Mozilla has released an out of band update for the Firefox web browser that patches two critical security vulnerabilities, which could potentially be exploited by malicious attackers to execute arbitrary code on the targeted computer. Both security issues have been rated critical, Mozilla’s highest threat level, and are considered to be use-after-free memory corruption vulnerabilities, meaning that hackers can exploit them to manipulate memory in such a way that executing malicious code becomes possible. Firefox patches two critical security exploits
Critical Security Patch
Mozilla Firefox has released a patch for two critical security issues: CVE-2013-0788, which allows cross-site scripting via dragging and dropping links, and CVE-2013-0793, which allows attackers to bypass domain restrictions by prepending / to a URL. Security experts strongly recommend that users apply Firefox updates immediately; failure to do so may leave their systems open to attacks from malicious actors. Users of Mozilla Firefox should be running version 18.0 or higher.
Google and Microsoft offer fixes
Google has already released a fix for one of these issues in Chrome. The second issue, which affects all supported versions of Microsoft Windows, has been addressed by Microsoft in its latest round of updates to Internet Explorer and Edge. In both cases, all affected users are advised to update their respective browser or operating system.
FireFox installs it automatically
Firefox uses an update mechanism called Out of Band that automatically downloads and installs software updates. Users may opt out if they choose, but it’s not recommended. This automatic update mechanism is one of Firefox’s best features. Unlike Microsoft Windows or Mac OS X, which typically require user intervention to install software updates, Firefox users never have to worry about missing a patch because they forgot to manually install it or because they simply weren’t paying attention.
Tips on how to protect yourself against these vulnerabilities
You should update Firefox on your computer if you haven’t done so already. But beyond that, it is vital to keep your operating system and other software up-to-date as well. It is especially important for computers that connect to public Wi-Fi networks.
