Pop-up blocking bars security issue?

Hi all

To illustrate my question here is a ‘near enough’ transcript of a conversation with one of our IT guys.
I am not sure what he actually does in the firm but he is supposed to be top knob as far as browsing and java related software is concerned:

Me: “….well they (third party supported software provider) recon it could be a pop-up blocking utility at work”
IT: “And, have you got one of them installed?”
Me: “Yup, good ol’ Google bar as it happens…”
IT: (in sarcasm and disgust) “Oh wonderful!”
Me “Why?”
IT: (talking to a four year old moron) “’cause they result in all sort of weird and wonderful system problems etc, as you can see….”

About 15 minutes later we are at my workstation –
Me: “So, why are they (blocking toolbars) no good?”
IT: “To start off, as you can see, they can stop some programs from opening essential ‘secondary’ windows as they might be perceived as pop-ups. But the real problem is security…”
Me: “Oh? I though I was increasing security by installing the bar.”
IT(now a bit kinder as he realises I am indeed a 4 year old moron): “These bars are equipped with a search engine…”
Me: “Yes, isn’t it neat?”
IT: (dryly) “No, it really isn’t! The engine searches your PC as well and cache’s the findings to a remote data base somewhere in ‘Google’ world.”
Me: (truly stumped) “ I cannot believe this, the :swear: ”
IT: “I am going to try something now so look away…..”
Me: “What’s up?”
IT “I am going to try using FireFox”
Me: “What’s the problem?”
IT: (smiling like a Satanist) “Unsupported software… I might have to kill you later, hehe. I really wish they would listen to me and let us use FF throughout the firm. It is not he best of browsers but it has some nice features. Certainly better than IE.
Me: (eyes getting wider – I can just see the glow of the holy grail)”Which one is the best in you eyes?”
IT: (drum roll): “Probably Netscape”.
Me: “WTF!!!! I thought AOL bought them!”

Now, comedy aside, dear friends, two things – is it true about the toolbars? I mean the guy recons they can pass on sensitive info like credit card details and shit.
And second, is Netscape really all that? Or is the guy overweight with bullshit and FF is king as I thought?

 

Google's IE toolbar is just that - a toolbar which you can use to search the internet, and block pop-ups. Like most popup blocking toolbars, it usually blocks windows that you want to open which can be a pain.
As far as I know, the Google toolbar does not search for files on your hard disk, so there is no security threat.

Google Desktop is a different matter altogether though. I too have read that your sensitive information is kept on Google servers, and this is obviously a serious security flaw. I can't remember the specifics, but I know that the MSN desktop search is the worst at this.

.......And as for Netscape, it's just a bloated IE skin :chk:

 

I've tried Netscape, and didn't like the feel or performance really, better than IE but Firefox or Opera still are the best.

 

To be honest with you, I find IE toolbars a real burden! With them installed, IE takes longer to load and is more crash prone.
The toolbars are pretty useless, and most modern browsers include a dedicated search box - erradicating the need for a toolbar. And if you must use IE - you can search by typing a phrase in the address bar.

I was actually quite fond of Netscape back in the day. It was the only browser I felt comfortable using through version 4.x - 7.x. I was so appauled by version 8 that I ditched Netscape altogether.