Firefox to auto check for Flash vulnerabilites

Mozilla have announced that Firefox’s next update, which ships on Tuesday, will check for outdated versions of Flash Player - a plug-in that has become something of a favoured method of entry for hackers recently.

Mozilla is making a point against Adobe, Apple, Sun and Microsoft for shipping out-of-date, vulnerable, plug-ins.

As a Snow leopard user I discovered that not only had it shipped with an out-of-date version of Flash Player but that it had also replaced the up-to-date version that I already had on my Mac! So Mozilla has identified a clear security need and is stepping in to fill the breaches caused by lazy vendors.

Firefox 3.5.3 and Firefox 3.0.14, which are the security updates for Firefox 3.5 and Firefox 3.0, respectively, are due for release on 8th September.

After installing the updates, Firefox end-users will see the following warning message if their PC or Mac has an out-of-date version of Flash Player installed,

“You should update Adobe Flash right now. Firefox is up to date, but your current version of Flash can cause security and stability issues. Please install the free update as soon as possible.”

The message will include a link to download the latest Flash Player plug-in.

Johnathan Nightingale of the Firefox security team blogged that “as many as 80% of users currently have an out-of-date version” of Flash Player installed.

Nightingale also mentioned in his blog that Mozilla intend to extend this auto check scheme to other plug-ins,
“Mozilla will work with other plug-in vendors to provide similar checks for their products in the future. Keeping your software up to date remains one of the best things you can do to keep yourself safe online, and Mozilla will continue to look for ways to make that process as easy as possible for its users”.

Tags: Adobe, Firefox, Flash Player