firefox | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Mon, 20 Jul 2020 09:33:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png firefox | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Mozilla now offers a VPN subscription service https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/james-dawson/mozilla-now-offer-a-vpn-subscription-service/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/james-dawson/mozilla-now-offer-a-vpn-subscription-service/#respond Sun, 19 Jul 2020 11:41:22 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=477726 Those of you that use a VPN for connecting to the internet may be interested to learn that there’s a new VPN on the market from a trusted company. Mozilla, the company best known for its Firefox internet browser software has launched its own VPN service this week. The new Mozilla VPN is available on …

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Those of you that use a VPN for connecting to the internet may be interested to learn that there’s a new VPN on the market from a trusted company. Mozilla, the company best known for its Firefox internet browser software has launched its own VPN service this week.

The new Mozilla VPN is available on Windows and Android devices now and offers a fast and easy to use service. According to Mozilla, users will instantly see how fast internet browsing is when using its new VPN service. Mozilla VPN is based on WireGuard protocols which is much smaller than legacy protocols used by other VPN provides, making it more streamlined and fast.

Users who are new to using a VPN will notice that the interface is easy to use, setup is simple so you will be online in no time. Mozilla beta tested the software last year and it received positive feedback from participants of the test. Users found that the VPN offered a higher level of security for all devices with added protection for personal information and allowed users to browse anonymously and communicate more securely.

Mozilla claims that they do not partner with “third-party analytics platforms who want to build a profile of what you do online” and will not keep data logs of users online activity. The company also claims to have non-nonsense Data Privacy Principles that only focus on the information needed to provide the service.

Connecting to the Mozilla VPN requires no long term contract and is available for just $4.99 per month. The service will be available initially in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Malaysia, and New Zealand with plans to expand to other counties later this year.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you looking for a new VPN service for Windows and Android devices? Would you give the Mozilla VPN a go?

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Microsoft’s Chromium version of Edge is overtaking Firefox https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/microsofts-chromium-version-of-edge-is-overtaking-firefox/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/microsofts-chromium-version-of-edge-is-overtaking-firefox/#respond Tue, 07 Apr 2020 17:00:04 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=461034 Back in 2019, Microsoft officially began work on a Chromium-based version of its Edge browser, bringing full compatibility with Google Chrome extensions and other new features. The browser spent many months in beta testing before launching earlier this year and already, Edge is beginning to give Firefox some competition.  For years now, Google Chrome has …

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Back in 2019, Microsoft officially began work on a Chromium-based version of its Edge browser, bringing full compatibility with Google Chrome extensions and other new features. The browser spent many months in beta testing before launching earlier this year and already, Edge is beginning to give Firefox some competition. 

For years now, Google Chrome has been the most popular web browser, followed by Firefox. However, as statistics from NetMarketShare show, Microsoft Edge has surpassed Mozilla Firefox this year in the months following Edge's Chromium upgrade.

Of course, Chrome still far exceeds all of the competition in market share, accounting for 68.50 percent of browser usage. As of March 2020, Edge is at 7.59 percent while Firefox is at 7.19 percent. It is worth noting that Firefox has been in decline for a while now, dropping from a 9.27 percent market share in March 2019.

As Bleeping Computer points out, Edge has been on the rise in that same time period, rising from 5.20 percent to the 7.59 percent figure it sits at today. Soon, Microsoft will also make the new version of Edge the default browser on Windows 10, which should bring another boost.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I haven't tried out Chromium Edge myself yet, but it does seem to be doing quite well. Have any of you tried it out? What did you think of it versus the competition? 

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Mozilla launches Firefox Reality- a dedicated VR and AR web browser https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/mozilla-launches-firefox-reality-a-dedicated-vr-and-ar-web-browser/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/mozilla-launches-firefox-reality-a-dedicated-vr-and-ar-web-browser/#respond Wed, 19 Sep 2018 13:45:41 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=387329 Earlier this year, Mozilla announced that it had been working on a brand new web browser called ‘Firefox Reality'. This is a dedicated version of Firefox meant for Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality headsets. This was all done in an effort to get the jump on the future of content consumption and now, we can …

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Earlier this year, Mozilla announced that it had been working on a brand new web browser called ‘Firefox Reality'. This is a dedicated version of Firefox meant for Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality headsets. This was all done in an effort to get the jump on the future of content consumption and now, we can finally make good use of it ourselves.

Currently, most people browse the web on a PC with a monitor, or on a mobile device. In the years to come as AR and VR headsets start to pick up steam, we may start to see a shift, particularly when higher resolutions start to become available. In order to prepare for that, Mozilla has launched Firefox Reality, which is designed entirely for use on Head-Mounted Displays.

Firefox Reality contains the usual control and privacy options that you would expect from a Mozilla browser. However, the user interface is completely redesigned for VR/AR. This means navigation, text-input, environments and more were reworked.

Firefox Reality makes use of the Quantum Engine for mobile browsers, GPU Acceleration is also present. All of that combined means that users should have a smooth and fast experience, which is always a key focus when it comes to VR applications. Currently, Firefox Reality is in V1.0 but the 1.1 update is just around the corner. In the months that follow, bookmarks, 360 video support, accounts and other useful features will be added.

KitGuru Says: Currently, Firefox Reality is only available on mobile/standalone headsets, like the Oculus Go and Google Daydream. Still, this is an interesting look at what could end up being the future within the next decade. Do any of you currently have a VR headset? Do you only use it for gaming or do you also like to use it for media consumption?

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Mozilla is looking for user opinions on its proposed Firefox rebrand https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/mozilla-is-looking-for-user-opinions-on-its-proposed-firefox-rebrand/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/mozilla-is-looking-for-user-opinions-on-its-proposed-firefox-rebrand/#respond Tue, 31 Jul 2018 11:21:54 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=381361 Firefox is currently undergoing a system overhaul, with creator Mozilla looking to create new, cohesive branding for its browser and other related ventures. In an attempt to avoid the same backlash it received for its impromptu Moz://a stylisation, the firm wants to know what users think based on pre-established criteria. Mozilla wants its Firefox branding …

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Firefox is currently undergoing a system overhaul, with creator Mozilla looking to create new, cohesive branding for its browser and other related ventures. In an attempt to avoid the same backlash it received for its impromptu Moz://a stylisation, the firm wants to know what users think based on pre-established criteria.

Mozilla wants its Firefox branding to stand for much more than just the browser, encompassing an entire family of applications and services “from easy screenshotting and file sharing to innovative ways to access the internet using voice and virtual reality.” The fast fox icon with a flaming tail struggles to do this, according to Mozilla, with a lack of “design tools to represent this entire product family. Recolouring that logo or dissecting the fox could only take us so far. We needed to start from a new place.”

A team of brand designers and Mozilla’s product division has come up with two options, starting with the masterbrand icon, followed by a line of singularly-focused browser icons, then a line of icons for applications within the browser such as Firefox Focus and Firefox Reality and finally five icons for new services at the bottom.

“Extreme caveat: Although the products and projects are real, these design systems are still a work of fiction,” stresses Mozilla. “Icons are not final. Each individual icon will undergo several rounds of refinement, or may change entirely, between now and their respective product launches. Our focus at this point is on the system.”

