Netcraft
Encyclopedia
Netcraft is an Internet
services company based in Bath, England
.
Netcraft provides web server and web hosting market-share analysis, including web server
and operating system
detection. In some cases, depending on the queried server's operating system, their service is able to monitor uptime
s; uptime performance monitoring is a commonly used factor in determining the reliability of a web hosting provider.
Netcraft also provides security testing
, and publishes news releases about the state of various networks
that make up the Internet
.
The company is also known for its free anti-phishing
toolbar for the Firefox
and Internet Explorer
browsers. Starting with version 9.5, the built-in anti-phishing filter in the Opera
browser uses the same data as Netcraft's toolbar, eliminating the need for a separately installed toolbar. A study commissioned by Microsoft
concluded that Netcraft's toolbar was among the most effective tools to combat phishing
on the Internet
, although this has since been superseded by Microsoft's own Internet Explorer 7 with Microsoft Phishing Filter, possibly as a result of licensing Netcraft's data.
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
services company based in Bath, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Netcraft provides web server and web hosting market-share analysis, including web server
Web server
Web server can refer to either the hardware or the software that helps to deliver content that can be accessed through the Internet....
and operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
detection. In some cases, depending on the queried server's operating system, their service is able to monitor uptime
Uptime
Uptime is a measure of the time a machine has been up without any downtime.It is often used as a measure of computer operating system reliability or stability, in that this time represents the time a computer can be left unattended without crashing, or needing to be rebooted for administrative or...
s; uptime performance monitoring is a commonly used factor in determining the reliability of a web hosting provider.
Netcraft also provides security testing
Security Testing
Security testing is a process to determine that an information system protects data and maintains functionality as intended.The six basic security concepts that need to be covered by security testing are: confidentiality, integrity, authentication, availability, authorization and non-repudiation...
, and publishes news releases about the state of various networks
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
that make up the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
.
The company is also known for its free anti-phishing
Anti-phishing software
Anti-phishing software consists of computer programs that attempt to identify phishing content contained in websites and e-mail. It is often integrated with web browsers and email clients as a toolbar that displays the real domain name for the website the viewer is visiting, in an attempt to...
toolbar for the Firefox
Mozilla Firefox
Mozilla Firefox is a free and open source web browser descended from the Mozilla Application Suite and managed by Mozilla Corporation. , Firefox is the second most widely used browser, with approximately 25% of worldwide usage share of web browsers...
and Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer
Windows Internet Explorer is a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, starting in 1995. It was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 that year...
browsers. Starting with version 9.5, the built-in anti-phishing filter in the Opera
Opera (web browser)
Opera is a web browser and Internet suite developed by Opera Software with over 200 million users worldwide. The browser handles common Internet-related tasks such as displaying web sites, sending and receiving e-mail messages, managing contacts, chatting on IRC, downloading files via BitTorrent,...
browser uses the same data as Netcraft's toolbar, eliminating the need for a separately installed toolbar. A study commissioned by Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
concluded that Netcraft's toolbar was among the most effective tools to combat phishing
Phishing
Phishing is a way of attempting to acquire information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Communications purporting to be from popular social web sites, auction sites, online payment processors or IT...
on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, although this has since been superseded by Microsoft's own Internet Explorer 7 with Microsoft Phishing Filter, possibly as a result of licensing Netcraft's data.