Best browser for security and privacy?

[donline]

Hi folks,

What would you suggest as being the most secure browser for security (against hacking etc) and privacy (blocking trackers/advertising etc)?

Many thanks, D

 

[jwcrellin]

I use chrome, i've not had any problems with security since switching from ie.

 

[donline]

I use chrome, i've not had any problems with security since switching from ie.

Thanks jwcrellin, but I'd prefer a non-google option (they are somewhat experts at tracking and data collection)...

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Combination of speed , privacy and security , I would say it's now Firefox Quantum.

Use the addon , Ublock Origin.

 

[donline]

Combination of speed , privacy and security , I would say it's now Firefox Quantum.

Use the addon , Ublock Origin.

Thanks SR-71 Blackbird

I'm using Firefox at the moment 🙂

What would you suggest as the next best option? (I'd like to have two browsers I hop between for different tasks)

Many thanks, D

 

[dextermat]

The best browser would probably be TOR browser.
PROS:
- Use VPN: better security and privacy
- integrated VPN adblock ect.

CONS:
- But you cannot download anything with it or you compromise privacy
- Slower than other browsers- due to VPN

If you want a more standard one, get Brave browser (new open source) or opera.
Problem is some website won't work properly sometimes.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Firefox then Chrome , until recently I would have ranked Chrome first. Tor is great for privacy , but very slow due to the built in VPN protection.

 

[donline]

The best browser would probably be TOR browser.
PROS:
- Use VPN: better security and privacy
- integrated VPN adblock ect.

CONS:
- But you cannot download anything with it or you compromise privacy
- Slower than other browsers- due to VPN

If you want a more standard one, get Brave browser (new open source) or opera.
Problem is some website won't work properly sometimes.

Great suggestions, thanks dextermat!

How safe is Tor to use? I've heard about the 'Dark/Deep Web' and wasn't sure about it... do you automatically dive into that with Tor?

Have you had much experience with Brave browser? That's a new one to me...

Thanks! D

 

[donline]

Firefox then Chrome , until recently I would have ranked Chrome first. Tor is great for privacy , but very slow due to the built in VPN protection.

Thanks SR-71 Blackbird!

I prefer to avoid Chrome (Google loves data!!)... any others you might suggest?

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Firefox then Chrome , until recently I would have ranked Chrome first. Tor is great for privacy , but very slow due to the built in VPN protection.

Thanks SR-71 Blackbird!

I prefer to avoid Chrome (Google loves data!!)... any others you might suggest?

I don't use Chrome either , with TOR don't download or use addons.

 

[donline]

Firefox then Chrome , until recently I would have ranked Chrome first. Tor is great for privacy , but very slow due to the built in VPN protection.

Thanks SR-71 Blackbird!

I prefer to avoid Chrome (Google loves data!!)... any others you might suggest?

I don't use Chrome either , with TOR don't download or use addons.

Thanks. What do you think of Opera and Brave browser as options?

I'd like to have two browsers to 'sandbox' tasks and protect system security.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Brave is a variant of Chromium.

 

[donline]

Brave is a variant of Chromium.

Ok so that's off the list

Any thoughts on Opera?

Thanks

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

I like Opera , but not as fast as most , but it has been improved.

 

[donline]

I like Opera , but not as fast as most , but it has been improved.

Thanks SR-71. Yes, Opera looks like a nice option.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

No problem glad to assist.

 

[donline]

No problem glad to assist.

I think my browser (and computer) has been infected with some kind of trojan (IDP.Alexa.51). What would you recommend to completely 100% remove it? Thanks!

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

What Antivirus are you currently running sometimes this is a false positive?

 

[donline]

What Antivirus are you currently running sometimes this is a false positive?

I'm using Avast (and have also run Malwarebytes).

I was using Audacity sound editing software yesterday and installed a plugin (from a website I was unsure about) to enable it to work with MP3 files, then within an hour or so my computer (laptop with Windows 10) started some strange behaviours...

