I need help in understading identity shield

I can't give you any exact answers, but I'll take a stab at it.

1) IE is a dead browser and I doubt Webroot wants to code a third version of the ID Shield for something that is so dead that Microsoft even has a campaign to get people off it. Other browsers like Chrome, Safari, and the new Edge Microsoft is going to release, run on Chromium. Firefox has it's own browser engine, so Webroot can code for Firefox and Chrome. This probably makes it fairly easy to port the Chrome version over to Safari and I think even Opera and then Edge once Microsoft gets it launched. I doubt they are going to spend time on a browser that was retired before they released ID Shield.

2) Not sure, sorry!

3) I tried it when it came out and had a lot of problems. Not all were Webroots fault. It was installed as an add-on in whatever version of Firefox was current then, but on both low and high powered Windows XP PCs. The add-on destroyed my users ability to function on the web because it bogged down the browser using a ton of memory. The only fix, was to uninstall it. How it's improved or how it would do on a newer OS, I don't know. I have a feeling it's still an add-on that will bloat the browser. I find browsers these days take up 2.5 - 5 MB of RAM and I use both Firefox and Chrome. I try to keep them as bloatware free as possible.

I know that's not a lot to go off of, but I hope it helps.

Good Luck!

On a security side note, based on some previous comments. I'm guessing Chrome was installed when you installed Adobe Flash Player, one of the worst programs in the world due to 100s of security flaws found on a monthly/quarterly basis. Flash also had a tendency to install third party programs that were sometimes bad programs and sometimes good programs, like Chrome. However, their implementation of installation led to many disasters, which based on your comments, turned people off of good programs. Now, I'm no Chrome advocate, in fact I'm not much of a fan. However, it's not a bad browser if installed properly. Personally, I'm with you, I use Firefox on my desktop, laptop, tablet, and phone. They all sync between one another for things like my bookmarks. One thing I can suggest from a security point of view though, is using more than one browser. I use Firefox for the things I know and trust. I use Chrome and Opera if I need to research something that might take me to a site that's unsafe. This separates my online worlds and keeps me more secure. I use IE for a few legacy things I still have to access for work and I use Edge and Safari to test web pages because I'm a web developer.

FYI, Adobe is discontinuing Flash Player sometime in 2020. Thank god and RIP to the devil of security vulnerabilities! 😈

I...am considering adding Outlook for email protection. My main desire is to protect my Wife who clicks on any link sent her.
Will Identity Shield help? Maybe i'm not understanding you, but according to my understanding Identity Shield will not stop your wife from clicking on links. It will simply stop someone stealing personal information through keylogging and screen capture. That at least is my understanding (Edit: though it's true it will stop someone from screen capturing or keylogging the emails she's sending).

Not surprising, but apparently @bjm_ knows more about this than me.

Muddy7,

I agree with you and will simply live with the "must terminate programs in the Sandbox" issue to increase my security. The problem will be getting my wife to Firefox because of the extra work to restart and the inability to start a second instance. (A second window can be created by creating a new tab and dragging it off of the curent window.

Most of my research lead to 3+ year old notes. The most recent thread on my specific issue was reported about one year ago and the post was closed seemingly stating the issue was resolved in 5.28. What it really stated was that all BETA issues were resolved not the "real" issues

Hi @ExpertNovice

Apparently ID shield does work in IE11 as the lock does appear.
Great news!

I thought that IE was still supported for the Identity Shield but your and @NicCrockett's posts, plus the apparent lack of any but old and dated Webroot information, sowed a little seed of doubt in my mind. Normally, in the Windows environment, I understand that Firefox, Chrome and IE are officially supported browsers.

(Not quite sure about Edge. I believe that instead of the Web Filter Browser Extension they use a Web Filter Driver but that may have changed more recently with Edge finally approving a Webroot Browser Extension?? However regarding Identity Shield with Edge, I just don't know ☹️. But I'm sure @TripleHelix or @LLiddell could enlighten us on this.)

Also, as Chrome is Chromium based, I believe you can manually add any other Chromium based browser to the Application Protection list (see below for more info). I'm not sure about other kinds of browsers.

Sometimes, I find that the yellow padlock can momentarily disappear, but most times Alt-Tabbing away from the browser in question and then Alt-Tabbing back seems to do the trick so that the padlock becomes visible again.

Also, when I was referring to the "Notification Area", I was not referring to the pop-up box for hidden icons when you click the vertical arrow which is to the left of the right-hand portion of the Taskbar but rather to all the right-hand part of the Taskbar: this is what I, rightly or wrongly, call the "Notification Area". I always keep the Webroot icon in this visible area so I can see what is going on.