While the firm is still looking into various design elements, such as typography, graphic patterns and animation, it plans to introduce a final candidate “over the next few months.” Currently, it’s in the user feedback stage, where Mozilla wants to know what you think based on a number of questions:

  • Do these two systems still feel like Firefox?
  • How visually cohesive is each of them? Does each hold together?
  • Can the design logic of these systems stretch to embrace new products in the future?
  • Do these systems reinforce the speed, safety, reliability, wit, and innovation that Firefox stands for?
  • Do these systems suggest our position as a tech company that puts people over profit?

Given that this is the second rebrand for Mozilla in recent years, it could be called into question just how much this is needed, particularly after the last attempt netted the company some criticism. That being said, image is important and I’m no marketing expert.

KitGuru Says: Personally, I’m quite the fan of the first set of designs. It’s less familiar than the second but revitalises the brand while each logo conveys the same ‘stained glass’ feel as the masterbrand. The second feels a little cleaner on the logo designs, but less relevant to the masterbrand and the variety of colours seems to detract from the cohesiveness for me. What do you think about the two design choices?

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‘Stylish’ browser extension found stealing users’ internet browsing history https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/ryan-burgess/stylish-browser-extension-found-stealing-users-internet-browsing-history/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/ryan-burgess/stylish-browser-extension-found-stealing-users-internet-browsing-history/#respond Thu, 05 Jul 2018 11:24:44 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=378728 Stylish is often viewed as a great extension, allowing users to customise a website's look to their liking. It also doubled as one of the top recommended extensions on Chrome and Firefox. Unfortunately, its reputation has been somewhat tarnished this week, as it was discovered that the extension was logging users' internet browsing histories. The …

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Stylish is often viewed as a great extension, allowing users to customise a website's look to their liking. It also doubled as one of the top recommended extensions on Chrome and Firefox. Unfortunately, its reputation has been somewhat tarnished this week, as it was discovered that the extension was logging users' internet browsing histories.

The discovery was made by software engineer, Robert Heaton, who explained in a blog post that the Stylish extension has included spyware since January 2017. The extension would track every single website its two million users visited.

The company behind Stylish, SimilarWeb, could use this method to collate all of the browsing history into one profile for each user. For people that created a Stylish account, each profile could easily be linked back via a login cookie. This means that SimilarWeb theoretically has enough information to link Stylish accounts (which contain personal information) back to each users' browsing history.

Since this was discovered, both Google and Mozilla have removed the Stylish extension from their respective web stores.

KitGuru Says: It’s a shame to see Stylish, a genuinely useful browser extension, be nothing more than spyware now. Do you use Stylish? How do you feel about this revelation?

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Mozilla is integrating ‘Have I Been Pwned’ into Firefox https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/ryan-burgess/mozilla-is-integrating-have-i-been-pwned-into-firefox/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/ryan-burgess/mozilla-is-integrating-have-i-been-pwned-into-firefox/#respond Tue, 26 Jun 2018 15:54:58 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=377865 Have I been Pwned (HIBP) is a fantastic service that allows you to enter your email address and see every single possible data breach it has been involved in. Many Security services and organisations are looking to implement the service into their tools, and Mozilla is looking to do the same with Firefox’s new privacy …

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Have I been Pwned (HIBP) is a fantastic service that allows you to enter your email address and see every single possible data breach it has been involved in. Many Security services and organisations are looking to implement the service into their tools, and Mozilla is looking to do the same with Firefox’s new privacy enhancements.

Mozilla has announced that it will be launching a new secondary website called Firefox Monitor, which takes advantage of the free API that HIBP provides for anybody to use. Firefox Monitor will work the same as HIBP but with a few extra features.


Image via Mozilla

Firefox Monitor will not only show you if your data was stolen, but the extent of it, and recommendations on how to secure your accounts going forward. Mozilla would also like to implement a feature that will notify users when their data has been included in a new breach.

Firefox Monitor is still in a testing phase, due to be rolled out to around 250,000 users, mostly based in the US. Mozilla is working with HIBP and Cloudflare to create a method of transmitting anonymised user data for their new service.

KitGuru Says: This is a fantastic idea from Firefox, HIBP is a valuable website that needs more exposure and using Firefox is a great way to achieve that. What do you make of Firefox Monitor?

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Mozilla working on a voice-controlled app called Scout https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/ryan-burgess/mozilla-working-on-a-voice-controlled-app-called-scout/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/ryan-burgess/mozilla-working-on-a-voice-controlled-app-called-scout/#respond Thu, 14 Jun 2018 15:48:45 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=376902 Mozilla is most well-known for its work on Firefox, a once ubiquitous browser that has now lost its throne to Google Chrome. The company is now exploring different paths, we know that a VR-dedicated version of Firefox is on the way, but Mozilla seems to be undertaking work on a new voice-controlled browser too. Later …

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Mozilla is most well-known for its work on Firefox, a once ubiquitous browser that has now lost its throne to Google Chrome. The company is now exploring different paths, we know that a VR-dedicated version of Firefox is on the way, but Mozilla seems to be undertaking work on a new voice-controlled browser too.

Later this week, Mozilla is hosting an ‘all-hands' event in San Francisco. One of the items on the agenda is Scout, a voice controlled app that aims to explore new ways of consuming content. For instance, you'll be able to say “hey Scout, read me the article about polar bears”, and the information will be read to you.  Mozilla is committed to making sure the internet is a friendly and usable place for everyone, and this sort of project could help many people with disabilities when it comes to accessing online information.

Mozilla hasn’t gone into any more detail about Scout as it is still an “early-stage project”, but its an exciting look at how developers can make the internet more accessible. Mozilla has been clawing back market share with their recent Firefox Quantum release, but Scout offers a new and interesting set of possibilities that other browsers on the market just can’t compete with.

KitGuru Says: This is a welcome addition from Mozilla, providing they get it working well, Scout could go a long way to making the internet more accessible for everyone. Do you think Scout is a good idea?

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Mozilla adds theme editor and side-by-side browsing to Firefox https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/ryan-burgess/mozilla-adds-theme-editor-and-side-by-side-browsing-to-firefox/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/ryan-burgess/mozilla-adds-theme-editor-and-side-by-side-browsing-to-firefox/#respond Wed, 06 Jun 2018 17:25:47 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=375838 Firefox was getting a lot of stick from users as a bloated and unstable browser, but after the Quantum update, it is right back on track. With two new additions to its Test Pilot programme, users can now easily make their own themes and open two tabs in the same window. The Test Pilot programme …

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Firefox was getting a lot of stick from users as a bloated and unstable browser, but after the Quantum update, it is right back on track. With two new additions to its Test Pilot programme, users can now easily make their own themes and open two tabs in the same window.

The Test Pilot programme is where Firefox puts all its experimental features for testing by the public, and if they are well received, eventually make their way into a future version of the browser.

The first extension is a theme editor called ‘Color’. Color allows you to change several different aspects of your interface including Tool Bar colour, Tab Highlight Colour, Theme Texture and much more.

The second extension is called Side View. Side View allows you to open two separate tabs from within the same window. This means you don’t have to open separate windows for each tab, especially useful for those with ultrawide monitors.

These extensions are available now from the Test Pilot page and easily install like any other extension for Firefox.

KitGuru Says: As a user of Vivaldi, a browser that has had both an easy to use custom theme editor and tab tiler (with as many tabs as you can handle), this is a welcome addition from Firefox. What do you make of these new features?

