Hi xfilesfangirl,
Off-course the security of a browser depends on the scale it is used at. The majority of users just because it comes pre-installed either use IE7 or IE6 if they have a more "conservative" liking. In specific configurations IE 7 can be a secure browser as well. Recently I tried a smaller scaled IE-based Japanese variety, sleipnir, and it is promishing. As with computers one has to never use a browsers as they come downloaded. Making browsers secure is an attitude to know where the dangers lure, and how to set them up securely and with the right security additions installed. The main dangers with browsers is that the user allows it to perform dangerous services, go to sites that do not have the surfer's best interest at heart, to say the least, or to allow automatic script of various sorts (javascript, Ajax, cross-site-scripting) with a malicious intent to be run inside your browser. So one thing has to be clear, a browser can be a very dangerous tool in the hands of those people that assume it is safe by default and only know they can click right, left and when something goes wrong can "click it away". These kind of users have made the Internet the dangerous place it is now. "If you go to a back-yard alley without a camera you run the risk of being assaulted".
Next to the large family of IE-like browsers, we have the so-called open-source coded Mozilla type browsers like Firefox and its Web 2.0 offshoot Flock. These browsers can be made considerably more secure by all sorts of security extensions. But major security extensions are also available for IE-type browsers. I would like to have in IE7 some extension like NoScript for Firefox or Flock, but I think the only reason it has not been brought in is because user induced security is considered by the developers too big a hurdle for the innocent users of the IE browser, the majority of the dumbed down users we spoke about earlier. Also those that profit from adware and tracking do not like these overstrict settings too much. Do not take this personal, but these dumb users are around in vast masses else there would not have been milllions of malware ridden or bot horded PC's to proof that what I say is absolutely true. There is a lot of education around like in this thread, but a lot of people cannot be bothered or just are not interested or want "instant result" because of the way they live.
Security inside the browser. Run it from a secure invironment (only user rights aids enormously towards security), clear all browser traces on the comp after a surfing session and save your settings and favorites wit a tool like Febe or links with a tool like link-ripper. A tool against phishing like the Netcraft toolbar, a tool to see your current IP (proxified one) and the remore IP (local IP), see what server is running locally, a tool to edit or delete cookies on the fly, a stealth mode (in FF known as the stealther extension, available under tools in sleipnir with even more features for the IE type of cookie, cache and history, browser traces as such), a way to see local scripts to inpect them and to block them, a tool to block adware and undesirable sites (adblock plus, updater, finjan, siteadvisor, distrust etc.). Webmasters won't propagate these extensions as they do not like obfuscating tools towards search history, because your local ISP likes to sell your click stream a raison of 60 bucks per user per year (nice additional income), and these tools burns big holes in the click stream rendering (TrackMeNot etc, using scroogle in stead of google etc.) Advanced users can use specific scripts to tweak browsers further.
I know that Opera is a nice browser for searching experts. But security wise I have best experience in the field of Mozilla type browsers even at the "burnig edge" with FF 3.0 and security scripting.
So my motto is browsers are nice tools, which can be made rather secure, the insecure endpiece of a browser is... and you guessed that one right - the innocent and uneducated user. Browsers can be hopelessly dangerous in the hands of those that do not know how to work them. Hope this information can lead you to make a confirmed decision. OK one last word whatever U choose: always update to the latest version (this also includes all extensions and add-ons), always install every patch that comes out for whatever browser you run.
a concerned browser power user,
polonus
