Web browsers are top targets for hackers. They’re abused in more than 90 percent of attacks meant to hit random Internet users (versus more targeted strikes), according to Kaspersky Labs. And more than half of those attacks exploit flaws in browser software and seek to install dangerous malware on computers. “Why all the attention? Because browsers are an easy target. Computer users perennially ignore update reminders and run old versions with well-known security holes. They also use ancient browser plug-ins, which aren’t as easy to update and are often rich with known vulnerabilities. As a result, a whopping 80 percent…
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…Like a previous attack that produced a fake Firefox security alert, the malware comes up when a user-agent string is detected from a Firefox user browsing a malicious web site. This time though, it comes up with a replica of the real Microsoft Update page, which you only see if you’re using Internet Explorer. “The same malicious web site is also known for hosting a fake Windows XP explorer scanner and Windows 7 scanner, said Chester Wiesniewski, senior security advisor at Sophos…” Jun 09 2011 More Firefox malware disguises itself as a microsoft update- The Inquirer Go get it.
Purveyors of fake security software don’t let much grass grow under their feet and continually make improvements to their social engineering lures. While most of the talk for the past month has been their move to Mac with fake Finder pop-ups that appear to scan your computer, they haven’t stopped innovating on Windows either… May 30, 2011 More Fake Firefox warnings lead to scareware | Naked Security Go get it.
I never have used this but a lot of people do it looks like. A high-rated Firefox extension with more than 7 million downloads secretly collects data about every website the open-source browser visits and combines it with uniquely traceable information tied to the user, an independent security researcher said.“The undisclosed behavior of the Ant Video Downloader and Player add-on takes place even when the Firefox private browsing mode is turned on or when users are availing themselves of anonymity services such as Tor. The add-on carries a rating of four out of five possible stars and gets an average…
Firefox Aurora now comes with a built-in channel changer to switch between releases without having to download a separate installer… “ (Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET) More How to change Firefox channels | The Download Blog – Download.com Go get it.
Ever wonder what some of those settings actually do? This makes finding out much easier. One of the thing that’s extremely unhandy when you are working with Firefox preferences is that you cannot access a detailed explanation of a preference’s functionality directly. You have to copy the name, do a search on the web in hope of finding a suitable explanation. This often leads to the Mozillazine entry of the preference, but sometimes to no explanation at all… Includes screenshots. What’s That Preference Links Firefox Preferences To MozillaZine Knowledge Base
…we’re taking Spread Firefox offline to further explore what makes sense in terms of volunteer engagement. Affiliate buttons have moved to the Get Involved page for now. If you’d like to help out in the near term, please help us track pages or content that should be saved and note sites that direct to Spread Firefox here. Feedback and ideas can also be added in the comments… Source: Mary Colvig « Chicks Who Click More @ http://chickswhoclick.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/re-evaluating-spread-firefox/
Mozilla is revamping the way Firefox add-ons are tested…Under the new proposal, add-on testing will be automated. Add-ons hosted on Mozilla’s website will be tested against any new Aurora and Beta builds and automatically marked as compatible unless some problem is discovered. For those add-ons that are not hosted on the official site, the updateURL mechanism will accomplish the same thing. The Mozilla blog says that the new setup will mean that the Aurora and Beta channels will be compatible with the vast majority of add-ons… “ More Webmonkey | Wired.com
Firefox by default ships with a spell checking dictionary that matches the language version of the browser. If you download the Firefox US release you end up with the US-English dictionary for instance. This usually works out of the box but may be buggy at times. You can check Fix Firefox Spell Check Not Working to correct possible spell checking issues.Some users may want to have multiple dictionaries at their disposal, for example if they have to write or spell proof US-English and British-English articles on the web, or if they communicate in at least two languages.How is that done?……
“…Sync, which will not only synchronize Firefox across multiple computers, but it will also sync to your Android version of Firefox 4. “…how to make your Firefox 4 look like Firefox 3, in case you really miss the old design. It’s also a good hands-on tutorial for add-on use, in case you’re new to Firefox add-ons. “…make Firefox load tabs a bit faster than it does out of the box. This is a great tweak for users who have 20 or 30 tabs open. “…App Tabs are a new feature in Firefox to keep your most-used tabs in the same…