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An API dedicated to ridding the need for passwords is in the works for Firefox, Chrome and Edge https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/an-api-dedicated-to-ridding-the-need-for-passwords-is-in-the-works-for-firefox-chrome-and-edge/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/an-api-dedicated-to-ridding-the-need-for-passwords-is-in-the-works-for-firefox-chrome-and-edge/#respond Tue, 10 Apr 2018 15:12:42 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=369810 With the unified opinion that passwords are increasingly insecure, Chrome, Firefox and Edge browsers are following in the footsteps of Yahoo to get rid of them entirely. This is thanks to the WebAuthn open standard which is already supported on Firefox, and is soon to make it over to Chrome and Edge in the coming …

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With the unified opinion that passwords are increasingly insecure, Chrome, Firefox and Edge browsers are following in the footsteps of Yahoo to get rid of them entirely. This is thanks to the WebAuthn open standard which is already supported on Firefox, and is soon to make it over to Chrome and Edge in the coming months.

WebAuthn has been around for quite some time, however developers the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and FIDO Alliance have finally been able to progress on the technology thanks to the reveal of FIDO2’s security specifications.

The technology is intended to facilitate better implementation of the new FIDO2 protocol, helping to forgo passwords in favour of biometrics and hardware-based authentication such as USB tokens. Given its open-source nature, it means that this technology will be able to spread much easier than proprietary methods introduced in the past.

“Previously, the work to support tokens was happening among big companies like Google, Microsoft and Facebook, which would implement their own drivers,” says Selena Deckelmann, who worked on Firefox’s implementation. “With WebAuthn, you’ll be able to use commonly available libraries.”

Despite being available in Firefox and soon both Chrome and Edge, Apple has still yet to voice its support for the WebAuthn API within its Safari browser. The company is a part of the alliance working on the new security standard, however, so it might just be late to the party.

Overall, WebAuthn won’t necessarily replace all passwords immediately, instead acting as a step in two-factor authentication in some cases as ridding the de facto login methods will prove a task in its own right. Either way, phishing attacks and password leaks are about to get a lot less detrimental.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: We always advise two-factor authentication when available and even password managers to lock access to sensitive information down as tightly as you can. It’s good to see progression on the security front as it does seem like passwords are becoming more and more redundant as time goes on. Will you be making use of USB keys and biometric security?

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Mozilla has rebuilt Firefox ‘from the ground up’ for VR and AR https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/mozilla-has-rebuilt-firefox-from-the-ground-up-for-vr-and-ar/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/mozilla-has-rebuilt-firefox-from-the-ground-up-for-vr-and-ar/#respond Thu, 05 Apr 2018 11:54:27 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=369456 Mozilla has begun preparing itself for the future of web browsing this week with the announcement of Firefox Reality, a dedicated version of the browser for Virtual and Augmented reality headsets. Currently, most people browse the web on a PC with a monitor, or on a mobile device. In the years to come as AR …

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Mozilla has begun preparing itself for the future of web browsing this week with the announcement of Firefox Reality, a dedicated version of the browser for Virtual and Augmented reality headsets.

Currently, most people browse the web on a PC with a monitor, or on a mobile device. In the years to come as AR and VR headsets start to pick up steam, we may start to see a shift, particularly when higher resolutions start to become available. In order to prepare for that, Mozilla is announcing Firefox reality, which is “designed from the ground up to work on stand-alone virtual and augmented reality headsets”.

Just like the standard version of Firefox, this new version will continue to be open source and platform independent, meaning it will eventually work on a wide variety of headsets. Mozilla says that this version will also include the improvements recently introduced in Firefox Quantum, which aimed to boost browsing speeds.

At first, Firefox Reality will support the HTC Vive Focus, but it will eventually transition to the likes of Google Daydream, Samsung Gear VR, Qualcomm-based headsets and the Oculus Go. According to Mozilla, the future of the web will be “heavily intertwined with virtual and augmented reality”, so with this, Firefox should be prepared for that.

KitGuru Says: I've tried using an Oculus Rift for everyday PC usage and work before, but with current HMDs, the resolution just isn't high enough to make me consider replacing my monitor for that sort of thing. Still, it is good to see companies planning for the future, because eventually we'll have higher quality headsets to utilise.

 

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Some Firefox users can’t watch 4K videos on YouTube https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/some-firefox-users-cant-watch-4k-videos-on-youtube/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/some-firefox-users-cant-watch-4k-videos-on-youtube/#respond Fri, 30 Mar 2018 17:16:55 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=368921 Ultra-high-definition content has been gaining prominence these past couple of years, with Netflix, YouTube and many other video services bolstering their content to include 4K resolution. Unfortunately, some Firefox users aren’t getting this option, with the browser capping them at 1080p and in rarer occasions 1440p. While the issue was brought up by KitGuru’s senior …

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Ultra-high-definition content has been gaining prominence these past couple of years, with Netflix, YouTube and many other video services bolstering their content to include 4K resolution. Unfortunately, some Firefox users aren’t getting this option, with the browser capping them at 1080p and in rarer occasions 1440p.

While the issue was brought up by KitGuru’s senior editor Leo Waldock, one of the first notes regarding the problem can be traced to 2015 on Mozilla’s own support page. True enough, YouTube’s increasingly popular 4K option could not be found when using Firefox, but appeared for the very same videos when utilising a rival browser.

It seems that not all Firefox users are affected by the issue, with Reddit speculating that the ones that are could be unintentionally blocking the VP9 codec and forcing H264 instead by using add-ons such as h264ify. The issue is even more inconsistent for some Firefox users, who report that only select videos that would usually carry the option are omitting it when using the browser, while others have the option as intended. Fortunately for those that are suffering, there is a fix.

Firstly, users are instructed to open a new tab and place about:config in the address bar. A warning message appears after clicking enter, explaining that changing settings can be harmful but the process is simple enough to click “I accept the risk!” without worry. Next, type media into the search bar (not the address bar) and navigate to media.mediasource.webm.enabled. Double click or right click this option to ensure that it is enabled.

Three out of four of the affected staff here at KitGuru reported that this fix rectified the situation, with the fourth not having experienced the problem despite the option being set to false. Redditors claim a better experience with YouTube as a whole with the option enabled, however, making it worthwhile to check regardless of whether the user is affected or not.

Aside from the fix outlined by Mozilla’s Support Community Manager Rachel McGuigan, the company has yet to comment on the ongoing problem. We’ve reached out to Mozilla and will update this story as more information comes to light.

KitGuru Says: Considering ‘Quantum’ was such a momentous update for Firefox, it’s strange how an issue like this can slip under the radar without a fix in progress. 4K media is only set to rise in popularity, too, meaning that Mozilla has a limited period of time to close the gap if it doesn’t want to fall behind other browsers. Have you experienced issues playing 4K content on Firefox?  

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Firefox creates Facebook Container extension to protect user data https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/firefox-creates-facebook-container-extension-to-protect-user-data/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/firefox-creates-facebook-container-extension-to-protect-user-data/#respond Wed, 28 Mar 2018 13:02:44 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=368747 Companies have been sent into a frenzy in the wake of the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal, with many scrambling to show that their data protection methods are up to scratch. Mozilla is the latest on this front, creating a Facebook Container extension for its Firefox browser, stopping the social media platform from accessing data …

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Companies have been sent into a frenzy in the wake of the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal, with many scrambling to show that their data protection methods are up to scratch. Mozilla is the latest on this front, creating a Facebook Container extension for its Firefox browser, stopping the social media platform from accessing data from other sites.

Anyone using the new Container extension is sending Facebook to sit on the naughty step away from others, essentially stopping third-party cookies from tracking the data held within other browser tabs.

