2 replies to this topic

[dEcade]

Well that's basically the question. I heard it was dangerous but is it really anymore or was it ever? Should you have it disabled? Thoughts?

dEcade

[Chaos King]

Yes, and No.

javascript is dangerous to a certain point and to what browser you are using. If you are using Firefox for instance, you would be more safe than if you were running lets say IE 5. Internet Explorer and I am sure some other browsers have their own functions that enables javascript to activate and bypass things, basically spy ware.

Sure if someone is using a XSS to attack the users of a site, no matter what browser you would be using, you would be at risk because they would sometimes use javascript to gather your cookies on the current page, and then send it to a remote one, stealing your information.

So if you are the average user going on google and p2l and digg and just the normal plain clean content sites, you wouldn't be at risk, but if you find yourself going to pron or pirate sites, you sometimes might run into some people trying to install spyware on your computer to earn a quick buck.

I might be wrong, but that is from my own personal experience and understanding. JS is also required by a lot of sites to fully function, such as p2l here, and some other websites since most modern websites use javascript since its that powerful. But javascript is pretty safe by itself standing.

You can read more here:
http://ask-leo.com/i..._dangerous.html

[bay]

Like Chaos King pointed to, a large factor in determining if you should disable javascript is based on the types of websites you visit. With web 2.0 taking over, more and more websites depend on clients with Javascript enabled for their visitors to fully enjoy their website features that they have been spent days and months building.

Javascript libraries like scriptaculous and mootools enhance a user's browsing experience, and trust me, viewing a site with them is a heck of a lot more fun than viewing it without them. The experience is just not the same without Javascript. However, if the website your viewing is not safe and you know you are susceptible to attack or loss of personal information, then you should disable your Javascript if protecting your identity and computer is important to you

The link in Chaos King's post is interesting, take a moment out of your day to read it, it has some nice points about Javascript like its effects on site advertisements, etc.