Is Firefox as secure as IE7?

Question

Simple question

Answer 1

I think FireFox is more secure and less prone to Internet attacks than IE.

Answer 2

Firefox is more secure 'out of the box', as it were... The more plugins you use, the more vulnerable you are to exploits.

As to answerer 1 - that makes no sense at all. All you can do to make IE secure is turn off everything that makes it attractive to the average punter - in which case, you might as well use Lynx. As to your suggestion that Firefox cannot be made secure - well, your 12 years have been clearly wasted, if that's the extent of your knowledge.

EDIT: sewrobb - do you live in the same reality as most other people? If so, get your magnificent, untouchable browser over to google, and search for 'internet explorer exploits'. You'll notice that it's had, and continues to have, many problems with security. Not that FF hasn't, of course.

Furthermore, if you think one bit of software renders you immune, you are living in cloud cuckoo land.

Answer 3

The main factor over looked by my fellow learned MS professional is this, IE is integral to your operating system and stating the obvious Windows based, Mozilla engines are not, so to conclude and save you all the stuff about why, believe us Firefox is a far superior choice, by far..

Answer 4

No, but it has a better default configuration.

If you take the time, IE can be immune to malware, FireFox cannot be. Nobody bothers to take the time.

Answer 5

firefox is more secure especially when you use it with ad-block plus and no script add-on

Answer 6

Nothing to do with what browser you use That's a total urban myth banded about by brainwashed users.

It's all on how good your Internet Security and Firewall is! Nothing more, nothing less.

A browser is nothing more than a tool to access the Internet. Like anything else there are variations on the original design!

I have used IE right from the begining with the absolute minimum requirments and I don't get anything on this machine and haven't done for eight years. I don't use any popup blockers, Spyware, Adware and all the other free rubbish.

I don't need any of that because my Security and Firewall [One complete program] takes care of all that. So explain that!

Answer 7

It's actually far more secure.

One time there was a virus on myspace via an advertisement. Internet Explorer 7 would allow this virus on to the computer where as Firefox would not.

Answer 8

Firefox is more secure I won't go near IE, I use Firefox with the NoScript add-on.

Firefox has simpler yet more powerful security options.  

Answer 9

FF is MUCH more secure than IE7.  For many reasons.

The main being that IE7 is used by so many more users that it is attacked by hackers more.

Others are the add in features that make surfing faster AND it is better at stopping phishing attacks!