Mozilla has also emphasised that this is simply a tool to enable users to continue using the platform with minimal risk or worry, and that the company “does not collect data from your use of the Facebook Container extension.” The only thing that Mozilla tracks is the number of installs and removals of the extension.

Users who are already logged in when the extension is installed will be automatically logged out and asked to sign in once again. Facebook will then be placed in a “container tab” as indicated by its blue underline in the tab’s frame and blue text on the website’s description.

Links within Facebook will redirect the user to another normal tab, with the social media platform remaining in the container tab until manually closed. Navigation throughout Facebook itself, however, will all be situated within the Container Tab, such as shared posts.

Due to the nature of prohibiting Facebook from accessing the information of other websites, using the platform to log in to other sites and embedded comment sections might not work as well as intended. This, however, is the trade-off for security.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This is a great initiative by Mozilla, but it is questionable as to whether it is too late as the damage has been done. If anything, it’s still good to see companies trying to bolster their security and win the trust of its users. Will you be installing the container or do you value Facebook’s integration with other sites too much to sacrifice it?

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Scammers guide callers to fake tech support using a Chrome API exploit https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/scammers-guide-callers-to-fake-tech-support-using-a-chrome-api-exploit/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/scammers-guide-callers-to-fake-tech-support-using-a-chrome-api-exploit/#comments Thu, 08 Feb 2018 10:30:42 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=363365 Within the past year, there has been a surge of fake browser alerts pushing tech support scams, in that a prompt will appear directing users to call a number with the sole intention to rob them blind. The latest version of this seems to affect Windows-based browser, in particular Chrome, Firefox and Brave by using …

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Within the past year, there has been a surge of fake browser alerts pushing tech support scams, in that a prompt will appear directing users to call a number with the sole intention to rob them blind. The latest version of this seems to affect Windows-based browser, in particular Chrome, Firefox and Brave by using their APIs against them.

As reported by Malwarebytes, there isn’t actually any malicious code involved in the process, as attackers use the browser’s application programming interface (API) against it. The API in question prompts the browser to save directly to the disk, doing so multiple times in quick succession that it demands almost all CPU usage.

In turn, this crashes the browser in just a few seconds, with almost no time to study the effect in real-time, and prompts the misleading pop-up to appear. This alerts the user that their internet service provider (ISP) has supposedly blocked their system and they need to call Microsoft support number applied at the bottom.

Image credit: Malwarebytes

Of course, this number is fake and leads them to a scammer which will ultimately inform the unsuspecting user that they need to part with their money in order to make the problem go away. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen machines held hostage in order to retrieve money from the users and it certainly won’t be the last, but the good thing to note here is that it doesn’t target the whole system, just browsers.

Jérôme Segura, lead malware intelligence analyst at Malwarebytes stated that this targets Google Chrome users on Windows more than anything else, particularly “considering that Chrome has the most market share in the browser category,” however “other browsers will get their own landing pages, abusing other HTML APIs.”

The exploit is circumvented by the use of an ad-blocker, and those suffering can kill it via the task manager with minimal problems aside from losing their current tab selection. Unfortunately, the target market for such a scam is the less tech savvy who might not know that either of these two options exist.

Google hasn’t officially commented on the API exploit; however, a fix is expected to be in the works. It’s unlikely that Google will tread carefully in what fixes it reveals to the public and when, after a debacle last year led to Microsoft criticising the company for giving attackers an entire month to try to exploit its fix before it was made available to the public.

KitGuru Says: While I would recommend using an ad-blocker to ensure these issues are a thing of the past, don’t forget about its whitelist and potentially adding KitGuru to it. We have to survive somehow, of course. Have you ever been affected by intrusive pop-ups attempting to scam you?

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Yahoo and Mozilla are suing each other over messy search engine deal https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/yahoo-and-mozilla-are-suing-each-other-over-messy-search-engine-deal/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/yahoo-and-mozilla-are-suing-each-other-over-messy-search-engine-deal/#respond Wed, 06 Dec 2017 16:21:00 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=356998 It looks like Yahoo and Mozilla are getting into a legal scuffle. Back in 2014, Mozilla and Yahoo struck a deal, ensuring that Yahoo would be the default search engine on Firefox through to 2019. However, Mozilla has pulled the plug on the deal ahead of schedule, claiming that it was not getting paid. In …

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It looks like Yahoo and Mozilla are getting into a legal scuffle. Back in 2014, Mozilla and Yahoo struck a deal, ensuring that Yahoo would be the default search engine on Firefox through to 2019. However, Mozilla has pulled the plug on the deal ahead of schedule, claiming that it was not getting paid. In turn, Yahoo is also suing Mozilla, claiming that their contract was terminated incorrectly.

Yahoo had been paying Mozilla to keep Yahoo Search as the default for Firefox through to 2019. Half way through this, Mozilla terminated the deal and resorted to using Google as the default search provider for Firefox. Yahoo's side of the story is that terminating the deal was a breach of contract. However, it seems that there were some terms in the deal that gave Mozilla the right to walk away.

Mozilla walked away from the partnership after Yahoo was acquired by Verizon. Under the contract terms reported by Recode, Mozilla had the right to walk away from the deal if it did not deem the new partner to be acceptable. However, the kicker is that the contract also states that should Mozilla walk away due to a change in ownership on Yahoo's part, the new parent company would still have to pay Mozilla for the remainder of the contract.

As a result of these messy contract terms, Mozilla has fired back at Yahoo's breach of contract suit, with a claim that Yahoo still owes money. The Mozilla-Yahoo deal is worth as much as $300 million per year, which is a huge chunk of Mozilla's annual income. As a result, the stakes are pretty high for this one.

KitGuru Says: From the sounds of it, Yahoo agreed to a pretty bad deal with some unfavorable clauses when it comes to new ownership. Judging from the reported terms, Mozilla had free reign to leave when Verizon acquired Yahoo and still have guaranteed income from the deal.

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Firefox to roll out ‘Breach Alerts’ to warn users when a website has been hacked https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/matthew-wilson/firefox-to-roll-out-breach-alerts-to-warn-users-when-a-website-has-been-hacked/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/matthew-wilson/firefox-to-roll-out-breach-alerts-to-warn-users-when-a-website-has-been-hacked/#respond Fri, 24 Nov 2017 11:20:09 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=355392 Hot on the heels of its most recent Firefox Quantum update, Mozilla has teamed up with the folks over at ‘Have I Been Pwned' to implement a new ‘Breach Alerts' feature into the browser. The idea is to throw up a warning if a user is visiting a site that has recently suffered from a …

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Hot on the heels of its most recent Firefox Quantum update, Mozilla has teamed up with the folks over at ‘Have I Been Pwned' to implement a new ‘Breach Alerts' feature into the browser. The idea is to throw up a warning if a user is visiting a site that has recently suffered from a data breach, and let them know if their information has been compromised.

These Breach Alerts will come with a ‘learn more' link, which will take users to a support page containing information on data breaches. Firefox users will also be able to opt-in to email alerts regarding future website breaches as and when they pop up on ‘Have I Been Pwned'.

For those that have never heard of ‘Have I Been Pwned' before, it is a website founded by security expert, Troy Hunt. The site allows users to check if a site they use has recently been hacked, and if your specific credentials were taken during it. Currently, the site's database houses information on 252 separate cyber attacks, with 4.8 million user logins stolen.

We don't know when this feature will roll out to all Firefox users just yet, but expect it to arrive at some point in the not too distant future.