Finally, to check if any of your browsers is protected by Identity Shield:

• right-click the Webroot icon in the "Notification Area"
• click View Status in the Context Menu that now appears
• click on the cogwheel to the right of Identity Protection (Identity Protection is in the right sidebar of the Webroot GUI)
• click Application Protection in the tabs at the top of the new Webroot GUI page
• see if your browser appears in the list, and if Protect is selected in the radio buttons for that browser
• If so, your browser is protected!!
• you will now just need to make sure you always keep your Webroot icon visible in the "Notification Area" so whenever you are handling sensitive data (passwords, personal info etc.) or are performing sensitive operations (banking operations, internet purchases etc etc), you can check to see if the yellow padlock appears over the Webroot icon, just to reassure you that all is OK!

Hope that helps.

@ExpertNovice,

I could use something like sandboxie and be just fine. However, I've been in the IT field for almost 2 decades and using both PCs and Macs for about 3 decades. However, I'm a one person IT department supporting an entire company as well as family and friends. Yes, I have no life. 🤤 The people I deal with don't have the knowledge to work with a program like sandboxie, nor will they put forth the effort to use it properly. Therefore, when I suggest an easy security method that people can use, I suggest the multiple browser method. It keeps the stuff you care about "sandboxed" in one browser and then keeps your other unknown browsing "sandboxed" in another browser. Obviously this isn't true sandboxing, but it's a method that people can handle and accept. Whereas setting up Sandboxie they "might" try, get lost in the set-up or use, and in the end abandon it. It's better to suggest what people are more likely to use, than something you know they won't.

Yes, I hate Adobe and I know Flash Player is nothing but a security risk. However, don't throw the baby out with the bath water. They do produce some good products, though, like you, we're getting swindled by Creative Cloud pricing. However, I would still suggest using Adobe Reader, which is free. To avoid the main download with the bloatware, download it from https://about:blank. This is strictly Adobe Reader and that's it. If your installing the latest version from this site, drill down into win -> AcrobatDC -> 19xxxxxxxx. If the only file in there is a .msp file, go back version(s) until you find the last posted .exe file. Install the .exe file, then go to the latest version if you need to and install the .msp file. The .msp file is just an update and you don't have to install all the ones in between. Also, there will be two .msp files, one ends in MUI.msp, don't use this file. This gives you a clean version of Adobe Reader. You won't be able to edit PDF files, but you can at least view them in their native program.

Everyone has their own opinion of Google. Personally, I'm a fan, although I'm not particularly a fan of Chrome. However, Search, Photos, Drive, My Business, Webmaster Tools, Analytics, etc. are all great products in my opinion. I can appreciate that you may not share this opinion. I can offer a suggestion for a search engine if you want. I personally haven't used it, but I've heard good things about Duck Duck Go. You can set Firefox to use this one as your default if you want.

I also use Firefox as my default browser. However, I have to test web pages on all the major browsers because part of my job is web development. Also, as I previously stated, I have to use IE to access some legacy systems at work. If it wasn't for that I would probably only use Firefox, Chrome, and Opera, in that order. I wouldn't use IE, Edge, or Safari.

I started out on a Mac, but I was young and I don't remember what system/OS version it was. I grew up on Macs, but I hate them. I'd prefer to be on a PC any day. Anyone who tells you Macs don't have problems doesn't know what they're talking about. I work in the printing industry, so I have to support Macs. I've seen more Macs crash, black screen of death, and countless other known and unknown issues than I can count. Apple supports that last 3 versions of their OS, so you get about 3 years of security patches. Microsoft supports their products for a minimum of 10 years. Windows XP they extended to 12 years. Microsoft may get hit by more stuff, but they're a bigger target and they at least support you for longer. We're currently waiting to see if they're going to extend Windows 7 support, since it ends next year, but there are still a lot of PCs running it.

Good luck getting your wife to change. Like most individuals, she's probably set in her ways. Which is why I use the security workarounds for users and people. I know they are going to either take the easy route or use what they are use to. Nothing against your wife or women, this applies to how I deal with anyone. It's a human condition, not a gender, ethnic, political, or any other diversity. Even I'm guilty of it at times.

