The Three Browser Strategy

Rednose · 2015-09-15T04:46:14.000Z

Hi Guys

To my users I recommend the “The Three Browser Strategy”.
What it is I will explain to you :

Use one browser for everyday browsing. For example Firefox.
Use another browser for all banking and financial browsing. For example Opera or Avast SafeZone.
Use the Tor browser for private browsing.

With this simple browser strategy you will be more secure and private on the internet.

Firefox : https://www.mozilla.org/firefox
Opera : http://www.opera.com
Tor Browser : https://www.torproject.org/projects/torbrowser.html.en#downloads

Greetz, Red.

polonus · 2015-09-15T11:50:55.000Z

Hi Rednose,

Good formula but I would advice everyone to use a decent adware and script blocker in the browser.
Whenever you feel up to toggling it (does not need that much practice really and no rocket technology, just a bit of good will) have NoScript and Request Police extension in firefox or uMatrix in Google Chrome (very easy to handle) and combine with a decent adblocker solution like Adguard or uBlock origin. Of-course everyone has Avast Online Security running and the shields protection.

My personal extra favorites - WOT (just for the user reports - I contribute there also), Bitdefender TrafficLight for all it blocks and DrWeb’s URL pre-scanner add-on. Privacy Badger and Ghostery top my extension formula off (not on all browsers).
For my bulk browsing I use Google Chrome, secure browsing on Firefox with NS and RP. Oh and whenever I can I run the browser within sandboxie. I haven’t used tor browser as I haven’t felt the need for it, whenever I feel my online identity is becoming endangered I would consider but I always surf like I am standing on a soap-box in Hyde-Park and all I do with a browser is done in public, but I can imagine situations where one should be aware (on open routers, in a hotel, on an airfield strip).
On an android I would advice to install adblock browser and WOT-tab-browsing, you can toggle to access the Google Android browser that way for instance. Safer and faster for sure.

polonus

GopherJohn · 2015-09-15T14:32:55.000Z

I have three browsers installed here. I use separate Windows User accounts for banking, finance; another for those sites that I must log onto, and one for browsing when I don’t wish to be tracked and all history, etc is deleted from that account when browser is closed. Hopefully, this prevents private information ‘bleeding’ over to the other User/browser setup. Thus far, this seems to work.

DavidR · 2015-09-15T14:45:53.000Z

I have two browsers installed, only because I can’t get rid of IE.

bob3160 · 2015-09-16T23:39:38.000Z

From a security standpoint, the recommendation isn’t about the number of browsers one uses but,
how many Devices are used to access your bank and financial related transactions.
The recommendation is that you only use ONE Device for your financial transactions.

Staticguy · 2015-09-17T01:09:45.000Z

Good strategy Rednose! Even though I have IE11 and Google Chrome. I use only google chrome for everything. Online banking and etc. I don’t use IE11 at all.

mchain · 2015-09-17T19:12:07.000Z

DavidR post:4:

I have two browsers installed, only because I can’t get rid of IE.

Worse with Win 10. Three here and can’t get rid of either IE or Edge.

bob3160 · 2015-09-17T19:24:21.000Z

mchain post:7:

DavidR post:4:

I have two browsers installed, only because I can’t get rid of IE.

Worse with Win 10. Three here and can’t get rid of either IE or Edge.

If you’re not using them, all do do is take up a small amount of HD space. Just as any other browser you decide to download and not use.

Rednose · 2015-09-17T19:41:42.000Z

bob3160 post:5:

From a security standpoint, the recommendation isn’t about the number of browsers one uses but,
how many Devices are used to access your bank and financial related transactions.
The recommendation is that you only use ONE Device for your financial transactions.

My “Three Browser Strategy” has indeed more to do with privacy than security.
But also from a security standpoint it is better to seperate your Financial - from your Everyday browsing.
A good option is also a Linux live DVD or USB.

Btw. I realise just know that in my first post I unintentionally “revealed” something about Avast 2016

Greetz, Red.

bob3160 · 2015-09-17T19:49:23.000Z

Rednose post:9:

bob3160 post:5:

From a security standpoint, the recommendation isn’t about the number of browsers one uses but,
how many Devices are used to access your bank and financial related transactions.
The recommendation is that you only use ONE Device for your financial transactions.

