Phishing filters are essential for surfing the internet.
The Safari Web Browser software does not have a phishing filter and this classifies it as an unsecure web browser by many banking sites such as PayPal. PayPal's CIO Michael Barrett recently said "Apple, unfortunately, is lagging behind what they need to do, to protect their customers. Our recommendation at this point, to our customers, is use Internet Explorer 7 or 8 when it comes out, or Firefox 2 or Firefox 3, or indeed Opera."
This supports the fact that Apple must step up their game in the security field before hackers take advantage of the vulnerabilities affecting several customers. The Safari Web Browser is lacking security features that are essential to protect users against phishing sites. Phishing is running wild and it does not matter if you use a Mac or Windows PC, phishing sites are targeting ALL users on the internet.
In non-techie terms: Why you should use a phishing filter.
Phishing sites are sites designed by hackers to resemble or mask a legitimate site that you may be familiar with. Phishing sites usually look exactly like the site that it is pretending to be. All web browsers should have comparable security features such as anti-phishing functions. Simply letting a computer user know that a site that they are visiting is safe and does not pose an imminent threat is a big step in keeping the internet safe. Anti-Phishing filters are designed to notify a user on the internet that the site that they are visiting is not legitimate and can potentially steal their personal information. Once a site is identified as a phishing site by a web browser the user is notified and the use of the particular web site should cease. This is an excellent way of protecting your personal information and avoid identity theft.
Should you discontinue use of Safari?
We do not want to condone throwing the Safari Web Browser out of the window just yet. If you are a savvy computer user that pays close attention to the websites that you visit you may be able to avoid phishing sites on your own. Many computer users know what to look for in a phishing site and are reluctant to giving out personal information. It is the users that casually surf the net without being cautious and visit a multitude of different websites in a short amount of time that fall victim to phishing sites. The odds are against the casual surfers and may run upon a phishing site before the day is over. It is always a good suggestion to utilize as many security tools as you can. This means running a web browser with a phishing filter among other essential security functions. This leaves us with the question whether Apple will force an update to the Safari Web Browser to implement phishing filters? Only time will tell.