Mozilla admits to inadvertently shipping malware

2010-02-10

Mozilla has notified people that two browser add-ons which had been offered to users contained malware.

The company, which is responsible for running the major web browser Firefox, admitted it had inadvertently been shipping malware with its officially sanctioned extensions.

Commenting on the news Tom Kelchner, research centre manager at security firm Sunbelt Software, said: "Mozilla is a credible source in spite of this problem.

"In this case, Mozilla's scanning probably failed because the Trojans were not in the detection set of the scanner they were using."

He said that with new products and mechanisms evolving on the internet, there will be new ways for cybercriminals to attempt to victimise people.

Mr Kelchner stressed that everyone should have numerous layers of security to protect themselves from online threats, including a malware scanner and firewall .

They should be aware of the benefits of multi-layered security especially with the complexity of malware and new vectors, he added.

His comments come after a Websense report suggested that 13.7 per cent of searches for trending news or buzz words led to malware in the second half of 2009.

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