Web Browser Leaves No FootPrint!

[polonus]

Hi bob3160,

Read what Yahoo tells about Browzar. Read Mr. Null's comments here:
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/2890

Browzar is not a browser, without IE Browzar cannot even run.
It can be compared to a sort of browser-condom, with which I mean that Browzar is a nefarious little IE shell. The only thing the browser encapsulating shell does, is remove tracks on your computer. Nothing more and nothing less, and for cookies only after the fact. Period.
It does not anything to prevent other preying eyes like your ISP, all tunneling and tracking Commercialism, your Govt. etc.

The adware site to it is, it is an inventive pay per click machine shell too for Yahoo's ad-department, because the default search page is like that, and cannot be altered. But you can give in the URL you like, and if that is http://www.scroogle.org/ then Browzar is not earning much in the pay per click arena for its inventor
After analyzing it, it fits completely in the new Web 2.0 sort of hype presentations, a lot Yahoo about (Browzar-) nothing...

Read this here: http://www.hanselman.com/blog/

polonus

[polonus]

Well malware fighters and user of privacy browsers,

Browzar should alter its name. And this should be defenitely being fixed:

1. Download it and visit a site you've never visited before using IE.
2. Open up the INDEX.DAT file in your Temporary Internet Files directory (such as: C:\Documents and Settings\(username)\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\index.dat) with Notepad.
3. Do a search for the URL, and there it is.

Not what I call a "no tracks" web browser. Of course a little research into the Internet Explorer engine would have told them it wasn't going to work. Until this is fixed Browzar is "Crapolar" to me,

polonus

[neal62]

Thanks for your investigation into this one Polonus. 

[bob3160]

Until this is fixed Browzar is "Crapolar" to me,

polonus

I think that's why Browzar received it's dishonourable mention in LockerGnome's Windows Fanitics newsletter today.

[drhayden1]

Earlier this week the big story was the launch of a new “safe” browser called Browzar, which InfoWorld called “the latest entrant to the crowded Internet browser market”.

Browzar promises to make web surfing more anonymous by disabling cookies, history, auto-complete, etc. The story was widely circulated, including writeups on BBC, CNET, Slashdot and Digg, among others. We even wrote about in on TechCrunch UK.

There were initial doubts raised that this was simply a stripped down version of IE with the offending functionaltiy turned off, and therefore nothing special. But none of the publications above did enough research into the product to realize that not only is Browzar not really an interesting product from a security point of view, but that the “browser” is going to great lengths to force users to click on Overture ads by constantly redirecting them to search ad pages served by Browzar itself.

Today Web3.0log went to that additional effort to actually test the product, and wrote a post called “New Secure Browser Browzar is Fake and Full of Adware” where they proceeded to rip the product apart on a feature by feature basis.

Contrary to earlier coverage, Browzar appears to be nothing but a simple shell to IE which forces Overture ads on its own users. The creators didn’t write a cache or history function, calling this a feature, and users are unable to change the search function or home page to anything other than Browzar ad results. Furthermore, some users are complaining that URL auto-complete is not working properly and also redirects to the Browzar home page, with ads, when it shouldn’t.

Wev2.0log concludes by saying “There was time when badware developers tried to install ad pages as homepage or searchpage in user’s IE by any possible means. Nowadays users install adware voluntarily and write news about it. True web2.0 style!”

Make your own decision on Browzar if you like, just make sure you know what it is you are downloading before you pull the trigger.

http://web3.0log.org/2006/09/01/new-secure-browser-browzar-is-fake-and-full-of-adware/

[FreewheelinFrank]

Just use Opera or Firefox and click 'Clear Private data' and you're done.

Your spouse will never see those sites you've been surfing looking for a birthday present. 

[bob3160]

You could also use GreenBrowser with the following settings
and wipe out everything whenever you close the browser if
you really have things you want to hide.....


Direct download of  GreenBrowser available Here

[Dwarden]

same like u can use Maxthon, MyIE2, Avant and any other good IE based browser ...

btw ... Polonus claiming browser based on IE engine is not browser is same like claim FireFox or Flock is not browser cause it uses Gecko

[FreewheelinFrank]

You could also use GreenBrowser...

same like u can use Maxthon, MyIE2, Avant and any other good IE based browser ...

Any IE based browser will presumably suffer from the same problem in that a record of cookies is stored in the index.dat file?

There are several free utilities that will delete index.dat files, but I think they all require a reboot:

http://www.geocities.com/dontsurfinthenude/

[drhayden1]

Hey Freewheelinfrank
This one will clean the index.dat without a reboot..
Cleans the following
   Internet Explorer
Temporary files, URL history, cookies, Autocomplete form history, index.dat.
http://www.ccleaner.com/

[FreewheelinFrank]

This one will clean the index.dat without a reboot..

'fraid not: requires a reboot. 

[drhayden1]

Never done it to me and i've used ccleaner for Years and it is checked

let me recheck and get back ....if i have it checked and it is not saying to reboot....why not???

[drhayden1]

ok....freewheelinfrank...you were right...i unchecked it then checked it again and it said the reboot screen to me too....i never knew that...so when you reboot your computer(don't do that much)it will  clean the index.dat files....you do not have to uncheck and check that box everytime to do that...do you??

[DavidR]

No you don't have to uncheck and recheck the box, when you click Run Cleaner button, it will do its work and clean all the checked options including delete the index,dat at the next reboot.

[polonus]

Howdy malware fighters,

I am going to try to take this Browzar apart, and see how it was designed. Fire up the old recStud and see how it hangs together pragmatically. Well you can consider this shell as a sort of IE "condom", and then a bad one because it leaks to either side (tracks on the host computer, and commercial tracking by the pay per click cashiers), and make it easier to make a search profile on you, and how cleverly done by the developer: just consider in what circumstances a user would fire up Browzar. As a profiler you would lick your fingers just to get these results, won't you folks?

There could be much better shells for IE being constructed if you use the same mechanism PocketFlock uses to clear all browser traces, and if you like to do that properly this tool should check on closing, and on restarting. Then if you would like to make an effort in the privacy sense, you'd like to use a "neutral" searchengine, like general A9 or even better search with scroogle (28 languages).

If Browzar does not adopt these attitudes, it is senseless to use it.
It can be qualified as a Crapola Adware Snake Oil Privacy Shell.
I hope that the others here will agree with me, that we should refrain from using it, until something better comes along or until the developer can turn it into a tool that will deliver what it promishes, and does not let his tool run on adware money, spamming search results and making searching less reliable in the long run for everyone. Boys and gals it is a bad deal from whatever side you want to look at it. Browzar has fallen through, it is just a "Web 2.0 hick-up bubble in the sky". Forget about it, will ye,

polonus