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Safe surfing tools

Robert Vamosi Robert Vamosi, Senior Editor March 8, 2007

Surfing the Web can be dangerous business. We looked at five standalone safe surfing tools and compared them with the native protection within Firefox 2 and Internet Explorer 7. Each of the standalone tools promises and delivers very different results. For example, we found SiteAdvisor, the Netcraft toolbar, and LinkScanner Pro to be effective in identifying and blocking suspected phishing sites, but only SiteAdvisor Plus and Linkscanner Pro identified and blocked access to legitimate sites containing malicious downloads. The new Finjan SecureBrowsing tool is still in beta and was not evaluated. The native protection built into Firefox and Internet Explorer did not match the protection that we found in these standalone products. Although there is now a Firefox extension called Firekeeper that will check for malicious code before loading a Web page.

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Review date February 15, 2007 February 16, 2007 February 16, 2007 February 16, 2007 April 24, 2007 March 08, 2007
The Bottom Line The Netcraft toolbar sets a high standard for phishing detection. Unobtrusive and easy to use, you can't beat the price (free) for this toolbar. Linkscanner Pro does a superb job of ferreting out sites defaced with dangerous hacker code, but for complete antiphishing protection, you'll still need a second program, such as the free Netcraft toolbar. SiteAdvisor is one of the first secure browsing tools to go mainstream, however, since its acquisition by McAfee, the product delivers uneven test results and therefore can't be recommended over the free Netcraft toolbar. This premium edition of the free SiteAdvisor blocks also links from IM and e-mail, but we question whether that's enough to justify the additional cost. Newcomer Finjan SecureBrowsing does a great job of identifying sites with suspected malware content, but it misses phishing sites and those linking to sites that contain malicious exploits. This free Firefox extension, currently in alpha testing, blocks malicious sites at the browser.
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Features
PlatformInfo unavailableWindows
Windows
Windows
Windows
Windows
License TypeInfo unavailableLicense
License
License
License
License
SubcategoryInfo unavailableSecurity - desktop firewall
Security - intrusion and vulnerability detection
Internet & communication - internet utilities
Internet & communication - internet utilities
Internet & communication - internet utilities
Internet & communication - internet utilities
Product DescriptionInfo unavailableLinkScanner Pro - License
SiteAdvisor - License
SiteAdvisor - License
SiteAdvisor - License
SiteAdvisor - License
CategoryInfo unavailableSecurity applications
Internet & communication applications
Internet & communication applications
Internet & communication applications
Internet & communication applications
License PricingInfo unavailableStandard
Standard
Standard
Standard
Standard
License QtyInfo unavailable1 user
1 user
1 user
1 user
1 user
OS RequiredInfo unavailableMicrosoft Windows 2000
Microsoft Windows Vista
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Microsoft Windows 98
Microsoft Windows XP
Microsoft Windows 2000
Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
Microsoft Windows 98
Microsoft Windows XP
Microsoft Windows 2000
Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
Microsoft Windows 98
Microsoft Windows XP
Microsoft Windows 2000
Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
Microsoft Windows 98
Microsoft Windows XP
Microsoft Windows 2000
Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
Package TypeInfo unavailableRetail
Retail
Retail
Retail
Retail
Full specifications Full specifications Full specifications Full specifications Full specifications Full specifications Full specifications
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Click here to download Netcraft Toolbar from Download.com.


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Download for free from CNET Download.com.


Click here to download SiteAdvisor Plus from Download.com


Download for free from CNET Download.com.