Mozilla releases Flash-checking security update
Mozilla is pushing out a new release of its flagship Firefox browser that fixes critical security vulnerabilities in the software and, for the first time, checks to see if the browser's Flash Player is up-to-date.
The Firefox 3.5.3 and 3.0.14 updates were released Wednesday, a day after Microsoft pushed out its monthly set of security patches.
By actively checking for up-to-date Flash software, Mozilla hopes to give users a smoother, and more secure, Web browsing experience. Mozilla decided to focus on the Flash Player "both because of its popularity and because some studies have shown that as many as 80% of users currently have an out of date version," said Mozilla spokesman Johnathan Nightingale in a recent blog post on the issue. "Mozilla will work with other plugin vendors to provide similar checks for their products in the future," he added.