The Mozilla Foundation has fixed 10 security bugs in its open-source Mozilla and Mozilla Firefox browsers and Thunderbird e-mail reader, with the release of new versions of all three products this week. Some of the vulnerabilities could allow attackers to run malicious code on a user's PC via a malicious e-mail, a specially crafted vCard or a malformed graphic on a Web site, project leaders said.
The bug fixes accompany the release of the Firefox 1.0 preview release (PR), a nearly-finished version of the project's next-generation browser. The Mozilla team is hoping recent security concerns about Microsoft's dominant Internet Explorer browser will spur adoption of Firefox 1.0, when it is released, as a safer alternative. Fewer exploits exist for Firefox and Mozilla, partly because the browsers are far less widely used than IE.
The bugs are fixed in Mozilla 1.7.3, Firefox 1.0PR and Thunderbird 0.8, released this week and available from the Mozilla Foundation's Web site, the organization said. An advisory from Danish security firm Secunia said the flaws were "highly critical", the firm's second-highest rating.
This week's patches, detailed on Mozilla's Web site, are the most serious to affect Firefox so far, according to security researchers. The only other highly critical bug in Firefox so far was a flaw in the browser's libpng component (also patched in Mozilla and Thunderbird), revealed last month, that may have allowed an attacker to take over a system via a malicious graphic. Secunia maintains a list of Firefox 0.x vulnerabilities here.
The worst of the bugs are problems displaying vCards and bitmap image files, and an error involving malformed links. An attacker could cause a buffer overflow by sending an email containing a specially crafted vCard and then potentially execute code, but only if the e-mail were displayed in the preview pane of Mozilla Mail or Thunderbird. An attacker could trigger an integer overflow in the browsers or e-mail readers via an overly wide bitmap image in a Web site or an email, also allowing the execution of code. A link using non-ASCII characters in the hostname could be exploited via a Web site or an e-mail to trigger a buffer overflow and execute code.
Details of the other bugs are available from Mozilla.org.
Get the independent advice and expertise you need to support a virtual workforce.
The increase in Linux popularity has increased the frequency and sophistication of malware attacks. Read this 2 page white paper now to learn how you can protect your Linux environment with real-time protection that is certified by all major Linux vendors.
Download now »
Ensuring acceptable application delivery will become even more difficult over the next few years. As a result, IT organizations need to ensure that the approach that they take to resolving the current application delivery challenges can scale to support the emerging challenges. This handbook elaborates on the key tasks associated with planning, optimization, management and control and provides decision criteria to help IT organizations choose appropriate solutions.
Download now »
A common misconception is that mid-range storage requirements are dramatically different than that of a larger enterprise. Mid-range storage users may require less capacity, but they have similar functionality and management requirements. This ESG paper examines mid-range storage needs and reviews a new solution that adjusts size while retaining value, performance and functionality.
Download now »
Like any valuable resource, IT is a terrible thing to waste. But by applying the same lean techniques that have been used to streamline manufacturing processes, IT departments can reduce costs, improve performance and better manage resources.
Download now! »
Stephen Elliot, vice president of strategy for CA's Infrastructure Management and Data Center Automation business unit, explains why difficult economic times drive the need for simplified management capabilities and advanced automation tools.
Listen now! »
According to a recent study CA conducted with 300 CIOs and top IT executives, 64 percent of respondents say they've already invested in virtualization, and the other 36 percent reported that they plan to invest in virtualization.
Download now! »
In this video learn about process automation in a virtualized world. How CA and VMware are enabling enterprise datacenter automation.
View now! »
Recommend This
