[wildbill]

how likely are either of them to be invaded by spyware, trojans and viruses like IE. Sorry if this is a doofus question.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

how likely are either of them to be invaded by spyware, trojans and viruses like IE.

IE has the most exposure because of it's tight interface with Windows,,,Active X etc...

Firefox and Opera ...usually don't suffer that malware problem...

Where you browse and personal habits heavily impacet what other bad things can happen.

BUT the Malware ..virus are always out there trying something new....

I moved to Linux and Firefox and ...so far...have had not problems that I am aware of...

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Here is what some business seem to be using.,...

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Open Source Network Gateway

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Block Spam, Spyware, MySpace & More

Untangle is the free & open source alternative to Sonicwall. In addition to the basics (Firewall, VPN, IPS & routing), Untangle makes it easier to block spam, spyware, viruses, phishing, porn, gambling, MySpace, Facebook, IM, peer-2-peer & much, much more.  

• "Best Security Solution" - LinuxWorld 2007

• Runs at the gateway... No clients to install!

• Easy to use: Intuitive GUI, logging, reporting & automatic signature updates

• Installs on standard Intel/AMD hardware

• Lively forums & a great Wiki
  

 

Open Source & Free under the GPLv2

See the website for more info including a diagram....

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Related resource:

Linux Firewalls: Attack Detection and Response with iptables, psad, and fwsnort [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

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The majority of the world's digital security professionals focus on defense, because offense is left to the bad guys, police, and military. I welcome books like Linux Firewalls that bring real defensive tools and techniques to the masses in a form that can be digested and deployed for minimum cost and effort.