H γερμανική κυβέρνηση εξέδωσε προειδοποίηση ότι οι χρήστες του Firefox κινδυνεύουν από πλευράς ασφάλειας. Το αρμόδιο κρατικό Ομοσπονδιακό Γραφείο Ασφάλειας Πληροφοριών (Bürger-CERT) που είχε προειδοποιήσει για τους κινδύνους που διέτρεχαν οι χρήστες του προγράμματος πλοήγησης της Microsoft τον Ιανουάριο, έκανε το ίδιο τώρα και για το πρόγραμμα της Mozilla.
Το αδύναμο σημείο, που επιβεβαιώθηκε και από τους δημιουργούς του Firefox, επιτρέπει στους χάκερς να εισβάλλουν στους υπολογιστές των ανυποψίαστων χρηστών και να τοποθετούν επικίνδυνα προγράμματα λογισμικού.
Μια νέα ενημέρωση ασφάλειας, η Firefox 3.6.2, κυκλοφόρησε νωρίτερα, αντί για το τέλος Μαρτίου. Η γερμανική υπηρεσία συστήνει στους χρήστες να σταματήσουν την χρήση του Firefox, μέχρι να εγκαταστήσουν την ενημέρωση ασφάλειας. Οι χρήστες δεν συνίσταται να χρησιμοποιούν ούτε κάποια έκδοση παλαιότερη από την 3.6 του Firefox.
Μια νέα ενημέρωση ασφάλειας, η Firefox 3.6.2, κυκλοφόρησε νωρίτερα, αντί για το τέλος Μαρτίου. Η γερμανική υπηρεσία συστήνει στους χρήστες να σταματήσουν την χρήση του Firefox, μέχρι να εγκαταστήσουν την ενημέρωση ασφάλειας. Οι χρήστες δεν συνίσταται να χρησιμοποιούν ούτε κάποια έκδοση παλαιότερη από την 3.6 του Firefox.
English version
Mozilla has released Firefox 3.6.2 almost a week early after security issues were found in earlier versions.
Firefox 3.6.2 was originally due to launch at the end of March, but is available to download now from the Mozilla website. The security hole had led the German government to issue a warning about Firefox 3.6. The Federal Office for Information Security made a similar ruling on the safety of Internet Explorer in January. It warned that the Firefox vulnerability, confirmed by Firefox makers, could allow hackers to run malicious programs on users' computers.
Germany's official cyber-security response team, Bürger-CERT, had recommended that users stop using Firefox until the tested fix was released. It was a move remarkably similar to the January announcement, in which France followed suit just days later.
Fox swap?
The original Firefox vulnerability was confirmed by maker Mozilla last week on its security blog, when it promised that the next official release would address the issue. It is only the current version that is affected but, given that prior releases have different vulnerabilities, reverting to an older version of the browser is ill-advised.
Switching to a different browser may not be a good solution either, said Graham Cluley, senior technologist at security firm Sophos. "Switching your web browser willy-nilly as each new unpatched security hole is revealed could cause more problems than it's worth", he said.
- "What are you going to do when your replacement browser itself turns out to contain a vulnerability?
- "My advice is to only switch from Firefox if you really know what you are doing with the browser you're swapping to. If you stick with Firefox, apply the security update as soon as it's available''.
A Mozilla spokesperson said: "Last week we informed our users that the upcoming security release of Firefox 3.6.2 would include a fix for an exploit that was disclosed to us just over a week ago. Mozilla is aware of the Bürger-CERT recommendation to avoid using Firefox 3.6, and encourage users to download... Firefox 3.6.2".
Germany's official cyber-security response team, Bürger-CERT, had recommended that users stop using Firefox until the tested fix was released. It was a move remarkably similar to the January announcement, in which France followed suit just days later.
Fox swap?
The original Firefox vulnerability was confirmed by maker Mozilla last week on its security blog, when it promised that the next official release would address the issue. It is only the current version that is affected but, given that prior releases have different vulnerabilities, reverting to an older version of the browser is ill-advised.
Switching to a different browser may not be a good solution either, said Graham Cluley, senior technologist at security firm Sophos. "Switching your web browser willy-nilly as each new unpatched security hole is revealed could cause more problems than it's worth", he said.
- "What are you going to do when your replacement browser itself turns out to contain a vulnerability?
- "My advice is to only switch from Firefox if you really know what you are doing with the browser you're swapping to. If you stick with Firefox, apply the security update as soon as it's available''.
A Mozilla spokesperson said: "Last week we informed our users that the upcoming security release of Firefox 3.6.2 would include a fix for an exploit that was disclosed to us just over a week ago. Mozilla is aware of the Bürger-CERT recommendation to avoid using Firefox 3.6, and encourage users to download... Firefox 3.6.2".
Πηγές / Sources: Imerisia, B.B.C.
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