Update Firefox for Android now to fix a critical security hole

Fixing the cookie from the Firefox jar

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Mozilla’s Firefox browser for Android was updated recently to patch a vulnerability that would have allowed an attacker to view your data through a JavaScript exploit.

Firefox was once seen as a fantastic alternative toMicrosoft’s Internet Explorerbrowser, showcasing fast load times and a clean UI, with tabs as its front and centre feature.

With the rise ofGoogleChrome andApple’sSafaribrowser, its spotlight has dimmed, but its features on Android and iOS easily take it shoulder to shoulder with the other browsers on these platforms.

What was the issue?

There is an exploit called ‘universal cross-site scripting’, which allows a hacker to look upon your browser history through cookies and see any data that you may have typed in, which would allow them to gain access to certain accounts.

This exploit would have allowed someone to ‘spoof’ the browser into thinking that a previous webpage the user had browsed was genuine through Javascript code. But in effect, the code would hijack Firefox, and would be able to look at your stored passwords.

Curiously, only the Android versionwas affected, but with version 88.1.3 now out, the vulnerability has been fixed.

How to update Firefox

While theGoogle Play Storecan update apps automatically, it’s always best to go into the app itself to check for updates. The list of recently updated apps will notify you if Firefox has been updated or not.

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The update should be listed as version ‘88.0.1’, which will list the fix for this JavaScript vulnerability.

If Google Play hasn’t updated the browser already, just press on ‘Update’ and Firefox will download, fixing the vulnerability.

ViaNaked Security by Sophos

Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he’s written a book, ‘The Making of Tomb Raider’. His second book, ‘50 Years of Boss Fights’, came out in 2024, with a third book coming in 2025. He also has a newsletter called ‘Springboard’. He’s usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that’s about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.

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