Another free PDF reader you can use is SumatraPDF. It's pretty ugly, but it works quite well. The designer just needs a new color scheme. I use it on our older PCs where I can't install the latest Adobe Reader or they have Adobe Acrobat installed. If they can't install the latest Adobe Reader, this allows them to read newer PDFs. If you aren't aware, you aren't supposed to install Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat on the same PC. It can really mess things up. Before I learned this, 12-15 years ago, an employee sent a PDF to a customer from a PC with both and it messed up the customer's PC. After doing some research, I learned that it was a known issue due to drivers and registry entries that crossover one another. Being essentially the same program, Adobe didn't completely separate the two for installation purposes. Also, you can use Firefox and Chrome to view PDFs, but the experience isn't that great.

No offense, but I'm not going to get into the Apple discussion, other than to say, yes that's where I started. However, I hate Apple with a passion and wish they didn't exist. Buy Microsoft or Android. If you're looking at new phones, look at the Pixel 3. I've had a Pixel XL for a little over two years and it's amazing. Everyone I talk to says they wish their photos were as nice as mine. The battery life is about two days unless I use the screen a lot and then it's one day. I bought it unlocked from Google and put it on AT&T and it works fine. Obviously buy what's right for you, but if I was buying a new phone right now, that's what I'd get.

Good Luck!

My third question was, is ID shield useful. So, I can't answer your question. The information in the Weboot documentation seems to be for someone who already knows the answer and acts as a reminder.

More importantly my second sentence should have read "who clicks on any link or object sent her." Clicking on a link opens the default browser which is already sandboxed.

Thus, she will open a PDF, JPG, etc. embedded in an email. My thought is by sandboxing Outlook such documents should be opened in a sandbox and that should help protect her. I have seen similar actions after downloading an installer, recovering, and then clicking on the "?Run file?" option in the browser and the installer opens in a sandbox. Again, testing will be conducted.

I plan on keeping Identity Shield in effect. Keeping Firefox at "Protect" while running it in a Sandbox only prevents me from opening a second instance of FF. Maddening, but being forced to replace IE11 means having to put up with it.

Another test was performed.
While changing the Identity Shield setting for Firefox from "Protect" to "Allow" allows multiple instances it seemed prudent to see if turning off either the ID or Phishing shield would resolve the issue.

While all four configurations were tried even disabling both Identity Shield and Phishing Shield did not fix the issue.

Looking over the list perhaps it is something like the "Protect browser components from external access" or the blocking of "process modification" or "suspicious access to browser windows" that is causing the conflict.

As for the links, thanks. I have read most of them before but never the first. It seems very dated was the download (not integrated version) for Windows 8 and older and IE 7 and above?

That's good information @ExpertNovice. However, I'd be hesitant to go that route. Your logic and reasoning is sound and I'm sure your testing is also sound. This is probably the solution that makes things work properly until Webroot fixes the product. The reason I'm hesitant is the need to use a 32-bit Firefox. Users need to know that they have to specifically download the 32-bit version of Firefox if they are on a 64-bit Windows PC. Just downloading and installing Firefox will by default install 64-bit Firefox. As an admin I often need a number of different versions for different platforms. Here's where I go to get the clean install files for Firefox. Anyone can get either the 32-bit or the 64-bit version for whatever platform they are on here.

Enjoy,

Thanks for responding. I failed to check this thread yesterday but after determining what version of FF WAS installed (65.0.2), what the latest version is (66.1), and how to update (easy) I had to update with the bad news.

66.1 does not work at all. It could be Sandboxie, Webroot, or the combination but that doesn't matter to me. I doubt 66.0 works, so will revert to 65.0.2 for a short while before permanently uninstalling.

I would hope they would continue creating 32 bit as long as 64 bit doesn't work for some but, given the current issue, that is doubtful. Plus, especially given this new development, I agree with you.

I REALLY wanted to use Firefox since IE11 is no longer viable. (too many websites no longer support it and some email providers are stopping support.) After Chrome was accidentally installed during an Adobe update (can't believe I forgot to uncheck that box), it took three months to get links to work from Office products. It took a reformat reinstall to fully fix the registery. So, switching to Chrome ain't gonna happen.

In an unsafe browsing envionment safety is getting harder to achieve.

..Adobe Flash Player...I suggest you get rid of it! It's nothing but a security hole, plus even Adobe has said they are discontinuing it next year.
Nic, I think I need to check on this, being unfortunately a bit of a noobie regarding IT.

I have the Shockwave Flash plugin for my FIrefox 64-bit but I have it set to "Ask to Activate", i.e. activate manually only as and when required. I find I very occasionally need it to read a video.

I don't know if this is in any way connected but I also have Flash 32-bit in my (Windows 7) Control Panel—though I honestly can't remember the last time I used Flash apart from Firefox (years ago??).

Are either of both of these bad?