Safari was the only browser available for Mac OS until a couple of years ago, and Apple released a Windows version only in 2007. That is not to say the browser isn’t good. It is. It was made by Apple to closely integrate with their Mac OS, so that already says something about its quality.
It looks great and it has enough features to compete with any current browser on the market. In fact it is number 3 by choice in North America (including Mac and PC computers; after Firefox and Chrome; we’re not counting the default installs of Internet Explorer) and is at a tie with Opera in the rest of the world.
Despite having the same security features as the rest of the browsers, it could be argued that it is more secure, mainly because no hacker or scammer pays enough attention to it to actually create a virus, Trojan or malware that would use it to spread to the users’ computers.
Let’s see some of the security and privacy features that make Safari a good choice for a web browser.
Private Browsing. Safari, of course, has its own version of Private Browsing. In fact, it was one of the first browsers to implement such a feature. The drill is standard: anything you view in such a session is deleted, including all traces like cookies and history.
Automatic Updates. Automatic updates are a very important part of any modern program, and Safari is no exception. It will automatically update when a new version is released. The checker works every hour, as opposed to daily on most other browsers, which could be a good thing if there is a serious security hole discovered.
Pop-up blocker. Safari’s pop up blocker is standard stuff, on the same level as Chrome or Firefox. It will block any pop ups except those triggered by the user (by clicking a link or button) or Javascript ones (you can globally disable Javascript if you want to avoid that).
Anti-phishing filter. The anti-phishing filter uses several well known online services plus Apple’s own phishing sites list (which is mainly aimed at protecting Mac OS X users), which may give it an advantage over other browsers.
Global Javascript blocker. The global JS blocker integrated into Safari is a very useful tool that can stop 90% of the viruses and Trojans online. It is best to leave it enabled, and disable it only on sites that you trust. But you can leave it always disabled if you only visit the same sites every day and all of them are trusted.
Third party cookies disabled by default. Unlike most other browsers, Safari has the cookie write disabled for third parties by default. This is a pretty good security measure, as third party cookies are rarely used on today’s web sites and frequently used for scam or phishing purposes.
Manual approval of any downloads. Of course, Safari asks the user if he would like to accept a download every time, for every file. This adds an extra layer of security in the form of the user himself, and if he knows what he’s doing, he’ll figure out a bad file in a moment.
Lack of ActiveX controls. This may be considered a bad thing by some, but due to ActiveX not being used on any modern sites and used for older phishing and virus injecting sites, it is a good thing for your security. Internet Explorer still fully supports this old technology and that makes it vulnerable to such attacks. Firefox and Chrome support it too, but add an extra security level by asking the user to confirm and allow the ActiveX to run. Safari doesn’t have this feature at all, so it is quite a bit safer.
Antivirus integration. And last, but not the least, integration with various antivirus programs. Of course Safari can do it. It can be integrated with everything from the Windows Defender to ESET Smart Security to Norton Antivirus. The antivirus will scan a downloaded file right after it has finished downloading and when you try to open it from Safari. It will be deleted or quarantined if it’s infected, depending on the settings in the antivirus software.
Safari is a pretty good web browser for Windows and Mac, and you can definitely use it without having to worry about security and privacy issues. Too bad it doesn’t have an extensions system and database (sort of like the iPhone apps marketplace). That would instantly propel it to the top of the browsers lists. Let’s hope Apple will integrate this feature in one of the future releases.