KitGuru Says: Cyber attacks happen all the time these days, and unfortunately sometimes, they also go undisclosed by companies for large portions of time, leaving users vulnerable. With a feature like this, hopefully users will be able to be notified and take steps to protect their accounts sooner. 

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Mozilla Firefox is on its last legs in Windows XP and Vista https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/mozilla-firefox-is-on-its-last-legs-in-windows-xp-and-vista/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/mozilla-firefox-is-on-its-last-legs-in-windows-xp-and-vista/#comments Thu, 05 Oct 2017 18:40:33 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=349406 Mozilla is the latest in line to drop support for Windows XP and Vista, announcing that it will no longer update its Firefox browser for the operating systems from June 2018. This news comes after other companies have chosen to do the same thing. Many companies are dropping support for Windows XP and Vista as …

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Mozilla is the latest in line to drop support for Windows XP and Vista, announcing that it will no longer update its Firefox browser for the operating systems from June 2018. This news comes after other companies have chosen to do the same thing.

Many companies are dropping support for Windows XP and Vista as of late, with Blizzard moving on from the aging OSs to look towards the future following Microsoft’s departure from mainstream support for these versions of Windows in 2009 and 2012 respectively. Windows XP entered a full state of ‘end of life’ (EOL) after its extended support release (ESR) expired in 2014 as did Vista’s back in April.

It makes sense given that both operating systems, along with Windows 8.1 dropped in popularity this year, with Windows 7 and 10 increasing in user base.

Mozilla brought its XP and Vista users into a state of ESR, stating that the recent extra time given to the ESR would be its last extension before its end of life.

“As one of the few browsers that continues to support Windows XP and Vista, Firefox users on these platforms can expect security updates until [June 2018],” confirms the company. “Users do not need to take additional action to receive those updates. Unsupported operating systems receive no security updates, have known exploits, and are dangerous for you to use.”

Choosing to not update your operating system and continuing to use unsupported browsers is always a huge security risk, so it’s recommended that users utilise this 9-month warning to prepare themselves for the forthcoming.

KitGuru Says: Other browsers stopped supporting the operating systems quite a while back so users were lucky enough to get Firefox as long as they did. Hopefully this will prompt companies to make much needed investments as businesses tend to be the main culprits of not upgrading.

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Firefox continues to recover as IE, Safari falter https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/online/jon-martindale/firefox-continues-to-recover-as-ie-safari-falter/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/online/jon-martindale/firefox-continues-to-recover-as-ie-safari-falter/#respond Wed, 11 Jan 2017 12:04:27 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=317133 Desktop browser usage was once dominated by Internet Explorer, but those days are long gone. Today Chrome rules the roost and as Internet Explorer usage took a huge dip in 2016, many of those transitioned over to the Google browser. However at the tail end of the year Firefox began to recover from its weakest …

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Desktop browser usage was once dominated by Internet Explorer, but those days are long gone. Today Chrome rules the roost and as Internet Explorer usage took a huge dip in 2016, many of those transitioned over to the Google browser. However at the tail end of the year Firefox began to recover from its weakest point and shows continued steady growth.

At the start of 2016, Chrome's various desktop versions had around 36 per cent of the market, while Firefox had over 11.5 per cent, Edge four per cent, Safari five per cent and the various versions of Internet Explorer, a whopping 41 per cent. The tables turned quickly throughout the year though and by the end, IE's share had fallen to just 2.1 per cent, according to NetMarketShare's report.

While you might expect Edge to have picked up a good number of those migrating away from IE, Chrome actually picked up the most and by the end of the year had increased its share to a whopping 56.4 per cent. In comparison, Edge only increased its share to 5.3 per cent.

Firefox's 2016 was an interesting one for desktop usage. It initially tanked to as low as eight per cent by the middle of the year, but began to recover in September, before hitting a year long high of 12.22 per cent by its close.

Safari's change wasn't as dramatic as the others, but it fell from its high at the start of the year, to just 3.5 per cent by December 2016.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It's going to be interesting to see how these trends continue in 2017. Will Firefox usage continue to rise, and if so, will it draw people from Internet Explorer, or start cutting into Chrome's dominant numbers?

Image source: Max Pixel

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What should Mozilla’s new logo be? https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/what-should-mozillas-new-logo-be/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/what-should-mozillas-new-logo-be/#comments Mon, 22 Aug 2016 08:21:13 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=303703 Mozilla, the foundation behind Firefox, not the browser itself, is looking to revamp its logo. That means ditching the red T-Rex head of yesteryear in favour of something new and it wants its community of users from around the world to help it decide. What's your preference? The redesign idea was announced earlier this year, …

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Mozilla, the foundation behind Firefox, not the browser itself, is looking to revamp its logo. That means ditching the red T-Rex head of yesteryear in favour of something new and it wants its community of users from around the world to help it decide. What's your preference?

jb_Mozilla_design_pres_edit_3.key jb_Mozilla_design_pres_edit_3.key

The redesign idea was announced earlier this year, as well as the news that Mozilla had hired on the skills of British design firm, Johnson Banks, to develop a number of concepts, which would then be put to Mozilla fans for the final verdict (thanks Ars). Well now we have those designs and they range from retro, to dystopian.

jb_Mozilla_design_pres_edit_3.key jb_Mozilla_design_pres_edit_3.key

The designs are out there for all to see and Mozilla is soliciting feedback on them. Essentially, we're within the concepting/refinement period and with commentary from Mozilla fans, it hopes it can pick a logo and design style that fits in with the company's ethos and what it plans moving forward.

jb_Mozilla_design_pres_edit_3.key jb_Mozilla_design_pres_edit_3.key

Important considerations for those that want to throw in their ideas, should be how the logo will resonate around the world, does it have the potential to show off modern technology, is it scalable for a variety of products and would it make people rethink Mozilla?

jb_Mozilla_design_pres_edit_3.key

That last point may be the most important, as a redesigning of a logo is about doing that – changing the face of an organisation.

If you'd like to comment directly to Mozilla, you can do so on the official blog.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Do you think these designs help change the face of Mozilla? If I had any say, I'd probably opt for the last one. The unfolding box looks interesting and quite scalable.

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Firefox update splits UI and content into separate processes https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/firefox-update-splits-ui-and-content-into-separate-processes/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/firefox-update-splits-ui-and-content-into-separate-processes/#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2016 11:10:14 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=295524 The Mozilla Foundation's latest update for the Firefox browser may tempt you away from Chrome or Edge, as it segregates the user interface and content into separate processes, meaning if a web page eats up resources, or crashes, the UI will continue to function. The new feature could also potentially offer improved security too, as …

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The Mozilla Foundation's latest update for the Firefox browser may tempt you away from Chrome or Edge, as it segregates the user interface and content into separate processes, meaning if a web page eats up resources, or crashes, the UI will continue to function.

The new feature could also potentially offer improved security too, as it means that hijacking the user interface will be far hardware for those making nefarious websites and malware. In future updates we may even see extensions sandboxed into their own processes too.

This is all part of the Firefox Electrolysis update, which it has been trialling as part of its beta build since December last year. In recent weeks it's scaled up the testing so that half of the testing population now has the tweak in place, though the general public won't get their hands on it until sometime in August (as per TheRegister).

firefox

Source: Wikimedia

The roll out will be slow initially, with Mozilla distributing the update to just one per cent of the Firefox user base, before gradually expanding it if all goes to plan. If it doesn't, Mozilla claims it will slow the roll out to address any ongoing issues.

