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A Usability Evaluation of Privacy Add-Ons for Web Browsers
A Usability Evaluation of Privacy Add-ons for Web Browsers Matthew Corner1, Huseyin Dogan1, Alexios Mylonas1 and Francis Djabri2 1 Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, United Kingdom {i7241812,hdogan,amylonas}@bournemouth.ac.uk 2 Mozilla Corporation, San Francisco, United States of America [email protected] Abstract. The web has improved our life and has provided us with more oppor- tunities to access information and do business. Nonetheless, due to the preva- lence of trackers on websites, web users might be subject to profiling while ac- cessing the web, which impairs their online privacy. Privacy browser add-ons, such as DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials, Ghostery and Privacy Badger, extend the privacy protection that the browsers offer by default, by identifying and blocking trackers. However, the work that focuses on the usability of the priva- cy add-ons, as well as the users’ awareness, feelings, and thoughts towards them, is rather limited. In this work, we conducted usability evaluations by uti- lising System Usability Scale and Think-Aloud Protocol on three popular priva- cy add-ons, i.e., DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials, Ghostery and Privacy Badg- er. Our work also provides insights into the users’ awareness of online privacy and attitudes towards the abovementioned privacy add-ons; in particular trust, concern, and control. Our results suggest that the participants feel safer and trusting of their respective add-on. It also uncovers areas for add-on improve- ment, such as a more visible toolbar logo that offers visual feedback, easy ac- cess to thorough help resources, and detailed information on the trackers that have been found. Keywords: Usability, Privacy, Browser Add-ons. -
Demystifying Content-Blockers: a Large-Scale Study of Actual Performance Gains
Demystifying Content-blockers: A Large-scale Study of Actual Performance Gains Ismael Castell-Uroz Josep Sole-Pareta´ Pere Barlet-Ros Universitat Politecnica` de Catalunya Universitat Politecnica` de Catalunya Universitat Politecnica` de Catalunya Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Abstract—With the evolution of the online advertisement and highly parallel network measurement system [10] that loads tracking ecosystem, content-filtering has become the reference every website using one of the most relevant content-blockers tool for improving the security, privacy and browsing experience of each category and compares their performance. when surfing the Internet. It is also commonly believed that using content-blockers to stop unsolicited content decreases the time We found that, although we can observe some improvements needed for loading websites. In this work, we perform a large- in terms of effective page size, the results do not directly scale study with the 100K most popular websites on the actual translate to gains in loading time. In some cases, there could performance improvements of using content-blockers. We focus even be an overhead to be paid. This is the case for two of the our study on two relevant metrics for measuring the browsing studied plugins, especially in small and fast loading websites. performance; page size and loading time. Our results show that using such tools results in small improvements in terms of page The measurement system and methodology proposed in this size but, contrary to popular belief, it has a negligible impact in paper can also be useful for network and service administrators terms of loading time. -
CA Network Flow Analysis Release Notes
CA Network Flow Analysis Release Notes Release 9.1.3 This Documentation, which includes embedded help systems and electronically distributed materials, (hereinafter referred to as the “Documentation”) is for your informational purposes only and is subject to change or withdrawal by CA at any time. This Documentation may not be copied, transferred, reproduced, disclosed, modified or duplicated, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of CA. This Documentation is confidential and proprietary information of CA and may not be disclosed by you or used for any purpose other than as may be permitted in (i) a separate agreement between you and CA governing your use of the CA software to which the Documentation relates; or (ii) a separate confidentiality agreement between you and CA. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if you are a licensed user of the software product(s) addressed in the Documentation, you may print or otherwise make available a reasonable number of copies of the Documentation for internal use by you and your employees in connection with that software, provided that all CA copyright notices and legends are affixed to each reproduced copy. The right to print or otherwise make available copies of the Documentation is limited to the period during which the applicable license for such software remains in full force and effect. Should the license terminate for any reason, it is your responsibility to certify in writing to CA that all copies and partial copies of the Documentation have been returned to CA or destroyed. TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, CA PROVIDES THIS DOCUMENTATION “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NONINFRINGEMENT. -
Whotracks. Me: Shedding Light on the Opaque World of Online Tracking
