Firefox Users Warning

[+kbootb]

There have been a number of posts here recently about Firefox and the great add ons that link to OS maps.

 

Just spotted this article on the BBC website.

 

Sorry to say that they have discovered some security flaws. I've not got into the details yet, but just thought I would draw attention to the advice to act cautiously when adding scripts.

[+-Phoenix-]

It was only a matter of time

 

Mozilla, Apple, Linux have been making great score out of the lack of Vurus vulnerbility they suffer, but the truth is, that was only because it was never worth the virus writers time to exploit the minority softwares.

 

OTOH, M$ have been numero uno target for so long their software is probably much more secure in real terms than anything else.

[+Tupperware Hunters]

I blame microsoft everthing is ther fault

[+-Phoenix-]

Of course it is, since Mozilla are so keen to leave their code open source, you can bet that someone has gone through it with a tootcomb and already has a whole list of attacks.

 

Now, if you wanted to throughly discredit a piece of software, would you launch piecemeal attacks when it was just starting out, and the writers could patch it before much damage was done, or, would you wait until they were bragging about their 50 millionth download, and you could launch a serial attack that would affect so many people in a way that nobody would EVER want to toy with a no M$ product every again....

 

.... gee, have I just started a new conspiracy theory

[+Tupperware Hunters]

microsoft conspiracy nahhh its a fact microsoft are behind every thing ohh apart from there customer sevices

 

 

due to poor spelling i removed some honest

Edited May 10, 2005 by fruity

[+Kitty Hawk]

Thanks for that.

 

I know what I'll be up to tomorrow - updating my security again.

[+The Hokesters]

I updated my Firefox to 1.0.3 the other day now it crashes if I click on the location bar to try and type in a new URL. Is anyone else having this problem? I haven't got round to checking the Firefox forums but I have issued fatal crash data to Mozilla.

[+one4zorro]

I updated my Firefox to 1.0.3 the other day now it crashes if I click on the location bar to try and type in a new URL.  Is anyone else having this problem?  I haven't got round to checking the Firefox forums but I have issued fatal crash data to Mozilla.

We are running 1.0.3 and everything is running fine.

 

Martin

Edited May 11, 2005 by one4zorro

[+dunos]

1.0.4 is now out.

[+The Hokesters]

1.0.4 seems to have sorted it out. Also this new version shuts a few security holes in the Firefox browser. See Here!

[+civilised]

While we're talking about firefox - and to bring it back on topic - does anyone know how to associate firefox as the browser in GSAK ?

 

civilised

[+sTeamTraen]

Don't worry too much about scripting vulnerabilities in browsers. IE has had many of them for a long time and they have never been widely exploited.

 

It's very hard to make a malicious script which will spread widely, because you're lacking the "reproductive" effect of a well-written virus or worm. And if such a script directs you to a particular site (say, to steal your data), that site can easily be closed down (assuming it doesn't get flooded with traffic).

 

In a nice moment of irony, the US Department of Homeland Security (whose mandate, as far as I know, doesn't cover this sort of thing, but never mind) issued a warning last year suggesting that Americans should use another browser other than IE. So a government department with no authority on a subject was telling people not to use a product (which has many flaws, A, B, C, D) because of a supposed security problem (E) which wasn't even a major threat. Pretty much par for the course at the moment, though (did you see they fired an anti-aircraft missile at a cloud over the White House last week because the radar can't distinguish low clouds from incoming missiles?)

 

Of course, the idea that a visit to web site X might cause you to lose all your money, makes great copy for newspapers and (especially) online news services, but in practice, far more people are likely to fall victim to phishing, and that's their own stupid fault.

 

More generally, there's not much point in posting browser security vulnerabilities (or indeed any other computer security alerts) in a forum of this kind, as it's hard to tell which are important, which are untrue, etc. It's a phenomenon of the Net that people try be helpful, but in fact all that "information" just ends up overloading people's ability to filter it.

[markandlynn]

While we're talking about firefox - and to bring it back on topic - does anyone know how to associate firefox as the browser in GSAK ?

