I realize that FF 3.6 was referred to near the end of this thread? Most Ubuntu based distros (Mint, Gosalia, Ubuntu, Xubuntu) are shipped with FF 3.5.8, are there any reported problems with this version of FF? Mint does offer Opera, I really don't care about installing Wine to gain access to IE6, you open the browser, there are two critical updates that shows, but on three occasions, I left the desktop for an hour, and the two updates still never applied. I have installed Clam AV, is there a malware scanner for Mint, too? I do want to be secure, but don't wish to run two AV's, have four separate malware scanners, and scan every piece of everything the way you must do in Windows. With Windows, you spend more time scanning than browsing. I don't want to have to do this with Mint, too.

catilley1092, I've moved your post from where you originally posted at to a thread of its own.

To get a good idea of what publicly-known security vulnerabilities for Firefox currently exist, I recommend the Secunia website. At this time, they have pages dedicated to the 3.0.x, 3.5.x, and 3.6.x branches. You might also want to consider subscribing to a mailing list such as Bugtraq or Full Disclosure. As for the malware scanner question, you mean something sort of like Spybot-S&D on Windows? What exactly are you looking to scan?

BTW, be advised that this thread might be merged into the GNU/Linux Antivirus Megathread.

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Be warned that I am not a security expert by any stretch of anyone's imagination. This is in the "IMHO" vein of posting:

Consider where the risks are in Windows: essentially emails and rogue websites. But, those risks can be traced back one level to ActiveX type of plugins/applications that allow "foreign" programs to run automatically. When you add the usual practice of having the original installer's ID (often the only user on the system) have full admin rights, then the potential for disaster is obvious.

OTOH, the risks to Linux are different; more subtle. In general, I see three types of risks: First, there is what I consider the "server" risk; where one has ports open to the internet. Open ports give at least the opportunity for "bad guys" to install rootkits and take over your machine. Second, there is the risk that some trusted software will have a hole/backdoor and thus provide an avenue for rootkitting. Third is the obvious risk from doing "user" chores under the root id.

I'll admit, right now, that I'm a heretic on this board. Given a personal Linux machine with a firewall, I don't see a great risk. The reason I don't see the risk is that I don't see the dead bodies. If the risk were great, then this forum should be full of threads of the sort: "My machine was compromised today, why oh why didn't I listen to you guys and run some A/V software?" It's not. By that, I mean that home-users' systems aren't being compromised to any extent that is even measurable. Servers, on the other hand...

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I guess I just became a little paranoid after this Firefox deal. I reported it on Windows 7 Fourms, they thought I was crazy. But I do have two AV's and four malware scanners on Win 7, and only Clam AV on Mint 8 (64 bit). Is there a malware scanner for Mint that will scan the complete system for problems? This may not be an option with this OS, if not, Clam AV will do. I do enjoy having an OS like Mint that runs circles around Windows, and not having to scan, scan and scan again. With Windows, protection and maintenance comes first, then you can browse or whatever, then when you're through, scan some more. It's like having a car that you work on more than you drive it. I like Mint for that reason, fire it up and go. I think that main reason for the lack of speed in Windows is all of the layered protection that you need. Anyone on this forum that has ever run Windows knows this firsthand. With Mint, your security is built in, but with the recent events of Firefox, you're never 100% certain that your back is covered. That's the reason that I ask about a malware scanner, to do a weekly scan with. If anyone knows of one, I would very much appreciate it. Thanks to all for the help that I've received on this forum, not just in this instance, but since becoming a member

I really doubt you'll find such a scanner. Either way, I would recommend familiarizing yourself with a HIDS instead. HIDS will alert you any time something is modified on your system.

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Consider this thread solved. I'm studying the HIDS article on Wikipedia, there's also another string of articles that I'm studying, too. And I have Clam AV, should I need it. There was a serious issue with FF recently, and it rattled me. But I have also learned, you are never 100% safe on any computer, anything can happen at any given time. But I feel more secure on a Linux OS over Windows on any day. At least I don't have to scan Mint daily, just once weekly. Thanks to all for your advice, the links to the articles have been very informative.