“This is a huge change for Firefox, the largest we've ever shipped,” said Mozilla's Asa Dotzler. “But don't worry. The Electrolysis team at Mozilla has a release roll-out plan that ensures we're going slowly, measuring as we go and that we can throttle up as well as down depending on what we see.”

When it is released to the public, the Electrolysis update will come as part of Firefox 48, which will also introduce a number of stability tweaks and bug fixes.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This is an interesting idea that makes a lot of sense. It's very frustrating when a single tab can lock up a whole browser windows by hogging every CPU cycle.

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Firefox is finally available for iOS https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/matthew-wilson/firefox-is-finally-available-for-ios/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/matthew-wilson/firefox-is-finally-available-for-ios/#respond Fri, 13 Nov 2015 18:07:31 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=275143 Mozilla has been promising a version of its Firefox browser for iOS users for some time now, with the app initially announced way back in September last year. Now, Firefox has finally been made available on Apple's App Store, after public beta testing launched in September to help stomp out the bugs for the final …

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Mozilla has been promising a version of its Firefox browser for iOS users for some time now, with the app initially announced way back in September last year. Now, Firefox has finally been made available on Apple's App Store, after public beta testing launched in September to help stomp out the bugs for the final release. The browser is available to both iPhone and iPad users.

The Firefox browser has been available on Android for a few years now but Apple and Mozilla had a little dispute that prevented an iOS version for some time. Mozilla changed its mind in the end and now, here we are.

firefox-logo

The Firefox browser will include features like Private Browsing, though only for iOS 9, there will be cross-device sync so you don't have to lose all of your bookmarks or history and there will also be something called ‘intelligent searches'. Ultimately, this is good news for those that use Firefox on the desktop and want that experience to sync across to their iOS device for easier use.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I used to primarily be a Firefox user but in the end I switched to Chrome when I made the jump to Android, in order to have all of my stuff sync with my Google account. Firefox can now offer a similar browser experience across platforms, which will help it out a bit in the long run. 

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Mozilla isn’t too happy about Windows 10 browser choices https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/mozilla-isnt-too-happy-about-windows-10-browser-choices/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/mozilla-isnt-too-happy-about-windows-10-browser-choices/#comments Mon, 03 Aug 2015 12:30:39 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=261808 As you are probably well aware by now, Windows 10 launched last week, with 14 million people installing the update on day one. This time around, Windows 7 and Windows 8 users got a free upgrade to Microsoft's latest OS, though even if you use the upgrade tool rather than doing a clean install, Windows …

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As you are probably well aware by now, Windows 10 launched last week, with 14 million people installing the update on day one. This time around, Windows 7 and Windows 8 users got a free upgrade to Microsoft's latest OS, though even if you use the upgrade tool rather than doing a clean install, Windows 10 will wipe your previous default program choices.

It turns out that Firefox maker, Mozilla, isn't too happy about that. In a blog post and open letter to Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, Mozilla's CEO, Chris Beard, goes over the company's concerns, stating that it now takes users “twice the number of mouse clicks” in order to get their default browser choice back.

Mozilla

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEUekKqLJ-E']

According to Beard, the new approach is “confusing, hard to navigate and easy to get lost [in]”. Most users don't really have anything to worry about, the first time you launch a new browser it will ask if you would like to set it as the default, clicking this will bring you to a default programs window, where you can set the default media player, web browser among other things.

Prior to the launch of Windows 10, Mozilla did contact Microsoft to explain its concerns but it “didn't result in any meaningful progress”. Mozilla's post wraps up by urging Microsoft to “respect people's right to choice and control of their online experience”.

Microsoft has since responded with a statement (via: The Verge), saying that: “During the upgrade, consumers have the choice to set defaults, including for web browsing. Following the upgrade, they can easily choose the default browser of their choice. As with all aspects of the product, we have designed Windows 10 as a service; if we learn from user experience that there are ways to make improvements, we will do so.”

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I didn't really think anything of it when I had to reset my default browser in Windows 10, though I do wonder if other people were as annoyed by the change as Mozilla appears to be. Were any of you annoyed that you had to reset your default browser when updating to Windows 10? 

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Is latest security hole the death of flash? https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/is-latest-security-hole-the-death-of-flash/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/is-latest-security-hole-the-death-of-flash/#respond Tue, 14 Jul 2015 10:28:04 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=258844 Flash was once a mainstay of the online world, providing us with everything from animations, to games, to vibrating pop-up banners, but no more. With the advent of smartphones that dropped support for the oft-insecure platform, it's fallen by the wayside. It continues to be used in some corners of the web, but even that …

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Flash was once a mainstay of the online world, providing us with everything from animations, to games, to vibrating pop-up banners, but no more. With the advent of smartphones that dropped support for the oft-insecure platform, it's fallen by the wayside. It continues to be used in some corners of the web, but even that may begin to dwindle after two new security flaws with the Adobe backed system have lead to Firefox blocking its use and Facebook pushing for it to be killed off entirely.

Although Flash has been problematic in the past, the recent hacking of Italian based malware maker, Hacking Team, showed that it had been exploiting a flaw in Flash for several years and that it had never been fixed. Other problems with the software soon emerged, which has prompted the Mozilla Foundation to put a warning message over any Flash content. Users that wish to proceed will need to manually enable it.

flash

Mozilla has stated that when the errors are patched out it may remove the warning, but Adobe has a lot of flaws to fix before that will happen, as the Guardian points out.

Perhaps this is why Alex Stamos, current head of security at Facebook urged Adobe to drop its support for the long running tool last month.

https://twitter.com/alexstamos/status/620306643360706561

The problem he says, is that few sites have moved on from Flash because there has been no real impetus behind it. If Adobe were to set a date for no longer supporting it, people would be forced to adopt new standards like HTML5 instead.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Would you guys like to see Flash officially killed off? It would be a shame to lose communities and content with sites like Newgrounds, which have been producing high quality games and animations for over a decade in the long running format. 

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Latest version of Firefox comes with DRM https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/latest-version-of-firefox-comes-with-drm/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/latest-version-of-firefox-comes-with-drm/#comments Thu, 14 May 2015 13:00:38 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=249402 Mozilla has launched Firefox version 38, bring digital rights management to the web browser for the first time. This change currently only affects Windows Vista or later users and has not yet been brought over to the Linux or Mac OS X versions of the browser. Mozilla has managed to stay away from DRM for …

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Mozilla has launched Firefox version 38, bring digital rights management to the web browser for the first time. This change currently only affects Windows Vista or later users and has not yet been brought over to the Linux or Mac OS X versions of the browser.

Mozilla has managed to stay away from DRM for some time but last year the company did state that it may be necessary in the future in order to support streaming services like Spotify of Netflix. In a company blog post last year (Via: The Inquirer),  Mozilla CTO, Andreas Gal, said that: “While we would much prefer a world and a web without DRM, our users need it to access the content they want.”

firefox_logo-wordmark-horiz_RGB-e1417605012508

Versions of the browser running on Windows Vista or later will automatically update with the Content Decryption Module (CDM) from Adobe once a stream requires it. If you don't really care about streaming, then there will be a CDM-free version of Firefox available to download.

On top of that, you can manually uninstall the content decryption module yourself. It is a requirement for content streaming but if you don't use those services then you can safely avoid using this new DRM module.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Obviously some form of DRM is required by streaming services like Netflix in order to try to avoid piracy. However, if you don't stream video at all in Firefox, then you don't have to install the CDM. While these services may have worked on Firefox in the past at one point or another, the likes of Netflix and Spotify could always withdraw support for a specific browser. Sky recently did just that, withdrawing Sky GO support for Google Chrome. 

