Web Security News

Mozilla and Microsoft tangle on Firefox plug-in security

Monday, October 19, 2009

Microsoft and Mozilla got their signals crossed last week over a Windows plug-in called .NET Framework Assistant included by Microsoft in the Firefox browser for activation of add-on programs. Mozilla is blocking one vulnerable Microsoft add-on and blocked then unblocked another.

On Friday, Mozilla blocked the .NET Framework Assistant add-on for Firefox 3.5, citing difficulties some users had entirely removing the add-on, "and because of the severity of the risk it represents if not disabled," according to Mike Shaver, Mozilla's vice president of engineering, on the Mozilla security blog.

Shaver said Mozilla contacted Microsoft "to indicate that we were looking to disable the extension and plugin for all users via our blocklisting mechanism," according to the blog post. But on Sunday, Mozilla was trying to unblock the add-on for .NET Framework Assistant, as Shaver said the add-on did not pose a security vulnerability.

"We received confirmation from Microsoft this evening that the Framework Assistant add-on is not a mechanism for exploiting the vulnerabilities detailed in the earlier post, so we've removed it from the blocklist," Shaver said in his blog.

But a separate vulnerability exists for a Microsoft add-on that Mozilla said needs blocking for Firefox users. The vulnerability exists in the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), which is included in the .NET Framework Service Pack 1. Shaver said via Twitter that the "WPF plugin is the vector for the XBAP vuln via Firefox."ADNFCR-1765-ID-19415147-ADNFCR

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