭhrome also includes similar script- and Flash blocking functionality that seems designed to minimize some of these challenges by providing fewer options. This extension lets the user decide which sites should be allowed to run JavaScript, including Flash Player content. One extension that I have found indispensable is NoScript. But disallowing JavaScript by default and selectively enabling it for specific sites remains a much safer option than letting all sites run JavaScript unrestricted all the time.įirefox has many extensions and add-ons that make surfing the Web a safer experience. It is true that selectively allowing JavaScript on known, “safe” sites won’t block all malicious scripting attacks: Even legitimate sites sometimes end up running malicious code when scammers figure out ways to sneak tainted, bogus ads into the major online ad networks. To protect yourself, it is critically important to have an easy method of selecting which sites should be allowed to run JavaScript in the browser. Unfortunately, a huge percentage of Web-based attacks use JavaScript tricks to foist malicious software and exploits onto site visitors. Most Web sites use JavaScript, a powerful scripting language that helps make sites interactive. Secunia’s Personal Software Inspector is popular option. Fortunately, there are some tools that make it easier to learn when security updates are available. Not all software includes auto-update features that let you know about new patches, or if they do, many of these take their sweet time let you know. As a result, staying on top of the latest security updates can sometimes feel like a nagging chore. It shouldn’t be this way, but the truth is that most software needs regular updating. 3) If you no longer need it, get rid of it! For more on these rules, check out this blog post. In short, 1) If you didn’t go looking for it, don’t install it 2) If you installed, update it. Your mileage may vary.įollow Krebs’s 3 Basic Rules for online safety, and you will drastically reduce the chances of handing control over your computer to the bad guys. Here are some links to tools and approaches that I have found useful in stopping malware from invading a PC. An important aspect of securing any system is the concept of “defense-in-depth,” or having multiple layers of security and not depending on any one approach or technology to block all attacks.
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