Mozilla has released version 1.5.0.5 of its Firefox web browser,
fixing security vulnerabilities.
Experts at SophosLabs™, Sophos's global
network of virus and spam analysis centers, have advised businesses
and home users to update their copies of the Mozilla Firefox web
browser, in order to protect against a number of serious security
flaws which could be exploited by malicious hackers.
Firefox version 1.5.0.5 is not connected to Firefox 2.0, the
eagerly anticipated major new version of the web browser, which is
currently in beta.
"It's critical that users of Firefox's web browser keep updated
to protect against security vulnerabilities," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant for Sophos. "It makes sense for all computer
users to remain alert about the latest security flaws, and ensure
they are running the latest patched version of their chosen
internet browser."
More information about version 1.5.0.5 of Firefox, and details
of the security issues it claims to fix, can be found on Mozilla's
website.
FireSpy Trojan horse poses as extension for Mozilla
Firefox
The release of the new version of Firefox comes just after news
broke of a new piece of malware that poses as an extension to the
popular web browser.
The FireSpy-A Trojan horse,
also known as FormSpy, infects computers that have already been hit
by the Dloadr-AKL Trojan
horse. The FireSpy Trojan horse installs itself into the Registry
and can steal passwords, credit card numbers and confidential data
from users of Mozilla Firefox.
"It has been much more common for hackers to target users of
Microsoft Internet Explorer than Firefox," said Cluley. "Even
though we do not believe that the FireSpy Trojan horse poses a
significant threat, it is still a timely warning that all computer
users - regardless of whose software they use - need to be careful
about what code they run on their PCs, and ensure they are properly
protected."
Sophos has been protecting against the FireSpy-A and Dloader-AKL
Trojan horses since 07:26 GMT on 25 July 2006.
Sophos continues to recommend computer users practise safe computing as well as running
up-to-date anti-virus software.
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.