What Does a Browser Do?
A browser is a type of software that you can install on your computer. Many people think of “the web” as their browser, but a browser is actually just a tool to show resources that are on the internet network.
What To Do About the Vulnerability
WordFence sent out a newsletter today that discusses a recent vulnerability in the Firefox browser.
If you have Firefox installed on your computer, it might be set to update automatically. Firefox released an update that fixes those vulnerabilities on 9/5/18. You can check whether your computer has the most recent version of Firefox.
Firefox menu with asterisk by About Firefox. If you have your Firefox set to have the menu bar at the top, go to Help -> About Firefox.
- The About Firefox link will open a window that will tell you whether your Firefox is up-to-date.
Every program (app) you add to your computer has an About page that gives you technical information about the program. This is the About page for Firefox This is a 2018 Firefox menu. If your version of Firefox has this menu, it would be smart to update your Firefox. If your browser does not have the menu bar turned on, and you would like to have it show, go to the icon with the three little lines in the upper right hand corner, and then go to Customize.
- Toolbars can be selected from a dropdown at the very bottom of the page.
This is a panel from the 2018 version of Firefox that allows you to decide what items you want in the Firefox menu
Why is there a Problem?
When any program runs in your computer, it runs in the computer’s memory. Hackers would love to get into this memory area and use it to control your computer. The most critical problems in the recent Firefox vulnerabilities are the ones that could potentially allow a hacker into the memory of your computer. The update protects the memory of your computer.