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No they did not, unless you count thirdparty browser addons as part of the web (which they are definitely not). And ActiveX is long gone. If you are really wor

No they did not, unless you count thirdparty browser addons as part of the web (which they are definitely not). And ActiveX is long gone. If you are really worried about security, the answer today is still to avoid using native apps, they have more permissions and are harder to investigate than web apps. But we all know this talk about "security" is just an excuse for corporate control, especially when the web just runs code on demand and is more secure.

Retric 5y ago
You can pretend Flash for example never existed, but ActiveX was native not 3rd party. Further it’s even still supported by Microsoft. The Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will be retired and go out of support on June 15, 2022 (for a list of what’s in scope, see the FAQ). The same IE11 apps and sites you use today can open in Microsoft Edge with Internet Explorer mode. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/DeployEdge/edge-ie-mode https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/DeployEdge/edge-ie-mode Beyond that even Linux users have faced zero days. The web is inherently unsafe which in practice is rarely a issue for the cautious, but that’s only so useful.
- realusername 5y ago
  All of those issues are from legacy browsers nobody should have been used in years. > Beyond that even Linux users have faced zero days. The web is inherently unsafe which in practice is rarely a issue for the cautious, but that’s only so useful. Go ahead and try to find me an exploit working right now to access your local files, they are so rare I can't remember seeing one in a long time. If you are going with zero days, Apple also had an exploit not that long ago where every app could snoop into the data of any other app as well, pretty scary and that also happens to them. Not talking about security exploits but just security design, the permission system is broken by design on native apps. On the web, you do indeed need a zero day to access user files, on a native app, you just need to go ahead and follow the documentation, pretty big difference.
  - Retric 5y ago
    That’s a lot of weasel words. In practical terms, the only measure that matters, it’s safer to hand kids a locked down iPad than let them browse anything on a stock Windows 10 or Mac OS machine than let them download via the iOS App Store.
    - realusername 5y ago
      I don't agree personally, I think it's safer to let them browse on a stock Windows 10 or Mac OS than let them install things on an iPad. I'd worry too much about their data being stolen or shared by apps without their knowledge on the iPad. Apple's marketing department might disagree with me but hey, that's just the marketing and they are free to say what they want.
      - Retric 5y ago
        I am not making a theoretical argument, actually dealing with kids Windows / OS X machines is a pain.

Retric 5y ago

You can pretend Flash for example never existed, but ActiveX was native not 3rd party. Further it’s even still supported by Microsoft. The Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will be retired and go out of support on June 15, 2022 (for a list of what’s in scope, see the FAQ). The same IE11 apps and sites you use today can open in Microsoft Edge with Internet Explorer mode. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/DeployEdge/edge-ie-mode https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/DeployEdge/edge-ie-mode Beyond that even Linux users have faced zero days. The web is inherently unsafe which in practice is rarely a issue for the cautious, but that’s only so useful.

realusername 5y ago
All of those issues are from legacy browsers nobody should have been used in years. > Beyond that even Linux users have faced zero days. The web is inherently unsafe which in practice is rarely a issue for the cautious, but that’s only so useful. Go ahead and try to find me an exploit working right now to access your local files, they are so rare I can't remember seeing one in a long time. If you are going with zero days, Apple also had an exploit not that long ago where every app could snoop into the data of any other app as well, pretty scary and that also happens to them. Not talking about security exploits but just security design, the permission system is broken by design on native apps. On the web, you do indeed need a zero day to access user files, on a native app, you just need to go ahead and follow the documentation, pretty big difference.
- Retric 5y ago
  That’s a lot of weasel words. In practical terms, the only measure that matters, it’s safer to hand kids a locked down iPad than let them browse anything on a stock Windows 10 or Mac OS machine than let them download via the iOS App Store.
  - realusername 5y ago
    I don't agree personally, I think it's safer to let them browse on a stock Windows 10 or Mac OS than let them install things on an iPad. I'd worry too much about their data being stolen or shared by apps without their knowledge on the iPad. Apple's marketing department might disagree with me but hey, that's just the marketing and they are free to say what they want.
    - Retric 5y ago
      I am not making a theoretical argument, actually dealing with kids Windows / OS X machines is a pain.