Firefox has released its latest monthly update, bumping the primary version to 115.0. This update marks the last version of Firefox that will be supported on Windows 7, Windows 8, and older macOS versions. Users of these operating systems will be automatically switched to the Firefox ESR version, which only receives security updates and not feature updates. The ESR version is re-based on a recent major version every year, incorporating all the new features and removing the outdated ones. However, even the ESR version will no longer support Windows 7, Windows 8, and older macOS versions after September 2024. This highlights the importance of updating your operating system or considering an alternative supported system like Linux.
The latest update includes several security patches, none of which are zero-days. Four CVE-numbered bug fixes are rated as High severity, including a potential remote code execution bug during WebRTC certificate generation, a use-after-free bug in SpiderMonkey, and memory safety bugs. Mozilla admits that some of these bugs could have been exploited to run arbitrary code. Additionally, there are other Moderate and Low severity bugs, with three notable ones. These include a bug where a rogue web page can obscure fullscreen notifications, a bug triggered by certain types of URLs that get handled by external programs, and a bug that allows URL spoofing in the address bar using Right-to-Left characters.
To ensure you have the latest version of Firefox, open the Help > About Firefox window and check for updates. If you’re using a Linux or BSD distribution, check with the distribution itself for the latest version. It’s crucial to keep your browser up to date to protect against potential security vulnerabilities.
Key points:
– Firefox’s latest monthly update brings the primary version to 115.0.
– This is the last version supported on Windows 7, Windows 8, and older macOS versions.
– Users of these operating systems will be switched to the Firefox ESR version, which only receives security updates.
– The ESR version is re-based on a recent major version every year, incorporating new features and removing outdated ones.
– After September 2024, even the ESR version will no longer support Windows 7, Windows 8, and older macOS versions.
– The update includes several security patches, with four High severity bug fixes.
– Other Moderate and Low severity bugs are also addressed.
– Users should check for updates to ensure they have the latest version of Firefox.