Privacy feature in Internet Explorer 8 leaks private data
The InPrivate Browsing feature built into the second beta version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8 browser is designed to delete a user's browsing history and other personal data that is gathered and stored during regular browsing sessions. The feature is commonly referred to as 'porn mode' for its ability to hide which websites have been visited from nosy spouses or employers. But forensic experts say the 'privacy option in this beta is mainly cosmetic.'
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Either way you look at it Microsoft Data Center management did not follow standards or best practices in this failure. In which case it makes me wonder more about the outsourcing of corporate data much less personal data.
- mburton325
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You mean software still in
You mean software still in beta testing has flaws? SHOCKING!Wow that was a stretch for a
Wow that was a stretch for a story wasn't it? I guess unless it does a DOD wipe of cache and slack space on your computer only slowing your computer 'experience" down for an hour of more its not secure in your mind. The last time I checked my wife didn't have a computer forensics expert on retainer.The idea is that it should
The idea is that it should disable caching entirely, then there wouldn't be any files to erase and wipe.Wonderful-more employers
Wonderful-more employers defrauded of work time and more wives with porn addicted husbands.The world is a better place cuz of you Bill gates....I'd say you don't have a
I'd say you don't have a point but I'm at work. :)Oh don't be so facile!
Oh don't be so facile! People want privacy so software engineers write privacy modules or plug-ins. Firefox leads the way in the field - and it's one of the forerunners of the Open Source movement ... the very antithesis of Bill Gates!If you think that employers
If you think that employers cannot tell where you have been without looking at your computer... you are kidding yourself. Any business big enough to have an IT department has logs of every single thing you do via the http protocol.The only person this can "fool" is a non-technical husband/wife/mother/father.
What seems to be eluding the
What seems to be eluding the experts, Microsoft and the general public is the INDEX.DAT file that is stored by IE of all versions. The users complete surfing history is stored on that file.There are several third party programs that can clean this file. You can also F8 safe mode, clean the entries, reboot.
Previously to Firefox I made the file read-only, so it wouldn't take any further entries. When Firefox came out, I no longer had to worry about Microsoft's INDEX.DAT snooping file, keeping track of me.
Bottom line is Microsoft could stop pretending about giving the user privacy, since they are the biggest violators of it. They should remove the INDEX.DAT file for good and then you might have 'some' privacy.
Till then, Firefox and third party software with proxies will help more than Microsoft's child like approach to privacy & security.
if it is beta version then
if it is beta version then it's ok.defect will get remove soonThe majority of these
The majority of these responses have been brought to you by The Ministry of Silly Comments...I don't believe they can
I don't believe they can build a browser which makes everyonr happy. If they do in-privacy mode, then wives complain about how miserable Bill Gates and Mivrosoft is, if they make grouping tabs, they are accused of being the follower-firefox.What the heck are they supposed to do without adding features that made users happy in other browsers? Should they go and return back to ie 4 just because it was that original no one knew an alternative as in those days..
Never trust this kind of
Never trust this kind of software. Find out where on your computer the cookies are, the history is, the cache etc... and set up a place, it could be a folder on your desktop, and put shortcuts/alias in there. Then it's simply a matter of closing your browser and manually deleting all traces yourself. This will not, and neither will Ex8 delete any traces of you that are 'out there' beyond your computer though.Let's be careful out there...
What happened to about
What happened to about women's lib?"...more employers defrauded of work time and more wives with porn addicted husbands."
Or husbands with porn addicted wives...
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071215161551AAcntwW
Stretch for a story? Not
Stretch for a story? Not exactly, and YES a DoD cache wipe and of the slack space, etc, etc. would do the trick. The point here is that Microsoft mis-represented the feature in the first place leaving people to believe they were secure when in fact they were not.To pull this off your best bet is via one of the "Preinstalled environments with Tor enabled:" at this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Onion_Router
If you must remain in Windows then use CCLeaner & Eraser
http://www.ccleaner.com/
http://www.heidi.ie/node/6
And of course in FF3 "Ctrl+Shift+Del" can 'Clear ALL Private Data' and is configurable.
Manual deletes are NOT
Manual deletes are NOT enough, try downloading a file recovery tool and seeing how many of your recently deleted files are still recoverable. The manual solution is no match for these tools or a forensic expert. Get a tool like Eraser as mentioned, secure wipes work wonders.Free windows file recovery
http://www.recuva.com/
ie8
It makes me smile sometimes when i see this , private mode and what not , why have private mode that doesn't work ? not that it bothers me because i know they don't work and i have just done a run on ie8 in (inprivate mode) ! piece of pizza , all browsing history found. Now what worries me is when people think they are ridding their tracks,when actually they are not! and its not the wife they need worry about its the kids , they are far more safisticated than you think on this, especially around 13 - 15 yrs old's, you are much wiser using an evidence ellimunation programme rather than rely on this, it would be easy for old william's team to implemnt this into any internet explorer so that its untraceable even by experts , my only question is Why Don't They ? only if it was as hard as the reCAPTCHA on this site lolIndex.dat on ie8
Does index.dat exsist in ie8? If so does pose a threat to me as far as other people finding out my browsing history?