Maxthon

Data privacy issues

In 2016, computer security researchers from Fidelis Cybersecurity and Exatel discovered the browser surreptitiously sending sensitive browsing and system data, such as ad blocker status, websites visited, searches conducted, and applications installed with their version numbers, to remote servers located in Beijing, China. According to Maxthon, the data is sent as part of the firm's 'User Experience Improvement Program' and it is "voluntary and totally anonymous." However, researchers found the data still being collected and sent to remote servers even after users explicitly opted out of the program. The researchers further found the data being sent over an unencrypted connection (HTTP), leaving users vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks. Fidelis' Chief Security Officer, Justin Harvey, noted the data "contains almost everything you would want in conducting a reconnaissance operation to know exactly where to attack. Knowing the exact operating system and installed applications, and browsing habits it would be trivial to send a perfectly crafted spear phish to the victim or perhaps set up a watering hole attack on one of their most frequented websites." Maxthon CEO Jeff Chen claimed that this was due to a bug that was fixed as soon as Maxthon was made aware of the issue; however, Exatel had notified Maxthon of the issue without getting any response. The issue was found in Maxthon version 4.4.5. According to Maxthon, it was fixed in a later version and no such issue was reported since then.

Development history

According to Chen, Maxthon was based on MyIE, a popular modification to Internet Explorer created by Chinese programmer Changyou. Changyou posted most of the source code for MyIE on his bulletin board system before leaving the project in 2000. Chen then continued independently developing MyIE and in 2002 released a new version, MyIE2. Users around the world were quite active in contributing to MyIE2's development, adding many plug-ins, skins and assisting with debugging. MyIE2 was renamed Maxthon in 2003.

Maxthon 2 was introduced in July 2007, and Maxthon 3 was released in September 2010. Later that year, Maxthon began introducing browsers for portable devices. In December, Maxthon for Android was released. On July 7, 2012, Maxthon for Mac was released, with Maxthon for iPhone and iPad released in August 2012. On December 10, 2012, Maxthon Cloud Browser, also named Maxthon 4, was released.

Features

Maxthon 5 introduced these features:

• UUMail: enhances the email experience by creating unlimited virtual email IDs to keep the real email address safe and filtering out spam to make sure the inbox stays clean and organized.
• Maxnote: the original 'Favorites' feature upgraded to 'Maxnote'. Users can collect everything, read anywhere, and record anytime.
• Passkeeper: help users remember all passwords securely. Synced users passwords to the Cloud and then accessed on all different platforms & allows people to add and edit "Accounts" and "Private Notes". It also helps users to auto-generate random complicated passwords when registering on a website so there's no need to worry about passwords being cracked anymore.

Version 1.x

Maxthon version 1, which continued version 0 of MyIE2, was an Internet Explorer shell that implemented a tabbed browser using the Trident web browser engine which Microsoft introduced with Internet Explorer 4. As such, version 1 was compatible with every version of Windows from Windows 95 to Windows 7. Development of version 1 stopped in 2010 with the so-called Maxthon (Classic), version 1.6.7.35; earlier releases are available from Maxthon, and version 1.6.7.35, which fixed a bug in selecting the default search engine, is still available at other download sites.

There are many add-ons available for Maxthon Classic, and more are available through discussion forums. Specific threads may provide direct download links also. Some add-ons are build-specific, but in that case, a clear indication of compatibility can often be found.

Maxthon 1.3.1 brought cloud-based service for online syncing bookmarks (favorites) in 2005.

Version 2.x

Maxthon Browser 2 is a multi-tab browser released in July 2007. A later modification in 2008 was the first browser on the market to offer cloud-based services for syncing bookmarks and history. Version 2.x also blocks malicious plug-ins to prevent pop-ups and floating ads, and supports a variety of plug-in tools and IE extensions. It also supports a wide variety of skins and is customizable. New features included:

• Maxthon Passport: once the user signs in and registers for free membership, avatar remains in that space for future visits
• Multi Tab Manager: right-clicking on the 'Tab menu' brings up a function intended to make browsing and other operations more efficient.
• Mouse Gestures: right clicking and performing gestures with the mouse allows users to trigger customizable actions.
• Maxthon Smart Accelerator: the built-in is intended to increase browsing speed; see icon at Maxthon status bar.
• Autofill: automatically saves content entered into web forms and fills them automatically in the future.
• Undo list: after closing a webpage accidentally, the Undo button and Undo can restore it. All closed pages and browsing history are recorded in Undo list.
• Online Favorites: registering as a Maxthon Passport member allows instant access to cloud syncing services like online favorites.
• Super Drag and Drop: users can drag and drop selected text for a web search in their default search engine, or a selected link or image to open in a new tab.
• URL alias: through 'tab right click menu,' users can assign a 'special-sticky name' to a webpage, which can be entered in the address bar to open the corresponding webpage. Naming is possible through the right click tab menu.
• Super agent: supports adoption of HTTP, HTTPS, Socks4, Socks4a, Socks5, and other internet connection proxies, and also supports proxy that require authentication. By setting the Advanced Proxy Rule, the browser can automatically switch to different proxy servers.
• External Tools: users can add commonly used (i.e., possibly IE compatible only)^{[clarification needed]} tools and software shortcuts to their browser. The software can be set to start up and shut down with the browser.
• Web Toolbar: provides users with a set of commonly used small features. Among them, The Maxthon website aggregates many entertainment and social networking sites.
• AD blocking: through the menu "Webpage Content Block," Ad Hunter can block pop-ups, ads and malicious web harassment. Supports customizable filters.
• URL Key: through settings center, set an URL Key and press a function key to open one or more URLs.
• Web Sniffer: Web sniffer can capture FLV media files from video sites, allowing for download and saving. Users can also customize the type of files to sniff for.
• Screen Capture: users can arbitrarily snap a whole page, a region, a specified window and page content to the clipboard. Users can also configure the saving path and file format of the screenshot through setting options.
• Maxthon Download: without having to call other download programs, using the browser's built-in download can complete numbers of small download tasks. The download manager has several features.
• Plug-ins (Extensions): plug-ins can be used or programmed and shared with other users