WhoTracks.Me: Shedding light on the opaque world of online tracking Arjaldo Karaj Sam Macbeth Rémi Berson [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Josep M. Pujol [email protected] Cliqz GmbH Arabellastraße 23 Munich, Germany ABSTRACT print users and their devices [25], and the extent to Online tracking has become of increasing concern in recent which these methods are being used across the web [5], years, however our understanding of its extent to date has and quantifying the value exchanges taking place in on- been limited to snapshots from web crawls. Previous at- line advertising [7, 27]. There is a lack of transparency tempts to measure the tracking ecosystem, have been done around which third-party services are present on pages, using instrumented measurement platforms, which are not and what happens to the data they collect is a common able to accurately capture how people interact with the web. concern. By monitoring this ecosystem we can drive In this work we present a method for the measurement of awareness of the practices of these services, helping to tracking in the web through a browser extension, as well as inform users whether they are being tracked, and for a method for the aggregation and collection of this informa- what purpose. More transparency and consumer aware- tion which protects the privacy of participants. We deployed ness of these practices can help drive both consumer this extension to more than 5 million users, enabling mea- and regulatory pressure to change, and help researchers surement across multiple countries, ISPs and browser con- to better quantify the privacy and security implications figurations, to give an accurate picture of real-world track- caused by these services. -
Security Analysis of Firefox Webextensions
6.857: Computer and Network Security Due: May 16, 2018 Security Analysis of Firefox WebExtensions Srilaya Bhavaraju, Tara Smith, Benny Zhang srilayab, tsmith12, felicity Abstract With the deprecation of Legacy addons, Mozilla recently introduced the WebExtensions API for the development of Firefox browser extensions. WebExtensions was designed for cross-browser compatibility and in response to several issues in the legacy addon model. We performed a security analysis of the new WebExtensions model. The goal of this paper is to analyze how well WebExtensions responds to threats in the previous legacy model as well as identify any potential vulnerabilities in the new model. 1 Introduction Firefox release 57, otherwise known as Firefox Quantum, brings a large overhaul to the open-source web browser. Major changes with this release include the deprecation of its initial XUL/XPCOM/XBL extensions API to shift to its own WebExtensions API. This WebExtensions API is currently in use by both Google Chrome and Opera, but Firefox distinguishes itself with further restrictions and additional functionalities. Mozilla’s goals with the new extension API is to support cross-browser extension development, as well as offer greater security than the XPCOM API. Our goal in this paper is to analyze how well the WebExtensions model responds to the vulnerabilities present in legacy addons and discuss any potential vulnerabilities in the new model. We present the old security model of Firefox extensions and examine the new model by looking at the structure, permissions model, and extension review process. We then identify various threats and attacks that may occur or have occurred before moving onto recommendations. -
Inlined Information Flow Monitoring for Javascript
Inlined Information Flow Monitoring for JavaScript Andrey Chudnov David A. Naumann Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ 07030 USA Hoboken, NJ 07030 USA [email protected] [email protected] ABSTRACT JS engines are highly engineered for performance, which has Extant security mechanisms for web apps, notably the\same- led some researchers to argue for inlined monitoring for IFC. origin policy", are not sufficient to achieve confidentiality The main contribution of this paper is an inlined IFC mon- and integrity goals for the many apps that manipulate sen- itor that enforces non-interference for apps written in JS. sitive information. The trend in web apps is \mashups" We present the main design decisions and rationale, together which integrate JavaScript code from multiple providers in with technical highlights and a survey of state of the art al- ways that can undercut existing security mechanisms. Re- ternatives. The tool is evaluated using synthetic case studies searchers are exploring dynamic information flow controls and performance benchmarks. (IFC) for JavaScript, but there are many challenges to achiev- ing strong IFC without excessive performance cost or im- On IFC. Browsers and other platforms currently provide practical browser modifications. This paper presents an in- isolation mechanisms and access controls. Pure isolation lined IFC monitor for ECMAScript 5 with web support, goes against integration of app code from multiple providers. using the no-sensitive-upgrade (NSU) technique, together Access controls can be more nuanced, but it is well-known with experimental evaluation using synthetic mashups and that access control policies are safety properties whereas IF performance benchmarks. -
Web Privacy Beyond Extensions
