Q: Which web browser is most secure?

I found Firefox to be the most secure. It has tons of customization options, it’s open-source, and it automatically blocks third-party tracking cookies. Firefox also includes excellent anti-phishing features. While its anti-phishing still isn’t as good as Norton ’s, it blocked more dangerous websites than any other web browser on my list. Finally, Firefox has a massive add-on marketplace, meaning you can download extensions to improve your web browser’s security. When I tested Firefox, I downloaded TotalAV’s Ad Blocker extension, and it worked really well, blocking most of the ads on websites I visited.

Question 1

What is Shodan?

Accepted Answer

Shodan is a search engine scanning the entirety of the internet for connected devices. Shodan is similar to more well-known search engines like Google, but instead of indexing websites, Shodan indexes each publicly available device connected to the internet.

Shodan can discover a ton of devices, from home baby monitors to the SCADA systems that are used to run a variety of industrial processes, from water treatment facilities to power plants. Academics, governments, and cybersecurity professionals use Shodan for a variety of reasons, including network security analysis and market research. Shodan can show developers how many users have installed the latest patch, and it can ping subscribers when a new device is added to their enterprise’s network.

Shodan is not a VPN or a network security tool — if you’re trying to keep your internet access private and protect your devices from cyber attacks, you need a trustworthy VPN like ExpressVPN and a good antivirus like Norton.

Question 2

What can Shodan be used for?

Accepted Answer

Shodan can be used to find vulnerabilities in your devices’ security. Paying users can use on-demand scanning to search for specific IP addresses in order to keep up-to-date on what information their devices are sharing with the web. This is particularly helpful for governments and city planners, but individuals can also disconnect any devices in the home that don’t actually require connection to the internet.

Shodan can also be a useful resource for data scientists, law enforcement officials, and cybersecurity professionals researching the dispersal of internet of things (IoT) products, operating systems, and server technology.

And, of course, Shodan can be used by hackers to break into your webcam, install a backdoor in your network, or hijack and sabotage your smart appliances. If you’re worried about protecting your network and IoT devices, I recommend using an internet security suite like Norton that can detect backdoor attacks, block network intrusions, and detect malware in real-time.

Hackers are more likely to use botnets to crawl the internet for user vulnerabilities — Shodan is rarely used by hackers for this reason, although there are some internet pranksters out there that enjoy finding strange and unsettling devices through Shodan.

Question 3

How do I use Shodan?

Accepted Answer

Without an account, users are able to search for free on Shodan.io, but some filters and functions are unavailable for free users. Shodan has 4 accounts available, from more affordable personal plans to costly enterprise plans with a large catalogue of advanced benefits.

The most basic Shodan searches will give you results by country, network, ports, and operating systems. You can also use filters in your queries to narrow your search: for example, if you want to see how many Cisco devices there are in Miami, you would search “Cisco city:Miami”. Your search can be as simple as this, or if you are more technically inclined, you can employ a more sophisticated search method like SafetyDetectives did to uncover a major security breach found in hospital and supermarket refrigeration systems.

Question 4

Is Shodan legal?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Shodan merely gathers information that’s already publicly available for reference purposes. Shodan doesn’t secretly gather information it isn’t allowed to have.Instead, it collects information already available on the internet.

Although news outlets were quick to label Shodan as a part of the “dark web”, Shodan is a perfectly legitimate website that has many benefits — there are hacker tools similar to Shodan that aren’t publicly available, so Shodan actually helps to “even the playing field” between hackers and IT professionals.

Question 5

How do I secure my browser?

Accepted Answer

First of all, it’s important to choose a secure browser, such as the ones on my list. But this isn’t enough in itself. For comprehensive security, I recommend investing in a decent antivirus with good web protection and using a VPN and a password manager too. Norton, for example, is a comprehensive antivirus suite that offers excellent web protection, an unlimited-data VPN, and a basic but secure password manager. As part of its web protection, Norton provides color-coded risk assessments of search results before you click on them, alerting you to malicious websites that can compromise your web browser.

Question 6

Is Google Chrome a secure web browser?

Accepted Answer

Google Chrome is the 6th most secure web browser on our top 10 list and has various features to keep you safe online. For example, Chrome includes Safe Browsing — which uses Google’s vast database of unsafe websites. If you try to visit one of these dangerous websites, Google will block access to it. In my phishing tests, Safe Browsing worked pretty well (but not as well as Bitdefender’s web protection did).

Question 7

Why does my web browser say it is not secure?

Accepted Answer

If your web browser says “Not Secure”, it means you’re accessing a dangerous website. In these situations, you should leave the website you’re on and run a malware scan on your computer as soon as possible. You can do this by using an antivirus program like Norton. You should avoid entering any details into the unsecure website you’ve visited or clicking on any links on the site. In the future, ensure you have good web protection so you can avoid visiting unsecure websites again.

Question 8

Which web browser is most secure?

Accepted Answer

I found Firefox to be the most secure. It has tons of customization options, it’s open-source, and it automatically blocks third-party tracking cookies.

Firefox also includes excellent anti-phishing features. While its anti-phishing still isn’t as good as Norton’s, it blocked more dangerous websites than any other web browser on my list.

Finally, Firefox has a massive add-on marketplace, meaning you can download extensions to improve your web browser’s security. When I tested Firefox, I downloaded TotalAV’s Ad Blocker extension, and it worked really well, blocking most of the ads on websites I visited.

Rachel Ho

Other Articles

What Is Shodan? How to Use It & How to Stay Protected [2023]

10 Most Secure Web Browsers in 2023: Ranked + Rated