The Browser Hacker's Handbook

CHAPTER 1

Web Browser Security

A lot of responsibility is placed upon the broad shoulders of the humble web browser. The web browser is designed to request instructions from all over the Internet, and these instructions are then executed almost without question. The browser must faithfully assemble the remotely retrieved content into a standardized digestible form and support the rich feature set available in today's Web 2.0.

Remember, this is the same software with which you conduct your important affairs—from maintaining your social networks to online banking. This software is also expected to protect you even if you venture down the many figurative dark alleys of the Internet. It is expected to support venturing down such an alleyway while making a simultaneous secure purchase in another tab or window. Many assume their browser to be like an armored car, providing a secure and comfortable environment to observe the outside world, protecting all aspects of one's personal interests and deflecting anything dangerous. By the end of this book, you will have the information to decide if this is a sound assumption.

The development team of this “all singing and all dancing” software has to ensure that each of its numerous nooks and crannies don't provide an avenue for a hacker. Whether or not you consciously know it, every time you use a browser, you are trusting a team of people you have probably never met (and likely never will) to protect your important information from the attackers ...