PayPal not an Apple fanboy, discourages use of Safari

Filed under: Business, Security, Web services, Apple

PayPal not an Apple fanboy, discourages use of Safari

by Simon Kerbel Feb 28th 2008

PayPal recently issued a warning regarding the Safari web browser. And it's fairly dire: don't use it unless you want to be a victim of online fraud.

Now that's coming out swinging.

PayPal has left Safari out of its list of recommended browsers because it lacks two anti-phishing security features:

Safari has no built-in phishing filter to warn users of suspicious sites
Safari has no support for EV (Extended Validation) certificates, a secure web browsing technology that gives a visual cue in the browser when it visits a legitimate web site.

Until Safari updates its technology to incorporate these solutions, PayPal will recommend using IE7 and Opera, which are the only browsers that currently support EV certificates (the upcoming Firefox 3, along with its current beta, also add support for EV certificates).

So is the Safari browser really less secure because of these missing features? In our mind, it seems that phishing filters and EV certificates are secure only insofar as people are cognizant of the technology. Some studies show (download PDF) that EV certificates aren't effective unless someone is specifically trained to notice the green address-bar notification. And how many times do you think some unwitting computer user has clicked through a warning of a possible phishing attempt?

In the tech support world, there is a funny phrase where the support problem is described as a problem "between the chair and the computer." The question is, is the phishing technology in place in IE7 (and others) effective enough to keep us from doing something stupid?

You make the call.

[via Yahoo! News]

Tags: payPal, Safari, security

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Esenkay said 6:54PM on 2-28-2008

I think the only way for an anti phishing program to work is to disable the form content on the website and then send an automatic email to the host of the files. If these phishing sites are a problem then disable them in broswer.

People also need to be educated as you said. It's pretty simple to avoid getting phished.

Esenkay said 6:55PM on 2-28-2008

I also feel that phishing programs are part of the reason people are not educating themselve. Why bother if there is a program that can do it for them?

hnkelley said 11:46AM on 2-29-2008

Safari seems to have some compatibility issues anyway. At my work, we provide free WiFi. The system redirects you from your normal home page to our log on page for entering you library card number and pin. Random versions (whole and updates) of Safari just won't connect or log in and we've no idea why. IE, Fire Fox, Opera all work with no problems. With that in mind, I'd recommend against using Safari for financials as well.

Joshua Clayton said 12:26AM on 3-01-2008

grrreaaaattt.... giving people another reason to use Internet Explorer ... when will IE die??? lol

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