Mozilla releases Firefox 3.6 with new security feature

Mozilla on Thursday released an updated version of its Firefox web browser to include a new feature to detect out-of-date plug-ins, Mozilla said in its release notes.

Firefox 3.6 will warn users if one of their plug-ins, such as Adobe Flash Player or Windows Media Player, is outdated, Mozilla said. Having an outdated plug-in could expose users to security vulnerabilities.

Users will see the warning if they visit a web page that uses the out-of-date plug-in. The warning will take users to a site where they can download the latest version of each outdated plug-in.

Older versions of Firefox (3.5.3 and 3.0.14) warn users if their Flash Player plug-in is not up to date, but this feature has been expanded in version 3.6 to warn users if any plug-in is vulnerable, Mozilla said.

The updated browser also includes stability improvements that decrease the number of crashes caused by third-party software, Mozilla said. In addition, Mozilla said the new browser is more than 20 percent faster than Firefox 3.5, has improved JavaScript performance, and contains a feature that allows users to customize the theme of their browser.

The new version does not contain any security fixes.

Sign up to our newsletters

More in News

House Intelligence Committee OKs amended version of controversial CISPA

Despite the 18-to-2 vote in favor of the bill proposal, privacy advocates likely will not be satisfied, considering two key amendments reportedly were shot down.

Judge rules hospital can ask ISP for help in ID'ing alleged hackers

The case stems from two incidents where at least one individual is accused of accessing the hospital's network to spread "defamatory" messages to employees.

Three LulzSec members plead guilty in London

Ryan Ackroyd, 26; Jake Davis, 20; and Mustafa al-Bassam, 18, who was not named until now because of his age, all admitted their involvement in the hacktivist gang's attack spree.