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Firefox makes it easier to send links between VR and desktop
Firefox is making it a little easier to bounce between VR and real life. In a new update for Reality, Firefox has introduced the ability to send videos and tabs straight to your VR headset from your phone or desktop, and vice versa -- you'll be able to send tabs straight to your phone or desktop to access as soon as you take your headset off.
Mozilla pulls four Firefox add-ons over excessive data collection
Browser security extensions aren't automatically safer -- they might even make things worse. Mozilla has pulled Avast's Online Security and SafePrice extensions for Firefox, plus their AVG-branded equivalents, after AdBlock Plus creator Wladimir Palant found they were collecting much more data than necessary. This included a detailed web history that went well beyond site addresses and search history, including when and how long you visit a site, what you click, the number of open tabs and even when you switch to another tab. Mozilla's policies explicitly forbid this kind of fine-grained collection.
Firefox gets picture-in-picture video playback on Windows
One of the hardest things to do while multitasking is watching a video. Even if you open a clip in a new window, you often have to keep moving it around your screen so it's not blocked by all the clutter on your screen. Mozilla's new Picture-in-Picture feature for Firefox pins just about any video to your screen and prevents other tabs or windows from obscuring it.
Firefox update adds detailed tracking reports and password tools
Back in June, Firefox launched Enhanced Tracking Protection, a feature that tries to protect your privacy by blocking more than a thousand third-party trackers by default. With its latest update, which you can download today, Firefox now provides a dashboard that details exactly how the browser goes about protecting your personal information.
Russian hackers modify Chrome and Firefox to track secure web traffic
Many hackers won't touch web browsers beyond exploiting their vulnerabilities, but one group is taking things one step further. Kaspersky has detailed attempts by a Russian group, Turla, to fingerprint TLS-encrypted web traffic by modifying Chrome and Firefox. The team first infects systems with a remote access trojan and uses that to modify the browsers, starting with installing their own certificates (to intercept TLS traffic from the host) and then patching the pseudo-random number generation that negotiates TLS connections. That lets them add a fingerprint to every TLS action and passively track encrypted traffic.
Google faces scrutiny from Congress, DOJ over plans to encrypt DNS
Google's bid to encrypt domain name requests appears to be raising hackles among American officials. The Wall Street Journal has learned that the House Judiciary Committee is investigating Google's plans to implement DNS over HTTPS in Chrome, while the Justice Department has "recently received complaints" about the practice. While Google says it's pushing for adoption of the technology to prevent spying and spoofing, House investigators are worried this would give the internet giant an unfair advantage by denying access to users' data.
Mozilla's Firefox Test Pilot Program relaunches with a 'Private Network' extension
Firefox is beefing up its security features with a new beta extension that secures your personal data and hides your IP address by protecting you from third party trackers.
Firefox will encrypt web domain name requests by default
Mozilla's Firefox privacy protections will soon include one of the most basic tasks for any web browser: fielding the domain name requests that help you visit websites. The developer will make DNS over encrypted HTTPS the default for the US starting in late September, locking down more of your web browsing without requiring an explicit toggle like before. Your online habits should be that much more private and secure, with fewer chances for DNS hijacking and activity monitoring.
Firefox 69 blocks cookies and crypto-mining tracking by default
After announcing new security efforts in June, Mozilla is now rolling out the features for all Firefox users on Windows, Mac, Linux and Android. By partnering with Disconnect, Firefox will now block third-party cookies; it can also block crypto-miners from accessing users' hardware. With Firefox 69 (rolling out today), these options will be enabled by default.
Google and Mozilla to block web surveillance in Kazakhstan (updated)
Google and Mozilla are taking action against the government of Kazakhstan's efforts to launch a surveillance operation against its own citizens. Both companies announced today that they are blocking a root certificate that the Kazakhstan government unveiled last month that effectively allowed it to monitor the encrypted internet activity of any users who installed it. The nation forced ISPs to cooperate by making it mandatory for all customers to install the certificate in order to gain access to the internet.