I noticed that my computer was running a little slower and that a window would pop up and disappear very quickly (like a black MS-DOS script/command window). I noticed that the window would appear after I selected and connected to my Wi-Fi network ('Wi-Fi/Internet Access' icon/menu in the bottom right of the Windows Taskbar). Eventually, my anti-virus software (Avast) picked up on something and moved the file (setup.exe) into the 'Virus Chest' where it was quarantined, and then I selected the option to delete the file.

After that, I uninstalled Audacity and the plugin (plus three 'Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable' installations that came along with the plugin - I noticed that when one of them was uninstalling it was displaying Russian language for the standard uninstallation wording).

Now, having deleted the setup.exe file and the above, the pop-up window/script is no longer appearing and the system appears to be running as normal.

However, my concern is that perhaps something (a virus) is still running in the background and could be causing problems. I'm concerned that the file/virus could possibly infect my personal files (documents, photos etc) and be using my Wi-Fi to access my system.

What would you recommend as options for me? I'd like to make sure 100% that the virus is completely gone from my system.

Details from Avast were:
Threat name: IDP.Alexa.51
Infected file: setup.exe
Original location: Cusers/[user]/AppData/Local/Temp/{A903590C-FA7E-4E70-B6F4-E853D8C82EBB}
When I went to that location now there is a file called '_ISMSIDEL' (file type 'configuration settings').

Thanks for all your help, much appreciated!

 

[Avast-Team]

What Antivirus are you currently running sometimes this is a false positive?

I'm using Avast (and have also run Malwarebytes).

I was using Audacity sound editing software yesterday and installed a plugin (from a website I was unsure about) to enable it to work with MP3 files, then within an hour or so my computer (laptop with Windows 10) started some strange behaviours...

I noticed that my computer was running a little slower and that a window would pop up and disappear very quickly (like a black MS-DOS script/command window). I noticed that the window would appear after I selected and connected to my Wi-Fi network ('Wi-Fi/Internet Access' icon/menu in the bottom right of the Windows Taskbar). Eventually, my anti-virus software (Avast) picked up on something and moved the file (setup.exe) into the 'Virus Chest' where it was quarantined, and then I selected the option to delete the file.

After that, I uninstalled Audacity and the plugin (plus three 'Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable' installations that came along with the plugin - I noticed that when one of them was uninstalling it was displaying Russian language for the standard uninstallation wording).

Now, having deleted the setup.exe file and the above, the pop-up window/script is no longer appearing and the system appears to be running as normal.

However, my concern is that perhaps something (a virus) is still running in the background and could be causing problems. I'm concerned that the file/virus could possibly infect my personal files (documents, photos etc) and be using my Wi-Fi to access my system.

What would you recommend as options for me? I'd like to make sure 100% that the virus is completely gone from my system.

Details from Avast were:
Threat name: IDP.Alexa.51
Infected file: setup.exe
Original location: Cusers/[user]/AppData/Local/Temp/{A903590C-FA7E-4E70-B6F4-E853D8C82EBB}
When I went to that location now there is a file called '_ISMSIDEL' (file type 'configuration settings').

Thanks for all your help, much appreciated!

Based on your description, it looks like the threat was blocked and quarantined, which is great!

It seems quite clear that the plugin you downloaded was infected. If you still have the information from that website, you can submit it to our threat labs for analysis. We've already identified and blocked the malware, but any information helps us keeps our users safe: https/support.avast.com/en-ww/article/258/

As far as ensuring the entire system is safe, I'd strongly recommend running a Full Scan (your entire machine) with the heuristics in Avast set to "high." You would so this by selecting Scans, then Full Virus Scan -> Settings -> Sensitivity. Save that setting then run the scan.

You could/should also try a boot time scan, as sometimes malware can re-propagate itself: https/support.avast.com/en-ww/article/132/