Haute Secure

Martin Brinkmann
Jun 29, 2008
Updated • Dec 9, 2012
Security
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5

The Internet can be a dangerous place. Especially for those users who do not care but simply use the computer. A click on the wrong website and the computer can be infected with malicious software. Security Software tries to turn the tide in the favor of the user by blocking malicious content automatically. This works pretty well in most cases.

Haute Secure is one of those solutions. It is a toolbar for Microsoft Internet Explorer and Firefox and the same solution that is build into Opera 9.5. This one makes use of P2P technology to fight malicious content on the Internet. If one user reaches a website that poses a threat all other Haute Secure users will receive those update information and be warned as well when they visit it.

Haute Secure uses three layers of protection: Threat warnings and reputation ratings, Dynamic data protection and Community Contribution.

Haute Secure makes use of in-house and third-party blocklists (like Spamhouse and Phishtank) and combines them in a very effective list of blocked websites. Users of the toolbar can vote if a website is reputable which is separate from the blockslists.

My main problem with Haute Secure is the toolbar approach. I'm pretty much allergic to toolbars and do not want to install them. It could be a valid option for users who feel insecure on the Internet though.

Update: The program does not seem to be available anymore. You can use an alternative such as Web of Trust instead which displays information about sites listed in the search results and when you are visiting sites in your web browser of choice.

The browser extension is available for all popular web browsers, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Opera and Safari, and as a bookmarklet for all other browsers not directly supported by it.

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Comments

  1. GRTerrero said on June 30, 2008 at 1:18 pm
    Reply

    True that, Jonathan.

    Firefox and I.E. 7 will grind to a halt and give you a warning to proceed at your own risk. And Google will sometimes (although not always) display a warning in its search results in red letters.

  2. Jonathan said on June 30, 2008 at 3:32 am
    Reply

    Doesn’t Firefox do this on it own? I know that there is an option to report web forgery under the help menu, and myself have been to a few sites that I receive the warning that the page/site has been reported and am given an option to get me outta here!

  3. Martin said on June 29, 2008 at 11:15 pm
    Reply

    I agree that those toolbars normally are only helpful to users who do not have the experience to judge for themselves if a website is malicious or not.

  4. darkkosmos said on June 29, 2008 at 10:18 pm
    Reply

    I tried it when it first came out and it’s horrible, it requires a seperate bar on your browser for no use at all and the information it tells me is already known since I’ve got COMMON SENSE.. why WOT for firefox or ie if you really feel you can’t handle the web

  5. Dante said on June 29, 2008 at 9:54 pm
    Reply

    I actually have a simpler solution for those who don’t care or are too stupid to care. Have websites filled with free porn and load it with the old fashioned kill viruses. Kill off their machines and they’ll be offline – not spamming anybody, not DOSing any servers. And when these retards buy a new machine and go online again, kill them off again. Soon, they’ll run out of money and we’ll be rid of these stupid zombies.

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