Firefox Update Fixes Security Flaws

The Mozilla Foundation has released the first update to Firefox since its official launch last November. Version 1.0.1 features a number of stability and security fixes, including a workaround for Internationalized Domain Names, which caused a stir earlier this month after researchers discovered the potential for spoofing.

"Regular security updates are essential for maintaining a safe browsing experience for our users," said Chris Hofmann, director of engineering for the Mozilla Foundation.

To protect users from phishing attacks that exploit the IDN standard, Firefox now displays international domains in their "Punycode" form, which is the special format used to differentiate between IDN and standard ASCII domains.

Mozilla developers originally said they would disable IDN support all together in the Firefox update, but opted for a more balanced approach.

"The Mozilla Foundation has developed a community of users and developers who continuously provide feedback on Mozilla software, and as a result of that constant vigilance, we are able to provide quick and effective responses to security vulnerabilities," said Hofmann.

Available in 28 languages, Firefox has been downloaded over 27 million times. Firefox 1.0.1 is immediately available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.