Private browsing modes in four biggest browsers often fail

[wellofsouls]

You do know that there's a market for VMware vulnerabilities too. I can only imagine that VirtualBox, Virtual PC and the OSX ones are would be similar.

But I agree - I never use these modes since I've never really believed that they can self contain whatever happens. I wonder if these modes lead people to believe that they're protected from malware, tbh.

VMware vulnerabilities are about virus attacks, but not software bugs in leaving traces when supposedly all data are wept clean. So VMware is quite a safe (but kinda over-kill) method when used as a private browsing mechanism, unless your VMware environment is already compromised and infected with some specific VM-breaking virus. But then you can't do anything about that if your system is compromised already, no private browsing feature can save you from a keylogger virus anyway. At least for VMware, if you take a snapshot, browser some sites, and then revert back to the snapshot, you can be very confident that all traces are wiped clean already.

I'd think a true private browsing mode should be like that, some virtualized environment in the RAM, with a copy of existing cache and addon storage and stuff, that all disk ops during the private browsing session are redirected to the virtual environment, then the whole thing is wiped clean from the RAM when the session ends.

[Tom]

Opera FTW!

This.

[EmpyreanUK]

I think these researches are taking what 'private mode' is supposed to do a little too seriously. As far as I've always been concerned, it's a feature that allows general users to stop browsing history being compiled, so that they can "LOOK FOR ANNIVERSARY GIFTS" without spouses/partners/family members finding out. I don't think it was ever supposed to be completely infallible protection against spying: it's obviously aimed people surfing for "ANNIVERSARY GIFTS" and not MI6. Unless secret agents like watching "ANNIVERSARY GIFTS" in their spare time, of course.

[+Warwagon MVC]

If I don't want people to know what i've been surfing, I just use my own method of private browsing.

Taking private browsing to the next level

https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/837722-taking-private-browsing-to-the-next-level/

[wellofsouls]

Major? I guess we can round it up to 3% market share if we're being really nice? :unsure:

well, so 7% and 5% are major, but 3% is not? I don't know about you, but here 5% count as "tiny" too...

[PreKe]

Most people go by market share to determine what is a major browser. Unfortunate Opera market share is tiny.

That's just a myth. Opera's market share is up to 30-50% in some countries.

[primexx]

That's just a myth. Opera's market share is up to 30-50% in some countries.

yea, 45% of both somalians with internet uses opera.