Secure browsing using VMWare Browser Appliance
Every time we browse the Internet we are risking exposing ourselves to numerous risks – there are adware, spyware, malware and viruses out there that could infect your computer. Unix/Linux are more secure compared to Windows but at this time most home users run Windows..
FireFox is more secure compared to Internet Explorer and there are also numerous add-ons for FireFox that can further secure it and protect your privacy. However there is always a risk and this week we see how to protect yourself using VMWare Browser Appliance.
The Browser Appliance from VMWare is a virtual machine running a minimal installation of Ubuntu Linux v5.10. It comes prebundled with FireFox v1.07 and v1.50. Yes these are older versions but you can install the latest version of FireFox (see screenshot). Using Browser Appliance allows users to securely browse while the virtual machine isolation mechanism protects against adware, spyware and other malware . It also helps protect personal information because it can be configured to automatically reset itself after every use so no personal information is ever stored permanently.
Both VMWare Player and VMWare Browser Applicance are free for download and use. Install, setup and usage is very easy.
Step 1: Download and install VMWare Player (see installation screenshots)
Step 2: Download and unzip Browser Appliance (may I recommend 7-Zip). Do not delete the downloaded file because it comes in handy if you want to reset the appliance.
Step 3: Read Getting Started Guide
Step 4: Start VMWare Player and load the Browser Appliance file.
Step 5: Enjoy safe browsing
What I like best is if you mess up the appliance, simply delete the directory that has the Browser Appliance files. There is no uninstall required. Unzip the file downloaded in Step 2 and start all over again. How cool is that!!!
I did all my testing on an old laptop – 500 MHz, 192 MB RAM, Windows XP SP2. It was slow but sure did work 
Mike Healan has written a very good article on VMWare Browser Appliance at SpywareInfo.com It has details on how to upgrade FireFox, how to share files between Browser Appliance and your desktop etc.