Apple promises hostile treatment for sites that break Safari privacy rules
Apple is taking a tough new stance on websites that attempt to monitor and share individuals' browsing history. In a new policy page, published on Wednesday, the company says it will treat websites and apps that attempt to bypass Safari's anti cross-site tracking features much like it treats malware. In some instances, Apple says it will implement new anti-tracking features that target the practices of specific bad actors. Additionally, the company notes it will implement those features without offering prior notice. We've reached out to Apple for further clarification on how it plans to restrict individual websites and apps.
Firefox Reality VR web browser arrives on Oculus Quest headsets
Mozilla just expanded the reach of its Firefox Reality VR browser to one of its bigger platforms yet: the Oculus Quest. Owners of Facebook's stand-alone headset can surf sites, watch videos and dive into VR experiences through a browser that both emphasizes privacy (Enhanced Tracking Protection is turned on by default) and puts VR web activities front and center in a portal. The features will seem familiar if you've used Firefox Reality on another platform, including voice search, but that's not necessarily a bad thing if you aren't happy with the usual Quest browsing.
Mozilla now curates a list of recommended extensions for Firefox
Mozilla is making it easier to choose the best Firefox add-ons from a sea of extensions you'd usually have to wade through. The latest version of Firefox for desktop now comes with a list of recommended extensions, which have been chosen based on their security, usability and usefulness. You can find the curated list in the Get Add-ons page within the Firefox Add-ons Manager. Mozilla has also added a feature that allows you to report any bad extension you come across directly through the Add-ons Manager itself.
Mozilla preps its ad-free news subscription service for testing
Mozilla seems to have made significant progress on its Apple News competitor over three months after it was announced. According to various sources, the organization has sent out invites to users, inviting them to participate in the upcoming beta launch of its news subscription service. Mozilla called it the "Firefox Ad-free Internet" in the invites, since it's meant to give users access to content from their favorite publications without having to look at ads.
Firefox revamp for Android promises privacy without losing features
Mozilla will no longer force you to choose between the privacy-first design of Firefox Focus and its full-featured regular browser... at least, if you're using Android. It's releasing a Firefox Preview for the platform that's "more like" Focus, but still offers the kinds of features you'd expect from a standard version of Firefox. Tracking protection is still on by default, and you'll still have a minimalist address bar, but you'll have everyday features that include Collections, a way to quickly visit a group of sites whether it's your morning routine or your shopping plans.
A Firefox update fixes yet another zero-day vulnerability
Mozilla recently rolled out a fix for a critical bug that hackers were actively exploiting to take control of vulnerable systems. Now, it has released a patch for yet another zero-day bug. According to ZDNet, infiltrators used the two flaws in tandem to target Coinbase employees: the first one allowed them to run malicious codes through Firefox from afar, while the second one gave them a way to escape from the Firefox protected process.
You should update Firefox right now to fix a critical bug
If you have Firefox on your computer, you should update it right now. Mozilla has released security updates Firefox 67.0.3 and Firefox ESR 60.7.1 to fix a critical bug, which it says hackers are actively exploiting to take control of vulnerable systems. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency also issued an alert urging users and system administrators to review Mozilla's security advisory and act accordingly -- in other words, update your browser.
Mozilla's new Firefox logo shows it's more than just a browser
The iconic Firefox logo has fronted Mozilla's services since 2003 -- now, 16 years later, it's getting a complete makeover. In a blog post published today, the company reveals that it's been working on a new design for the last 18 months in a bid to create iconography that shows it's more than just a browser.
Firefox's latest privacy updates strengthen tracking protection
Firefox is rolling out an "Enhanced Tracking Protection" feature today that will block a list of over a thousand third-party trackers compiled by Disconnect, an open-source anti-tracking tool. New users of the browser who are downloading it for the first time will have the tracking protections turned on by default. Current users can either select the feature manually or wait for Firefox to update it in the coming months.
Ultra-private Tor browser officially arrives on Android
VPNs and incognito modes can help, but if you want to jump to a whole 'nother privacy level, there's the infamous Tor Browser. It has finally come out of beta and arrived on Android in a stable release, the Tor Project announced. That will make it a lot easier to browse on the Tor network in complete anonymity without having to jump through hoops to get connected.