My “Three Browser Strategy” has indeed more to do with privacy than security.
But also from a security standpoint it is better to seperate your Financial - from your Everyday browsing.
A good option is also a Linux live DVD or USB.

Btw. I realise just know that in my first post I unintentionally “revealed” something about Avast 2016

Greetz, Red.

"
I’ve never know you to reveal anything “unintentionally”.

Even the use of the Tor browser doesn’t really ensure true privacy.
True privacy means keeping it to yourself. Anything revealed on the internet can always be discovered.

Rednose · 2015-09-17T20:19:19.000Z

Hi Bob

You are right, true privacy on the internet is difficult.
But if everyone is going to use strong encrypted VPN connections and/or Tor, it will be too expensive for organisations like the NSA to track us all.
Yes, a financial DDOS of the NSA ! And finally we will have some privacy

Greetz, Red.

DavidR · 2015-09-17T21:01:27.000Z

bob3160 post:8:

mchain post:7:

DavidR post:4:

I have two browsers installed, only because I can’t get rid of IE.

Worse with Win 10. Three here and can’t get rid of either IE or Edge.

If you’re not using them, all do do is take up a small amount of HD space. Just as any other browser you decide to download and not use.

Not entirely correct - IE isn’t just installed and dormant it is integrated into the OS and that has been what I have hated for some considerable time. Call me paranoid if you wish, but exploit IE and the potential is there to exploit the OS functions that us IE to display content.

Even if you don’t use it you still have to update it were possible.

Rednose · 2015-09-17T21:16:32.000Z

I agree with David

If you can’t get rid of IE or Edge, you are vulnerable to anyone who want to expoit it.

Greetz, Red.

bob3160 · 2015-09-17T21:21:03.000Z

Rednose post:13:

I agree with David

If you can’t get rid of IE or Edge, you are vulnerable to anyone who want to expoit it.

Greetz, Red.

It was my understanding that if you’re in the EU, you had the option to not install either or both ???
I personally don’t see nor have I ever experienced an infection because someone bypassed something in either of these two browsers.

DavidR · 2015-09-17T21:35:52.000Z

bob3160 post:14:

Rednose post:13:

I agree with David

If you can’t get rid of IE or Edge, you are vulnerable to anyone who want to expoit it.

Greetz, Red.

It was my understanding that if you’re in the EU, you had the option to not install either or both ???
I personally don’t see nor have I ever experienced an infection because someone bypassed something in either of these two browsers.

No because MS took the decision to have them both as I can recall saying that the EU is likely to get uptight about monopolistic/anti trust issues again.

Even when there was a choice IE was still there and embedded in the OS.

polonus · 2015-09-17T22:46:45.000Z

Here I have to agree with bob3160 fully as he is right! True privacy is what you do not put out on the Internet but keep to yourself.
Just take a situation that you really expect tor browsing to be a guarantee to privacy (and in some sense it could be that) still when you run AVG av local services or a VPN for instance their privacy policy states that your meta-data could go to their affiliates and who knows whose desk that is your data will land on (your surf history, your real IP, your real MAC address, your credit card info you used to buy AVG products (also known to their third party services) and maybe to …, I say maybe and just use your imagination there. Just like bob3160 says, I would not like to feed anyone’s false illusions, to-days digital technology has turned every digital citizen into one that is completely and utterly transparent, they know your geo-location, when you are standing in front of what shop, your smartmeter data, your smart whatever data, you are constantly “logged-filed-and barreled” and there is nothing you can do about it. It is the society we have chosen to live in.

Well anyway you could block mal-ads, you could block mal-scripts, learn to evade the dark-alleys of the Interwebs and make it a little harder to profile your every move. At least you are an inspiration for me to turn into a volunteer website analyst and website error hunter to at least seek to add to Avast detection to put up the road-signs and -blocks to make your surfing a bit less risky. And it is my pleasure to do so. Everybody should do the Avast evangelism with the best talents that came endowed to him or her and it always has been a privilege that Avast gave us the platform to do so and at a mutual benefit.

polonus (volunteer webbsite security analyst and website error-hunter)

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