Via: The Inquirer

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Another week, another Flash vulnerability https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/brendan-morgan/another-week-another-flash-vulnerability/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/brendan-morgan/another-week-another-flash-vulnerability/#comments Tue, 03 Feb 2015 02:07:59 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=233587 You really should disable or uninstall Adobe Flash at this point. If you haven't yet done so however here is another reason, following on from last week's 0-day exploit; there is another critical vulnerability that is being actively exploited in the wild, the only difference this time is that there is no security update yet. Even …

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You really should disable or uninstall Adobe Flash at this point. If you haven't yet done so however here is another reason, following on from last week's 0-day exploit; there is another critical vulnerability that is being actively exploited in the wild, the only difference this time is that there is no security update yet. Even better, we don't actually know when it will be patched other than, “during the week of February 2” and pretty much everyone is affected.

So now that YouTube has finally moved on to HTML-5 as the default video player and ditched Flash, there are probably  not that many websites where you really need it. What you can do in this case is at least disable it unless it's needed, if you really do want to keep it installed for now. There are some pretty good step-by-step instructions for disabling Flash here incase you need to send them to friends and relatives.
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Adobe released a security bulletin earlier today with the following information “A Security Advisory (APSA15-02) has been published regarding a critical vulnerability (CVE-2015-0313) in Adobe Flash Player 16.0.0.296 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh and Linux. We are aware of reports that this vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild via drive-by-download attacks against systems running Internet Explorer and Firefox on Windows 8.1 and below.”

The vulnerability was found by researchers at Microsoft and Trend Micro and in this case, merely visiting a website with a malicious bit of Flash code can infect your machine, hence the name “drive-by-download attack”. If you really need flash for a critical application or web service, then be sure to only click on links that you trust and do not visits any unknown websites until an update is released.

Hopefully we will get an update from Adobe to resolve this within the week, but in the meantime and even the long run, unless you really need Flash either disable it or uninstall it. When fewer people have it installed, web developers will hopefully stop relying on it for vital parts of the services they bring us, which should make the internet a far more secure place.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Disabling Flash can be a pain, but its well worth doing to protect against this and future undiscovered security issues. Are you using any sites that still require Flash, or do you know anyone who has it installed?

Source: Adobe blog

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Google, Amazon and Microsoft pay to get past Adblock Plus filter https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/brendan-morgan/google-amazon-and-microsoft-pay-to-get-past-adblock-plus-filter/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/brendan-morgan/google-amazon-and-microsoft-pay-to-get-past-adblock-plus-filter/#comments Tue, 03 Feb 2015 01:14:26 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=233575 It looks like Adblock Plus may be selling out those using it to block all online advertising, with a confidential source recently telling the Financial Times that the company behind the popular add-on, has been taking payments to allow some adverts on to its whitelist. At least four companies, Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Taboola have paid undisclosed sums to Eyeo …

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It looks like Adblock Plus may be selling out those using it to block all online advertising, with a confidential source recently telling the Financial Times that the company behind the popular add-on, has been taking payments to allow some adverts on to its whitelist. At least four companies, Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Taboola have paid undisclosed sums to Eyeo GmbH to allow their adverts to get though it's blocking add-on.

The free to download add-on is available for both Firefox and Chrome and this is obviously how the German startup plans to monetize their creation. Ben Williams, from Adblock Plus explained that “over 90 percent [of advertisers who apply] get whitelisted for free”. There is also an option to turn off these Adblock approved whitelists as well, so if you do want to keep using it at least you don't have to see these whitelisted adverts.
AdBlock-Plus
This does demonstrate however that big online advertisers such as Google, do see advert blocking software as a threat to their business models. Google has even gone so far as to completely remove all ad blocking software from the Google Play market place, meaning that Android users have to go elsewhere to find a way to block intrusive adverts on their mobiles and tablets. Strangely it has not yet, removed Adblock Plus from the Chrome web browser store, but it knows that doing so would create a massive backlash against it's browser.

While Adblock and similar tools are useful on some sites that are stuffed full of adverts and Flash adverts that are terrible for lower powered devices, these adverts do also support the sites that are being viewed and many would not exist at all without adverts. So maybe allowing some unobtrusive, non-targeted adverts though is not all that bad and will help sites provide you the content that you love.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Adblock Plus and other similar tools have grown out of a need, due to the web becoming increasing covered in horrible, irrelevant and intrusive adverts. Even if this allows some unobtrusive adverts though I don't think this is the end of the world. Do you use an ad blocker?

Source: Betanews

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Firefox browser may finally come to iOS https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/matthew-wilson/firefox-browser-may-finally-come-to-ios/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/matthew-wilson/firefox-browser-may-finally-come-to-ios/#respond Wed, 03 Dec 2014 11:35:04 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=224612 iPhone and iPad users may finally be able to download the Firefox browser on their devices soon as Mozilla's Vice President for the browser is keen to get on to the App Store. This is a step away from Mozilla's previous stance as the company has stated in the past that Firefox would not come …

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iPhone and iPad users may finally be able to download the Firefox browser on their devices soon as Mozilla's Vice President for the browser is keen to get on to the App Store. This is a step away from Mozilla's previous stance as the company has stated in the past that Firefox would not come to iOS.

This was apparently down to Apple not allowing Mozilla to use its own web engine on iOS devices, instead Firefox would have to use Apple's own Javascript and rendering engine, which other browsers have done. It looks like Mozilla is willing to comply with Apple's terms now in an effort to reach a wider audience.

firefox_logo-wordmark-horiz_RGB

Firefox release manager confirmed the change of heart on Twitter, saying that “we need to be where our users are so we're going to get Firefox on iOS”.

This new direction could be due to a change on CEO at the company. There's currently no estimated time frame for Firefox on iOS but it is apparently in the works, although we will have to wait and see if it pays off or not.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Mozilla will be hoping to see a boost in users following Firefox's launch on iOS as a lot of people like to user the same browser across multiple devices and have things like bookmarks sync across.

Source: Tech Crunch

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Mozilla experiments with virtual reality websites https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/mozilla-experiments-with-virtual-reality-websites/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/mozilla-experiments-with-virtual-reality-websites/#comments Wed, 12 Nov 2014 10:08:12 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=221535 The internet looks a lot different than it did just a few years ago and far different again than a few years before that. The further back you go, the more archaic it seems and the more lacking in modern design choices and style features it is than the years that came after it. But …

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The internet looks a lot different than it did just a few years ago and far different again than a few years before that. The further back you go, the more archaic it seems and the more lacking in modern design choices and style features it is than the years that came after it. But that means that the web of today is going to look old and grimy before long, so what might an internet of the future look like? Maybe it will be in virtual reality and maybe it will look a bit like Mozilla's MozVR experiment.

MozVR is the browser creator's attempt to see whether it's possible to make information as easily accessible in VR as it is on a standard screen. Books, movies and games have shown us for years that virtual worlds can be just as interactive and perhaps more informative than the one we inhabit now, but how to go about doing that? That's the question.

route
In VR, websites can go far beyond flat panels

This is a first attempt by Mozilla and it's designed to keep use of the internet smooth and easy.

To give it a try, you'll need an Oculus Rift Dk2 headset and a 64bit copy of a VR enabled browser, preferably Firefox, which can be downloaded here. Support for other headsets and higher frame rates, along with Direct to Rift mode are coming soon.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Have any of you guys had any luck getting this working? I couldn't get the head tracking to register properly.