Web Privacy Beyond Extensions: New Browsers Are Pursuing Deep Privacy Protections Peter Snyder <[email protected]> Privacy Researcher at Brave Software In a slide… • Web privacy is a mess. • Privacy activists and researchers are limited by the complexity of modern browsers. • New browser vendors are eager to work with activists to deploy their work. Outline 1. Background Extension focus in practical privacy tools 2. Present Privacy improvements require deep browser modifications 3. Next Steps Call to action, how to keep improving Outline 1. Background Extension focus in practical privacy tools 2. Present Privacy improvements require deep browser modifications 3. Next Steps Call to action, how to keep improving Browsers are Complicated uBlock PrivacyBadger Disconnect AdBlock Plus Firefox Safari Privacy concern Chrome Edge / IE Browser maintenance experience Extensions as a Compromise uBlock PrivacyBadger Disconnect AdBlock Plus Runtime Extensions modifications Firefox Safari Privacy concern Chrome Edge / IE Browser maintenance experience Privacy and Browser Extensions � • Successes! uBlock Origin, HTTPS Everywhere, Ghostery, Disconnect, Privacy Badger, EasyList / EasyPrivacy, etc… • Appealing Easy(er) to build, easy to share • Popular Hundreds of thousands of extensions, Millions of users Browser Extension Limitations � • Limited Capabilities Networking, request modification, rendering, layout, image processing, JS engine, etc… • Security and Privacy Possibly giving capabilities to malicious parties • Performance Limited to JS, secondary access Extensions vs Runtime uBlock PrivacyBadger Disconnect AdBlock Plus Runtime Extensions modifications Firefox Safari Privacy concern Chrome Edge / IE Browser maintenance experience Under Explored Space uBlock PrivacyBadger Disconnect ? AdBlock Plus Runtime Extensions modifications Firefox Safari Privacy concern Chrome Edge / IE Browser maintenance experience Outline 1. Background Extension focus in practical privacy tools 2. -
Downloading Additional Components of the Webpage
Towards Seamless Tracking-Free Web: Improved Detection of Trackers via One-class Learning Muhammad Ikramy1, Hassan Jameel Asghary, Balachander Krishnamurthy Mohamed Ali Kaafary, Anirban Mahantiy AT&T Labs–Research, USA 1 School of EET UNSW, Australia y NICTA, Australia Abstract—Numerous tools have been developed to aggressively and tailor advertisements on websites to the browsing history block the execution of popular JavaScript programs in Web and web activities of users [1], [2], [3]. The class of tools browsers. Such blocking also affects functionality of webpages (including web browser plugins), developed in an attempt to and impairs user experience. As a consequence, many privacy preserve user privacy (e.g., NoScript [4], Ghostery [5], and preserving tools that have been developed to limit online tracking, Adblock Plus [6]), aims to block JavaScript programs and other often executed via JavaScript programs, may suffer from poor components of a webpage that may compromise user privacy performance and limited uptake. A mechanism that can isolate JavaScript programs necessary for proper functioning of the and enable tracking. However, aggressive blocking can hinder website from tracking JavaScript programs would thus be useful. proper functioning of the website and impact user’s browsing Through the use of a manually labelled dataset composed of 2,612 experience [7], [8] (See AppendixE for an example of how JavaScript programs, we show how current privacy preserving a tool blocks content necessary for proper website function.). tools are ineffective in finding the right balance between blocking A mechanism that can properly isolate JavaScript programs tracking JavaScript programs and allowing functional JavaScript necessary for “legitimate” web functioning of the website from code. -
General Characteristics of Android Browsers with Focus on Security and Privacy Features
BÁNKI KÖZLEMÉNYEK 3. ÉVFOLYAM 1. SZÁM General characteristics of Android browsers with focus on security and privacy features Petar Čisar*, Sanja Maravic Cisar**, Igor Fürstner*** Academy of Criminalistic and Police Studies, Belgrade, Serbia, **Subotica Tech, Subotica, Serbia, ***Óbuda University, Bánki Donát Faculty of Mechanical and Safety Engineering, Budapest, Hungary, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] • Incognito browsing mode - offers real private Abstract —Satisfactory level of security in the use of the browsing experience without leaving any historical Internet in mobile devices depends on several factors. One of data. them is safe browsing. A key factor in providing secure • Using of HTTPS protocol - enforces SSL (Secure browsing is the application of a browser with the appropriate Socket Layer) security protocol (using of certificates) methods applied: clearing cookies, cache and history, ability wherever that’s possible. of incognito browsing, using of whitelists and encryptions and others. This paper presents an overview of the various • Disabling features like JavaScript, DOM (Document security and privacy features used in the most frequently Object Model) storage used Android browsers. Also, in the case of several browsers • Using fingerprinting techniques and types of mobile devices, the use of benchmark tests is Further sections of this paper provide an overview of the shown. Bearing in mind the differences, when choosing a applied security and privacy methods for more popular browser, special attention should be paid to the applied Android browsers. Also, in order to compare the adequate security and privacy features. features of browsers, the use of benchmark tests on different mobile devices will be shown. -
