Active Content

Active content is written in three different scripts: Active X, Java or JavaScript. Opposed to static content which is simply intended to display objects, Active content has the ability to produce vibrant pages, such as those containing video streams and other multimedia objects. JavaScript has caused a few security problems for users of the Netscape Navigator. Since the script was designed to control the browser, it mistakenly allowed other JavaScript programs to read preference settings. Settings of the browser often include email addresses, FTP passwords and other sensitive information. Active X has also been known for it’s security issues. Introduced by Microsoft, Active X was designed with few user limitations. Aside from the optional digital signature that can be implemented, security provisions for this script are not enforced. Active X allows several actions when launched on a computer. This vulnerability has led to many systems being compromised by viruses and other infections.