Version 3.x

Maxthon 3 was released in the fall of 2010, after a beta period of 8 months. It has two layout engines: WebKit and Trident. New features included:

• Dual Display Engines: Maxthon uses the Ultra Mode, powered by the WebKit web browser engine, by default. It will switch automatically to Retro Mode, powered by the Trident engine, as needed to display older-style Web pages.
• Mouse Gesture: allows navigating through the web by moving a mouse in patterns that tell the browser to go back, forward, refresh, or hide.
• Super Drag & Drop: allows drag and drop to open new pages and images or perform a web search.
• Smart Address Bar: allows searching by typing keywords directly into address bar
• Magic Fill: Maxthon securely saves names and passwords of visited websites, then fills in that information on return.
• AD Hunter: removes advertisements with one click and automatically blocks pop-up windows.
• Maxthon Passport: once a user signs in and registers for free membership, avatar remains in that space for future visits.
• Online Favorites: registering as a Maxthon Passport member allows instant access to cloud syncing services like online favorites.
• Multi Search: after selecting this, a user can input keywords in the address or search bar, and it shows what multiple search engines return for the query.

Maxthon Cloud Browser

Also named Maxthon Cloud, Maxthon 4 was released on December 10, 2012. At the same time it released Passport and its cloud features. Maxthon Passport allowed users to sign-in and register for free membership, and their avatar remains in that space for future visits. Registering also gives users access to cloud syncing services like online favorites. New features include:

• Cloud Push: supports sending text, images, websites/links and tabs to Mac, Android and Windows operating systems.
• Cloud Share: supports sharing text, images, websites/links and files online.
• Cloud Download: supports downloading files in various formats and uploading them to My Cloud for backup on any device.
• My Cloud Tabs: lets users remember previous sessions, by automatically syncing tabs to Android, iOS, or Windows devices.
• Cloud Sync: Syncs account data (Favorites, Settings and Magic Fill data) to other devices.
• Reader Mode: adjusts font sizes and removes ads on articles for visibility, with a "night mode" option for low light.
• Magic Fill: Maxthon securely saves names and passwords of visited websites, then fills in that information upon return.
• Ad Hunter: removes advertisements with one click, and automatically blocks pop-up windows.
• New Session: users and gamers can simultaneously log into the same website with different accounts.
• Source Sniffer: extract all photos, embedded videos and audio files from a web page and download them.
• SkyNote: save and access text notes anywhere, and sync them across Windows and Android.
• Do Not Track: privacy from ad networks and beacons.
• Google Safe Browsing: identifies websites and warns if they are not safe and not secure before visiting.
• Privacy mode: disables browsing history.

MXNitro

On September 15, 2014, Maxthon released a beta version of a Windows web browser made for those with slow computers or internet connections. The browser fetched pages 3 times faster than other browsers. The browser had a clutter-free, intuitive look and feel designed expressly to make new users feel comfortable on first use. The browser never came out of beta.

Version 5.x

Maxthon 5 (also known as MX5) was released in October 2016. In the 5.2.x versions, the core of the browser is updated to the Chromium 61 branch point which suggests that the core is using Blink, a fork of WebKit. Aside from a series of new added and improved features, Maxthon 5 also introduces a few major built in functions, such as Maxnote as "your collecting button for the web", Passkeeper as "your smart password manager", and UUMail as "the guardian of your inbox". Through this new version, Maxthon 5 is aiming to become an information assistant for users. New features included:

• UUMail: enhances the email experience by creating unlimited virtual email IDs to keep the real email address safe and filtering out spams to make sure the inbox stays clean and organized.
• Maxnote: the original 'Favorites' feature upgraded to 'Maxnote'. Users can collect everything, read anywhere, and record anytime.
• Passkeeper: help users remember all passwords securely and smartly. Synced users passwords to the Cloud and then accessed on all different platforms & allows people to add and edit "Accounts" and "Private Notes". It also helps users to auto-generate random complicated passwords when registering on a website so there's no need to worry about passwords being cracked anymore.
• Customization: support customization for proxy and core switch button, UEIP data feedback in setting-Privacy & Content, and auto-sync setting
• External Tool: support external tool
• Guest Mode: add guest mode
• Interception: add popup window interception prompt
• New Favorite Method: support dragging URL in a webpage to shortcut bar and make it favorite
• Shortcut bar: add "add to this folder" for a folder in shortcut bar, support dragging to manage and organize entries, and support "delete" to recycle bin
• Traffic Calculation: add upload traffic calculation in Infobox-menu

Version 6.x

Maxthon 6 (MX6) was released on 30 November 2020, with regular beta updates since. It claims to be the default browser for 670 million users. Some Maxthon 5 features are not (yet) supported. The browser has an emphasis on blockchain technologies, and offers 64-bit and 32-bit versions on Windows, as well as iOS, Android and portable versions.

With the official release of Version 6.1.0.2000 Maxthon moved to a Chromium base, but still support the dual Trident and Blink rendering engines.

Maxthon Mobile