Designing a Browser to Benefit from Multi-Core Silicon
Designing a Browser to Benefit from Multi-core Silicon Ekioh Ltd, Cambridge UK. [email protected] Abstract This paper investigates the impact of the evolution in processor technology upon HTML browser performance, highlighting some limitations in current browser design and ways in which these limitations can be overcome. It asserts that overcoming these limitations is key to offering 4K UIs on mass-market consumer products in the very near future. Introduction HTML browsers are increasingly being used for Trends of CE Processor Speeds application rendering and user interface (UI) 25 presentation. The driving reasons behind this are that single core dual core quad core browsers reduce UI authoring complexity and provide a 20 level of hardware abstraction which enables authoring to happen in parallel with hardware design. 15 Browser technology has also allowed the application 10 authoring community to grow beyond embedded DMIPS Headline Performance software engineers to include creative designers. This has 5 led to a marked improvement in the visual quality of user Per core Performance interfaces and the look and feel of applications. 0 This flexibility and increased visual quality comes at a Time → cost; the browser is one of the most demanding components within a device and achieving the necessary The headline processing speed of multi-core devices responsiveness directly drives CPU selection benefits from increases in the number of cores and, requirements. indirectly, from reductions in process size. Year on year improvements of around 30% were achieved in headline processing speed over a five year period despite the Processor evolution relatively small performance improvements of each core. -
On the Disparity of Display Security in Mobile and Traditional Web Browsers
On the Disparity of Display Security in Mobile and Traditional Web Browsers Chaitrali Amrutkar, Kapil Singh, Arunabh Verma and Patrick Traynor Converging Infrastructure Security (CISEC) Laboratory Georgia Institute of Technology Abstract elements. The difficulty in efficiently accessing large pages Mobile web browsers now provide nearly equivalent fea- on mobile devices makes an adversary capable of abusing tures when compared to their desktop counterparts. How- the rendering of display elements particularly acute from a ever, smaller screen size and optimized features for con- security perspective. strained hardware make the web experience on mobile In this paper, we characterize a number of differences in browsers significantly different. In this paper, we present the ways mobile and desktop browsers render webpages that the first comprehensive study of the display-related security potentially allow an adversary to deceive mobile users into issues in mobile browsers. We identify two new classes of performing unwanted and potentially dangerous operations. display-related security problems in mobile browsers and de- Specifically, we examine the handling of user interaction vise a range of real world attacks against them. Addition- with overlapped display elements, the ability of malicious ally, we identify an existing security policy for display on cross-origin elements to affect the placement of honest el- desktop browsers that is inappropriate on mobile browsers. ements and the ability of malicious cross-origin elements Our analysis is comprised of eight mobile and five desktop to alter the navigation of honest parent and descendant el- browsers. We compare security policies for display in the ements. We then perform the same tests against a number candidate browsers to infer that desktop browsers are signif- of desktop browsers and find that the majority of desktop icantly more compliant with the policies as compared to mo- browsers are not vulnerable to the same rendering issues. -
How to Enable Javascript in a Web Browser
How to enable JavaScript in a web browser To allow all Web sites in the Internet zone to run scripts, use the steps that apply to your browser: Windows Internet Explorer (all versions except Pocket Internet Explorer) Note To allow scripting on this Web site only, and to leave scripting disabled in the Internet zone, add this Web site to the Trusted sites zone. 1. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options , and then click the Security tab. 2. Click the Internet zone. 3. If you do not have to customize your Internet security settings, click Default Level . Then do step 4 If you have to customize your Internet security settings, follow these steps: a. Click Custom Level . b. In the Security Settings – Internet Zone dialog box, click Enable for Active Scripting in the Scripting section. 4. Click the Back button to return to the previous page, and then click the Refresh button to run scripts. Mozilla Corporation’s Firefox By default, Firefox enables the use of JavaScript and requires no additional installation. Note To allow and block JavaScript on certain domains you can install privacy extensions such as: NoScript: Allows JavaScript and other content to run only on websites of your choice. Ghostery: Allows you to block scripts from companies that you don't trust. For more information please refer to mozzila support web page. Google Chrome 1. Select Customize and control Google Chrome (the icon with 3 stacked horizontal lines) to the right of the address bar. 2. From the drop-down menu, select Settings . 3. At the bottom of the page, click Show advanced settings..