Internet Explorer dominates browser security as Google faces accusations
Internet Explorer 9 should be the go-to browser for organizations concerned about protecting machines from malicious downloads, according to a new study from NSS Labs: Microsoft's browser trounced rivals Chrome, Firefox, and Safari in the security company's more recent malware-blocking tests, a significant win considering that traditional malware remains among the most prevalent threats to users.
Although that should the most important take-away for security-minded IT professionals and end-users alike, the report -- "Did Google pull a fast one on Firefox and Safari users?" (PDF) -- spends considerable time accusing Google of depriving Firefox and Safari users of its latest malware-fighting capabilities, which lifted Chrome far above the other two in the tests.
Did Google hold out? Not really; it seems, rather, that Mozilla has been hesitant to embrace the Chrome's latest Safe Browsing API v2 technology, due to privacy concerns. The API works by sending Google the URLs for suspicious pages or executables downloads that aren't white-listed, and neither Mozilla nor Safari use it.
