By Laura Yecies
Last July, Brian Krebs at the Washington Post cited some daunting statistics regarding the security of browsers used by everyday people.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2008/07/40_percent_of_web_users_surf_w_1.html?nav=rss_blo
The study, conducted by researchers from Google, IBM and the Communication Systems Group in Switzerland, relied on data from server logs provided by Google for search requests between Jan. 2007 and June 2008. The researchers found that of the 1.4 billion Internet users worldwide at the end of March 2008, 576 million surfed with outdated versions of Web browsers.
That means 40% of surfers are have little-to-no defense against browser attacks, most commonly attacks that target you when you arrive at an infected Web site.
For a long time, we’ve been strong advocates for patching all your software. It’s the first line of defense in an ideal world. But how many of us update every piece of software on our PC the minute it’s available? When was the last time you updated Acrobat? RealPlayer? Firefox? Your IM client? Flash? How many other programs have you downloaded that might occasionally have vulnerabilities or even exploits? It’s not practical to think you’ll always be patched 100% of the time.
This was exactly why we created ZoneAlarm ForceField a year ago (anniversary two weeks ago, congrats team!).
ZA ForceField creates a virtual bubble around your browser to prevent drive-by downloads and other browser flaws. It primarily runs in the background, so you don’t have to change your behavior or avoid typically risky places. Unlike warning mechanisms, ForceField protects you even if you make a mistake.
ZoneAlarm ForceField not only guards against Web-based attacks, but it can save you from making a costly phishing error. With advanced anti-phishing capabilities to protect you even from new phishing sites newly launched, even if you are fooled by a fraudulent e-mail posing as your bank or PayPal, ForceField will stay true.
We were first out of the gate with a true multi-layered consumer browser virtualization solution, but the strategy has been validated by other vendors in the enterprise space, and even by Google, who included a segment of browser virtualization in Google Chrome. We believe it’s the wave of the future available today, like a firewall for your browser.
You can get a free trial at www.zonealarm.com/forcefield
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