Last May's " How to improve security in Firefox, Chrome, and IE" described how to allow JavaScript on a site-by-site basis and how to block third-party cookies. In a post from October 2012, I explained how to disable Java in IE, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. You might be surprised how many sites function just fine with JavaScript disabled.
Considering the risk posed by rogue JavaScript, it's a pain I'll live with gladly. There's no denying that taking a white-list approach to JavaScript is a bit of a pain. Unfortunately, one thing all three of the browsers have in common with Google Chrome is that by default they run JavaScript and accept third-party cookies.Īllowing JavaScript site-by-site is only a mild aggravation (The company also provides the Comodo IceDragon browser based on Firefox's Mozilla engine.)ĭooble bears the least resemblance to Google Chrome: where SRWare Iron and Comodo Dragon use the same settings interface as Chrome, Dooble's settings use a distinct tabbed interface.
As you might expect from a security software vendor such as Comodo, the program offers other enhanced security and privacy features. SRware Iron distinguishes itself from Chrome by not sharing with Google any of the information you enter.Ĭomodo Dragon likewise claims not to communicate with Google. I tried out three browsers that are based on the same open-source Chromium engine as Google Chrome and that claim to offer enhanced security. (Safari does the latter but not the former.) Out of the box, Firefox and Google Chrome run JavaScript and accept third-party cookies, and while IE blocks most third-party cookies, it runs JavaScript by default. I haven't yet found a browser that by default blocks JavaScript and all third-party cookies. When Mark Stockley of the Sophos Naked Security blog polled readers last September about which browser they considered the most secure, Firefox was the big winner, gleaning more than 50 percent of the votes, followed by Chrome with just under 27 percent and IE with 8 percent. In terms of security, the answer may be Firefox. According to NSS Labs' 2013 Browser Security Comparative Analysis: Privacy ( PDF), Internet Explorer tops Firefox and Chrome by blocking most third-party cookies by default and offering a built-in tracking protection list. In terms of privacy, the answer may be Internet Explorer. Identify the trackers and other privacy threats on the current page via Comodo Dragon's built-in PrivDog tool.