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Is this 64bit Firefox faster for you? https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/is-this-64bit-firefox-faster-for-you/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/is-this-64bit-firefox-faster-for-you/#comments Tue, 24 Jun 2014 08:43:43 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=199784 Update: As many of our other users have pointed out, any bandwidth improvements seen by those that sent in the original story were likely coincidental, as browser is very unlikely to affect that. However, something like rendering speed for certain browser properties is very much affected by your choice. Putting both the latest version of …

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Update: As many of our other users have pointed out, any bandwidth improvements seen by those that sent in the original story were likely coincidental, as browser is very unlikely to affect that. However, something like rendering speed for certain browser properties is very much affected by your choice.

Putting both the latest version of Chrome and Waterfox through the Webkit Sunspider benchmark, we found that Waterfox performed far faster in almost all tests. However, putting those exact same browsers though the Speed-Battle browser comparison tool gave us decidedly different results, with Chrome coming out on top.

From our quick tests, it seems Java Script performance can be as dependant on the benchmark as it is on the browser. Have you guys had similar results? 

Original Story: Back in the day, using an alternative browser meant using something other than Internet Explorer. Nowadays, with much more of a fair share of the pie going to both Mozilla's Firefox, Google's Chrome and Microsoft's audience split across many generations of the same software, you have to go a little more derivative for your browser to be deemed so. Waterfox is one potential example of this type of browser, but is it worth switching to?

Designed specifically to run on 64bit systems and to run faster because of it, Waterfox failed to live up to these claims in the past when tested against its contemporary competitors. Has that changed in the last few years? Some of you have gotten in touch to tell us it has, reporting faster download times when using it instead of your usual browser.

waterfox
No drastic differences here

From my personal experience it doesn't seem to offer anything particularly quick. However my downloads and uploads are limited much more by my local exchange than by any software on my system. But what about the rest of you?

If you'd like to have a play with Waterfox to see if it makes much of a difference for you, head here to find out more.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Let us know on the KG Facebook page if Waterfox makes much of a difference. We'd be very interested to find out. 

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Samsung preps high-end, mainstream phones based on Tizen https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/anton-shilov/samsung-readies-high-end-mainstream-smartphones-based-on-tizen-os/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/anton-shilov/samsung-readies-high-end-mainstream-smartphones-based-on-tizen-os/#respond Fri, 18 Apr 2014 12:27:29 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=188136 Samsung Electronics said this week that was working on two smartphones based on Tizen operating system. The company said that thus far it had delayed introductions of Tizen-based handsets due to various reasons, but in the second quarter of 2014 it would introduce two models on select markets. Samsung planned to launch a Tizen-powered smartphone …

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Samsung Electronics said this week that was working on two smartphones based on Tizen operating system. The company said that thus far it had delayed introductions of Tizen-based handsets due to various reasons, but in the second quarter of 2014 it would introduce two models on select markets.

Samsung planned to launch a Tizen-powered smartphone back in 2013, but after numerous delays the product is still not on the market. According to the company, market conditions were not good for a launch of a brand new handset, which is why the firm had to cancel its introductions and reconsider its plans.

“We had tried to launch [Tizen] with NTT DoCoMo and Orange,but couldn't because of poor market conditions,” said Yoon Han-kil, senior vice president of Samsung's product strategy team, in an interview with Reuters news-agency. “We have changed our strategy and will release the phones in a few countries where we can do well.”

samsung_tizen_smartphone

A prototype of Samsung smartphone featuring Tizen OS. Image by ZDNet.de

Samsung's first smartphone based on the Tizen operating system is now expected to be released sometimes in the end of the second quarter. The handset will be aimed at the high-end of the market and will probably feature a high-quality display, a bunch of sensors and loads of pre-installed apps developed by Samsung Electronics and its partners. Later on the company plans to introduce a mainstream smartphone featuring Tizen OS to drive volume growth.

According to Samsung, Tizen platform will be a success if it accounts for 15 per cent of the company’s smartphone shipments. The company did not specify whether it wants Tizen to account for 15 per cent of this year’s smartphone sales or next year’s smartphone shipments.

samsung_galaxy_s3_3

Samsung needs Tizen in order to lower its reliance on Google Android operating system. It is believed that Samsung could also make some money selling HTML5 applications for its handsets, but given that HTML5 apps are expected to be available from different sources, Samsung may not be able to sell a lot of them. Moreover, HTML5 applications may be targeted not only at Tizen, but also on Firefox, which further lowers the chances of Samsung to establish an exclusive repository of HTML5 apps for its smartphones.

Both Tizen and emerging Firefox OS are based on HTML5 technology and can support a wide-range of cross-platform applications. Since HTML5 relies on open standards, apps developed for one type of devices can work on other hardware as well provided that they do not use certain proprietary features. Back in December Samsung called Mozilla to unify software development tools for Firefox OS and Tizen operating systems to ensure broader availability of HTML5 apps.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: A high-end smartphone based on Tizen may be a good idea for technology enthusiasts as well as software developers, but it is naïve to expect such device to become popular. Meanwhile, the success of the mainstream Tizen-based smartphone will depend on several factors: availability, price and readiness of applications. Keeping in mind that at present there are almost no HTML5 apps for smartphones, it is unlikely that their number will skyrocket even by late 2014. All-in-all, it looks like mass adoption of Tizen will be delayed till at least 2015.

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Mozilla CEO resigns over anti-gay publicity https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/mozilla-ceo-resigns-over-anti-gay-publicity/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/mozilla-ceo-resigns-over-anti-gay-publicity/#respond Fri, 04 Apr 2014 09:09:41 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=185911 The CEO of the Mozilla Foundation, Brendan Eich, has resigned, following on from OKCupid's campaign to have its users stop using the Firefox browser because of a donation he made in support of an anti-gay marriage piece of legislation in California in 2008. Mozilla released a statement about the move, apologising for not acting sooner, …

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The CEO of the Mozilla Foundation, Brendan Eich, has resigned, following on from OKCupid's campaign to have its users stop using the Firefox browser because of a donation he made in support of an anti-gay marriage piece of legislation in California in 2008.

Mozilla released a statement about the move, apologising for not acting sooner, though it didn't elaborate on whether (though it seems likely) Eich was forced out, or resigned of his own accord.

“We didn't act like you'd expect Mozilla to act,” wrote Mozilla Executive Chairman Mitchell Baker. “We didn't move fast enough to engage with people once the controversy started. We're sorry.”

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OKCupid placed this message on its homepage for Firefox users earlier this week

Gay Rights groups have applauded the move, though some have shown support for Eich, who not-only co-founded the Mozilla Foundation, but also invented the Javascript programming language. They've suggested that it's a shame Eich's personal beliefs have had such a drastic effect on his career.

KitGuru Says: This is one of those difficult situations. As out of date as Eich's beliefs might be, he should still be allowed to have them and support whatever organisations he wants.

You can understand why Mozilla would have wanted him gone, to dampen down the bad press, but advocacy groups and OKCupid would do much better to silence critics of same-sex marriage by explaining why any two people in love should be able to marry, rather than calling for the firing or boycotting of services affiliated with these people. Those types of sweeping actions have such big knock on effects that it seems too big a punishment for one individual's ideals.

On top of that, you don't combat prejudice by forcing the people who have it out of work, you do it by showing them the error of their ways. That should be the focus of pro-equal-rights groups, not career lynch mobs.

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