 

civilised

You cant. It uses IE "under the hood"

[+civilised]

That's a shame

 

civilised

[+jochta]

While we're talking about firefox - and to bring it back on topic  - does anyone know how to associate firefox as the browser in GSAK ?

 

civilised

You cant. It uses IE "under the hood"

Is this some function of GSAK I'm not aware of? Mine uses Firefox to open cache pages (offline and online) as it is set as my default browser.

 

Also version 1.04 of Firefox was released this morning which fixes the two potential security flaws.

[+MarkGPX]

1.0.4 is now out.

Do you still have to uninstall the old version of Firefox before installing the new one?

 

I know this used to be the case but I was wondering if they'd fixed it yet.

[+walkergeoff and wife]

No - just install it on top of the old one. If you wait long enough they will remind you that it is available.

[+Turkey Trotter]

While we're talking about firefox - and to bring it back on topic  - does anyone know how to associate firefox as the browser in GSAK ?

 

civilised

You cant. It uses IE "under the hood"

Yes you can.

 

First set Firefox as your default browser. Tools > Options > General and check the firefox default browser box.

 

Now do Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs

 

On the bottom of the left is Set Program Access and Defaults. Click on this.

 

You will be given a number of configurations, select Custom

 

Set default browser to Use my current browser. That should then allow any program to start Firefox.

 

HTH

[+Puppy Galore]

You cant. It uses IE "under the hood"

Yes you can.

 

First set Firefox as your default browser. Tools > Options > General and check the firefox default browser box.

But the split screen view still uses IE in the cache details page.

 

This is because it uses the IE activex control to actually render the page for display in the window.

 

That much you'll always be stuck with.

 

The default browser setting will only effect launches of a page in a separate window.

 

Edited for excessive quoted quotes

Edited May 12, 2005 by Puppy Galore

[+jochta]

You cant. It uses IE "under the hood"

Yes you can.

 

First set Firefox as your default browser. Tools > Options > General and check the firefox default browser box.

But the split screen view still uses IE in the cache details page.

 

This is because it uses the IE activex control to actually render the page for display in the window.

 

That much you'll always be stuck with.

 

The default browser setting will only effect launches of a page in a separate window.

 

Edited for excessive quoted quotes

I never knew it could do that!! Neat.

[+Turkey Trotter]

But the split screen view still uses IE in the cache details page.

 

This is because it uses the IE activex control to actually render the page for display in the window.

 

That much you'll always be stuck with.

 

The default browser setting will only effect launches of a page in a separate window.

 

Edited for excessive quoted quotes

Sorry yes that's probably true just that I always launch in a seperate window.

[+sTeamTraen]

When Microsoft tells you that IE is integrated into Windows (this was their defence a few years back during one of their anti-trust suits), they aren't kidding.

 

It might not appear as the standalone browser, but a very large chunk of IE's functionality is really part of the operating system.

 

For example, if you do Control Panel/Internet [settings], about half of the parameters which you can set there, apply to every Web-aware application on your PC (to the extent that they ask Windows for their Web info).

 

Even if you don't have ideological issues with Microsoft, it's often nice to have a second browser, for example if you need to have two sessions open on a site (for example, two users on geocaching.com or two account at your bank). And for that it's important that they don't share any code to connect to the remote site. You can get cute browsers like CrazyBrowser, which is based on IE but allows tabbed browsing, but if you open a session with that and then try again with IE, it says you're already logged in.

[+kbootb]

Strangely enough, I receive regular CD-ROMS from a govt dept. They are written using 'browser' technology i.e. usually fire up IE and use html and occassionally flash, shockwave or similar.

 

The last few have had a version of firefox. It doesn't install firefox and I'm using it on a computer that doesn't have firefox. But the browser tools etc are firefox. Seems to be a run time version, if that's the correct phrase.

 

There is quite a push in the department concerned to encourage the use of open source (free) software. Even saw that they had put a press release out about how much money schools could save if they dropped a certain company.

 

Not quite official directive but a pretty strong hint.

[+dunos]

There are a number of versions of firefox that can run stand-alone from CDs and also from flash memory cards.