A good browser should:

* Have security features to protect users from common threats of the Internet.

The infamous Internet Explorer from Microsoft included an extremely dangerous feature into the software back in 1,996 called “Active-X”, which is a specification to enable the execution of software inside the browser. This made it possible for Microsoft to run applications like Excel inside the browser, which gave them an incredible advantage comparing to other browsers. The sad side of things is that also they enabled malware to execute within the browser, opening a horrible opportunity for crackers all over the world, which could exploit the smallest error in the program to enable their own software into the browser.

Scams, such as “Cross-Site Referral Forgery”, “One Click Attack” or “Session Riding”, can succeed in getting your browser to authorize withdrawals from your bank account. For example, you are part of a forum and in sharing information back and forth with others you unwittingly insert a piece of your private, personal information. Someone in the forum, perhaps the person who is asking personal questions, can and will harvest your personal information from your forum entries and in time get to your accounts.

If those you do business with online use cookies in your browser to authenticate your identity, there is always the potential for a scammer to run a scam.