How safe IS Safari exactly?

Question

How safe IS Safari exactly?

Okay, well I was doing the common application this weekend. It asks you for your Social Security number, and I entered it without thinking twice... However I remembered a post on Macrumours about how Phishing was common among Mac users because we used Safari, so I just got hit by an attack of paranoia. Though I still don't really understand exactly why the social Security number is so important, I do understand that it is.

Is there any chance that my number could have been stolen? D=
I don't really think that entering the number on the college application is the same as entering credit card information, but I AM really afraid of identity theft... What do you guys think? =(
Is there anything I should do? Any way I can find out if I have some sort of spyware that could have done this?

17'' Macbook Pro 2.5 GHz, Mac OS X (10.5.5)

Posted on Nov 18, 2008 1:56 PM

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Answer 1

Mulder

Level 6

8,990 points

Nov 18, 2008 2:43 PM in response to Dragonic Darkness

You entered your SSN, so it was not stolen; you would have the same question appear regardless of which browser you used. But since SSNs are used for identity theft, you should not provide it on any application unless required by U.S. Law; that includes job applications.

You have no spyware. Don't be paranoid; that what the Bureau pays me to do.

Mulder

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Answer 2

nerowolfe

Level 6

13,090 points

Nov 18, 2008 5:03 PM in response to Mulder

Mulder wrote:
You entered your SSN, so it was not stolen; you would have the same question appear regardless of which browser you used. But since SSNs are used for identity theft, you should not provide it on any application unless required by U.S. Law; that includes job applications.

You have no spyware. Don't be paranoid; that what the Bureau pays me to do.

Mulder

I would add that it is a good thing these days to have a good ID theft service. There are several, they are quite inexpensive and they work.
Macs are far more secure than PCs. Don't let the rumors bother you.

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Answer 3

lkrupp

Level 7

22,621 points

Nov 18, 2008 5:28 PM in response to Dragonic Darkness

How safe IS Safari exactly?

No browser in existence can prevent a user from voluntarily entering private information online. I believe people have an unreasonable expectation of what a browser can and cannot do in terms of protecting their privacy. Where phishing scams are concerned all a browser can do is warn the user that a particular site is questionable based on some database (Safari apparently uses Google's anti-phishing database).

And you heard wrong, very wrong. Phishing is NOT anymore common using Safari than any other browser. The people posting this tripe have personal agendas. Contrary to belief if you read something on the internet it is not necessarily or even commonly true.

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