Mozilla And DHS Warn Of Critical Vulnerability In Firefox. Update Now!
By: Jim Stickley and Tina Davis
January 11, 2020
Firefox users, this one is for you. Not only is there an urgent warning out from Mozilla, the makers of the Firefox browser, but the U.S. government is getting involved too. The agency under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in charge of cybersecurity, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), is also hoping users will heed its warning to upgrade the Firefox browser immediately. Do not pass “Go.” Do not collect $200.
Why, you ask? Well, the versions of the browser older than the most recent (72.0.1 and ESR 68.4.1) have a critical vulnerability that could allow an attacker to take control of the device’s operating system. And, it affects both Windows and Mac versions.
Even worse, it’s currently being exploited. We can only guess DHS is getting involved because of heightened security concerns due to recent political events.
It’s important to always keep products updated on all devices for reasons such as this one. So take the time to do a quick check that you have the most recent version of this and other browsers. On a Windows machine, you can launch Firefox and go to “Options > Firefox Update” or “Options > Advanced > Update.” For Macs, open the browser, click “About > Firefox” and then click “Restart to updated Firefox.”