Two tests were conducted to measure how effective browsers are at protecting against socially engineered malware (SEM) and phishing attacks. This report provides results for the SEM test.  Socially engineered malware is one of the most common security threats facing Internet users today, claiming as much as one third of Internet users as victims. These attacks pose a significant risk to individuals and organizations by threatening to compromise, damage, or acquire sensitive personal and corporate information. Europeans and Americans have increasingly found themselves targets of ransomware over the last 12 months.

Phishing attacks pose a significant risk to individuals and organizations alike, by threatening to compromise or acquire sensitive personal and corporate information. In 2016, over 145,000 unique email phishing campaigns were reported each month, and 125,000 unique phishing websites were detected each month— the highest ever recorded. Phishing attacks are becoming more complex and sophisticated, making these attacks harder to detect and difficult to prevent.

Browsers tested include:

• Google Chrome: Version 53.0.2785
• Microsoft Edge 38.14393.0.0
• Mozilla Firefox: Version 48.0.2