Sophos Warns Users to Patch Bug

BOSTON -- IT security and control firm Sophos is advising businesses and home users to update their copies of the Mozilla Firefox web browser in order to protect against a security flaw that could be exploited by hackers to run malicious code on victims' computers. Recognizing the threat that unpatched computers presents to businesses, Sophos experts are advising companies to consider the benefits of implementing a Network Access Control (NAC) solution to defend against this and future vulnerability issues.

Made public earlier this week, a security hole was discovered in the way that Firefox and Apple QuickTime work together, potentially allowing privileged code to execute on a user's computer without permission. Hackers can exploit the flaw to access data on a vulnerable PC or run malicious programs such as a worm.

"Companies and consumers need to update their copies of Firefox to ensure that they're fully protected against software vulnerabilities, as security is not just a problem for users of Microsoft products like Internet Explorer," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "While Internet Explorer is more often the target of attack for hackers than Firefox, that doesn't mean that users of non-Microsoft products can stick their heads in the sand about security. There are no excuses for dragging your feet and not using the latest version of your internet browser."

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