The new update will most assuredly provide a higher degree of safety for the browser’s users.
For those fearing that their browser experience might be under several security threats, Mozilla attempts to quell those fears because the Mozilla Firefox 44 update fixes the browser’s security issues. But do not be mistaken, not all problems have been fixed, with the company focusing on those deemed the most threatening first.
The number of security bugs fixed by the 44 update is marked at 12, with 3 critical ones, 2 high-risk, 6 moderate and 1 minor. Although the number of seriously threatening issues is rather small, the added degree of security after this patch’s release should not be ignored at all.
The biggest flaw in Firefox’s defenses towards code manipulation was based on how the browser altered its memory by using code inspection. But this problem is not just a sole one. It is in fact created by three distinct problems found within the browser’s system. The ANGLE graphics library’s safety issue regarding its memory, zip file handling that would cause a wild pointer flaw and the libstagefright library’s integer overflow which occurred during metadata parsing, all of these created some serious threats towards users’ safety.
The second critical issue addressed by the 44 update can be summarized as a potentially exploitable crash. This would occur due to a buffer overflow in the WebGL program. Fortunately, the error was found by Mozilla’s Address Sanitizer, a tool specifically designed to identify memory errors, before any major hindrance could be felt the general public.
Last but not least is the third critical issue encompassing various bugs found by Mozilla employees and third-party research teams. This is why even if at first glance the update seems rather limited in terms of the problems it addresses, it is actually rather all-encompassing, up to a certain extent, of course.
The other 9 issues of various threat levels can be basically summarized as address bar spoofing errors, memory crashes, click delays and other similar phenomena. Fortunately, after the patch has been installed, users will have fewer and fewer crashes while browsing through Firefox, as well as having a higher degree of security in regards to their encryption protocols.
Even if the Mozilla Firefox 44 update fixes the browser’s security issues, this does not mean in any way that the company will stop its endeavor of providing the most secure browsing experience, as well as the most customizable, on the current market. Only time will tell how this patch will fare in terms of security and if hackers and other malicious parties will be able to crack Firefox’s defenses once again.
Image source:www.pixabay.com
