Two "extremely critical" security flaws in the Firefox web
browser, revealed early last week, have now been patched. The
Mozilla Foundation, which develops the open source browser, issued
the security update on Wednesday.
The security flaws relate to vulnerabilities that, used in
tandem, could have allowed third parties to access a Firefox user's
computer by exploiting the way that it handles software
installations from certain locations.
One of the reasons that Firefox became so popular in the past
year is that many people had been seeking a more secure browser
than Microsoft's much-exploited Internet Explorer. However, some
believe that Firefox's relative health to date could be down to its
small market share. As it grows in popularity, they warn that
hackers may be more inclined to search for flaws to exploit.
Security firm Secunia rated the exploit – albeit only a proof of
concept – as "extremely critical."
Mozilla recommends that Firefox users upgrade to Firefox 1.0.4,
which contains the security updates.
