Latest Firefox browser aims to squash security bugs

Mozilla developers have released an updated version of their Firefox browser that fixes a number of security issues, four of them rated critical.

The update was released late last week, and Firefox users should receive the 1.5.0.7 patches via the browser's automatic update system over the next few days, according to Mozilla.

Research firm Secunia rates the flaws as "highly critical," saying that they can be exploited to "conduct man-in-the-middle, spoofing, and cross-site scripting attacks, and potentially compromise a user's system," according to an alert from the company.

Web surfers who want to download the Firefox update directly can find it online.

In addition to the four critical fixes, the software also corrects three less-critical issues and offers some stability enhancements, according to the Mozilla website. Details on the security vulnerabilities are now available online.

Browser hackers have traditionally focused on Microsoft's Internet Explorer, but as Firefox's market share has grown it has become a more attractive target. Firefox is now used by about 13 per cent of web surfers, according to research firm OneStat.com.