We have said in the past that the safest browser is the updated one, whatever it is, without making too many distinctions between Internet Explorer, Firefox Chrome or Safari which, from the point of view of vulnerabilities, are quite strong and difficult to exploit to hijack a computer. Browser security problems arise from external plugins, which are not extensions but add-ons that allow browsers to open certain content such as videos or animations.
As, after some time, these plugins continue to create problems and are less and less important and necessary, the time has come to recommend their removal, uninstallation or, at the limit, deactivation .
Browser plugins are the easiest and most immediate target for those looking for computer vulnerabilities .
Firefox uses a plug-in system called NPAPI derived from Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer uses the infamous ActiveX control, known for its security problems while Chrome uses a system called PPAPI, designed to provide additional sandbox protection, good but not sufficient to protect users from vulnerabilities.
Fortunately, modern sites and the latest browser versions have made these plugins much less important than a few years ago.
For example, it is increasingly difficult to come across a site made in Java which is the plugin most affected by cyber attacks.
The Flash Player is also less and less used, especially after Youtube has permanently deleted it from its videos in favor of HTML5 technology which does not require any plugins.
Plug-ins are therefore destined, sooner or later, to disappear completely from the web.
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To have more security on the browser and while browsing the internet, it is therefore worth turning off or removing obsolete, old and almost useless plugins.
To see the list of plugins installed on each browser and disable them, proceed as follows.
- In Google Chrome you can see the list of installed plugins by opening a tab with the address chrome: // plugins / .
You can also open the same page by pressing the menu button at the top right, go to Settings -> Show advanced settings -> Content settings (Under Privacy ) -> Disable individual plugins .
- In Firefox click the menu button, go to Manage add-ons and select Plugins .
- In Internet Explorer click on the menu button at the top right, go to the Add-ons Manager and select the " Toolbars and extensions " list.
From here, click under the word Show at the bottom left and choose All add-ons .
- With Safari click on the Safari menu, select Preferences, click on the security icon, then on the Settings button to the right of " Internet plugin "
- Opera is like Chrome, only the page to open in a new tab is opera: // plugins .
From these pages it is only possible to disable the various plugins, not to remove them.
This is because plugins are not browser specific extensions but real integrated programs.
To remove plugins from browsers, you must uninstall them from your computer by going to the Windows Control Panel and opening the utility to uninstall programs.
From the list, locate the names of the plugins and remove them.
The plugins that can be removed to have a safer browser are:
- Silverlight : today there are very few sites that request it, and even more is needed to watch videos from the RAI and Mediaset sites that have switched to Flash (RAI) and HTML5 (Mediaset).
- Java : I have said in the past to disable Java to avoid security problems and this is worth more than yesterday.
Java applets have practically disappeared from the modern web and if this request were still met, it would be better to give up seeing that site than to get this cancer in the body.
Even if there is a need to have the Java program installed on the PC (for business applications or to play Minecraft), the plugin does not need to be active on the browser.
- Flash : Flash has always been the most important plugin for every browser because it allows, among other things, to open streaming videos, especially from Youtube.
Today many video sites use HTML 5 and, recently, Youtube has eliminated the request for the Flash plugin to view its videos.
The problem is that it has become insecure and full of security vulnerabilities, so it is best to disable Flash on all browsers .
- Other useless plug-ins are that of Google Talk, that of Google Earth, QuickTime, RealPlayer, Windows Media Player, VLC, iTunes Detector.
- Finally, there are plugins that are almost viruses and it is therefore worth checking with an automatic tool called ADWCleaner, which identifies and removes them automatically.
For those who intend to leave, such as, in addition to Flash, support for PDF, Unity Player for online games, Chrome remote desktop and so on, it is important to check that the plugins are updated .
A final tip : on the browser used daily (for example Chrome), it is worth disabling almost all plugins so, in addition to being more secure, this will also be lighter and faster.
The plugins that can be used every now and then can remain on another browser (for example Firefox), using it when you have to open a site that requires them.
