OSNews > Thread > "RE: ..." by umccullough

Silent Install Firefox Plugin Backfires on Microsoft

Linked by Kroc Camen on Sat 17th Oct 2009 05:27 UTC

Whilst it's not okay in Microsoft's eyes for Google to install a plugin into Internet Explorer, increasing the potential surface area of attack, when Microsoft do it to Firefox, it's a different matter. Now a security hole has been found in a plugin that Microsoft have been silently installing into Firefox.

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RE: ...

by umccullough on Sat 17th Oct 2009 06:06 UTC in reply to "..."

Member since:
2006-01-26

Plugins are like Java, Flash, etc - they are not the same as Firefox extensions. Basically if you run into a website that demands you install some plugin, you should maybe think twice, since you're trusting a piece of software that is not sandboxed.

In any case, I notice Firefox now disables the WPF plugin "for my protection"

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RE[2]: ...

by Kroc on Sat 17th Oct 2009 06:37 in reply to "RE: ..."

Member since:
2005-11-10

Ah, I was hoping someone on Windows could confirm that, I read in a comment on another article that Mozilla had flipped the kill-switch and blacklisted the plugin until MS fix it.

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RE[3]: ...

by robojerk on Sat 17th Oct 2009 06:53 in reply to "RE[2]: ..."

Member since:
2006-01-10

I'll confirm that Mozilla is pushing to disable the extensions. I got the popup just a minute ago to restart for my protection.

Reply Parent Bookmark Score: 4