*********************************************Posted on 07/27/2006 10:37:32 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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Mozilla on Wednesday released an update to its popular Firefox Web browser that fixes a dozen vulnerabilities, seven of which it deems "critical."
The most serious of the flaws could be exploited by cyberattackers to commandeer a vulnerable PC, according to Mozilla. The company, which oversees Firefox development, has published security advisories for each of the flaws repaired by the Firefox update.
The flaws are fixed in Firefox 1.5.0.5, which Mozilla has started pushing out to Firefox users via the update feature in the open-source Web browser. In addition to the security fixes, the browser update includes stability improvements, as well as changes for the Frisian version for some users in the Netherlands, Mozilla said.
"Firefox 1.5.0.5 is a security update that is part of our ongoing program to provide a safe Internet experience for our customers," Mozilla said on its Web site. "We recommend that all users upgrade to this latest version."
Security monitoring company Secunia rates the update as "highly critical," one notch below its most serious ranking.
Mozilla also released updates for its SeaMonkey suite of applications to address security issues that apply to those programs.
While some of the security flaws may affect the earlier 1.0 versions of Firefox, Mozilla is not providing updates for those releases. Its version 1.0.8 was the last refresh for the 1.0.x line of Firefox. All users are advised to upgrade to the 1.5.0.5 version. The 1.0.8 version came out in April.
Developers are working on Firefox 2, the next major version of the Web browser. Mozilla earlier this month shipped the first beta of the new browser, which includes such features as a phishing shield to protect against information thieving online.
Microsoft, meanwhile, is putting the final touches on Internet Explorer 7, a reinforced version of its Web browser. Designed, in part, in response to competition from Firefox, IE 7 is due out in the fourth quarter of this year.
fyi
IE7- lipstic on a pig.
bumpb for later
lipstick
Spyware Disguises Itself as Firefox Extension
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Juha-Matti Laurio writes "The antivirus specialists at McAfee have warned of a Trojan that disguises itself as a Firefox extension. The trojan installs itself as a Firefox extension, presenting itself as a legitimate existing extension called numberedlinks. It then begins intercepting passwords and credit card numbers entered into the browser, which it then sends to an external server. The most dangerous part of the issue is that it records itself directly into the Firefox configuration data, avoiding the regular installation and confirmation process."
See post #6...another E-Mail approach.
Spyware disguises itself as Firefox extension
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The antivirus specialists at McAfee have warned of a Trojan that disguises itself as a Firefox extension. It is currently being openly disseminated through spam emails that purport to come from Wal-Mart. If the recipient opens the mail attachment while running a Windows operating system, the Trojan then installs itself as a Firefox extension, presenting itself as a legitimate existing extension called numberedlinks. It then begins intercepting passwords and credit card numbers entered into the browser, which it then sends to an external server. McAfee has dubbed the Trojan "FormSpy," although the company is still currently categorizing its distribution as low.
The file attached to the email consists of an executable Windows program, the AXM downloader. Once launched, it fetches the extension from the Internet and records itself directly into the Firefox configuration data, avoiding the regular installation process. Firefox extensions are normally distributed as XPI files, which ask the user for confirmation after forcing a pause of several seconds.
In a blog entry, Geok Meng Ong from McAfee Avert Labs called on users to take extreme caution when installing unsigned Firefox extensions from untrustworthy sources. This well-intended warning was actually off the mark on several points. One the one hand, only very few websites are authorized to install extensions without seeking additional approval. Furthermore there are at the moment virtually no signed extensions for Firefox or Mozilla. And finally, that mechanism would not have protected against this attack. This is because the user, in opening the file attachment and thereby allowing the foreign program to execute on his computer, automatically provides it with his own usage rights.
An effective protection against this attack is simply never to open file attachments that you have not requested. It is also important not to rely on seemly trustworthy 'From:' address fields, since these are easy to forge. When in doubt, confirm the legitimacy of the email with the purported sender in another way, such as by telephone. Further tips for safe handling of email are provided at heisec Emailcheck.
Courtesy of 
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Email has become the main entry point for viruses and worms. Inboxes are full of infected emails, and new contaminants are popping up every day. While anti-virus programs can reduce the risk, they cannot eliminate it altogether. It is therefore important to change your behaviour and the programs you use to take account of these threats.
Here, you will find everything you need to know to protect yourself from the flood of viruses. The section More info describes the possible risks, such as HTML emails and file attachments. Under Changing settings, we show you how to configure your email program to make it secure. Under Test emails, you can have emails sent to you that will reveal typical weak points without causing any damage.
For comments and suggestions, write to: emailcheck@heisec.co.uk
Go to first link fpr more detail//////
yep...and did u try the voice part...i just used that...pretty nice idea even if it does sound like a female terminator..
I do plan to keep playing with opera some, but I already miss firefox. How much of that is functionality vs familiarity I'm not sure.... but my hunch is my quickly missing firefox is almost all familiarity/comfort and that functionality is about the same, at least for the "base models". IMHO some of the extensions for firefox are just full on righteous and only getting better. (aardvark, edit css and web developer extensions immediately come to mind) Opera does have the widgets notion, but a first glance at those was a little underwhelming.
Who knows & who cares -- it's all fun and games when you're a geek like me.
update: Well, I downloaded the speech "extension" for opera.
It does not work with the pdf viewer, so much of my books on tape idea seems blown out of the water.
OTOH, The darn thing will make you laugh. I had it read my last post to me and it had me LOL. (a sure sign it's time for me to log off, if there ever was one.)
bump
bump
Bump
Uh, no, designed ONLY in response to competition from Firefox. Microsoft hadn't touched IE in years, except for a few security patches, until Firefox started gaining marketshare and mindshare. Until then their idea of competition was to purposely make MSN render badly for Opera users.
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