Can XSS and phising type attacks jump across browsers?

Question

If I had two different browsers and separated their use such that I was only ever using browser A for things such as on-line banking and credit card purchases etc. And used browser B for everything else, then if browser B got had malicious scripts installed would my browser activities on browser A be safe?

What type of "malicious *installed* scripts" do you mean? If you install something which gets file system access, it's your fault — Bergi, Dec 06 '12 at 17:32

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Dec 06 '12 at 15:43

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Depends if "malicious scripts installed" are at an OS level, or at a browser level. If something infects your OS, any application is vulnerable.

answered Dec 06 '12 at 15:43

Diodeus - James MacFarlane

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score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Dec 06 '12 at 15:43

Yes. Since malicious client side scripts have no direct access to the underlying filesystem or OS of the client, they can not be transmitted across browsers.

However, if you have malicious bookmarks or addons installed and voluntarily transfer them, perhaps in ignorance, then the other browser is also vulnerable.

Can XSS and phising type attacks jump across browsers?

2 Answers2