According to the CA Internet Security Report, malware threats have risen by 16 times in October 2007 compared to January 2007. One of the CA online security predictions for 2008 is the rise of smarter malware.

The report says, “There are new levels of sophistication in malware. Malware will target virtualized computers, and increasing use of obfuscation (designed to confuse) techniques to hide in plain sight, including steganography (a way of writing hidden messages which nobody apart from the sender and recipient knows) and encryptions, will help criminals conceal their activities.”

Rogue security software is another notable threat. Then there’s the issue of minors exposed to undesirable websites. You should not also forget about the invasion of your privacy that could easily occur over the Internet.

For those who take these threats seriously it would be wise to look at the security measures available and implement them at the earliest opportunity.

Let’s take a look at the Firefox extensions available to keep our children and computer systems safe from the said undesirable threats.

WOT

How do you know whether a website you’re visiting is safe or risky? One way to find out is to use the WOT (Web of Trust) extension. WOT warns you against risky websites. It does this through the use of colored icons. If a green icon shows up, it’s a safe site. If it’s a yellow, you have to exercise caution and maybe not take the risk of downloading files from it. If red, don’t touch the website with even a barge pole and beat a retreat.

NoScript

This security tool allows active content to be activated only when it comes to sites you trust for example your Internet banking site. It protects you against XSS (cross-site scripting attacks). The ClearClick technology it comes with busts clickjacking attempts. This important add-on is the winner of the 2006 PC World World Class Award

KidZui

This extension ensures that children enjoy a safe Internet surfing experience. With KidZui children are only exposed to safe sites which focus on games, videos, puzzles and other fun-filled activities. Sites promoted by KidZui have all been reviewed by parents and teachers for suitability of content. In this way, kids can surf the Net on their own without parents having to worry about them being exposed to undesirable content.

When put in locked down mode, kids will not be able to exit the browser, download files or run other applications in the computer.

TrackMeNot

Search Engines may collect personal data of searchers which certain parties may be interested in. It is rumored that such data is passed on to some agencies interested in search profiling. We’ll never know whether this is true or not. So, it will be wise to install this extension to prevent our personal data or preferences from passing on to parties who may be using it for improper ends.