New Firefox browser bug causes crashes on Windows, Mac and Linux

News
By Sharmishta Sarkar
published

And can even completely freeze your OS in some cases

Only a week after disclosing a new web code exploit that can cause an iPhone to crash, security researcher Sabri Haddouche, has uncovered another browser bug that can force Firefox to crash on all three popular desktop operating systems – Mac, Linux and Windows – reports ZDNet.

According to ZDNet, the bug not only crashes the browser on a Windows machine, it also occasionally freezes the entire operating system, requiring users to perform a hard reboot. Mobile platforms seem safe from the exploit, however, and tests performed by ZDNet have confirmed that Firefox on Android and iOS are not affected.

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In explaining how the exploit works, Haddouche told ZDNet that “the script generates a file (a blob) that contains an extremely long filename and prompts the user to download it every one millisecond”.

"It, therefore, floods the IPC (Inter-Process Communication) channel between Firefox's child and main process, making the browser at the very least freeze," he added.

Haddouche has notified Mozilla of the new exploit, which comes hot on the heels of the release of Firefox 62 – which itself contained 13 significant bug fixes. It's already been added to the internet company’s bug tracking platform and Firefox users can find out more about the progress on a fix there.

Sharmishta Sarkar
Sharmishta Sarkar
Managing Editor (APAC)

Sharmishta is TechRadar's APAC Managing Editor and loves all things photography, something she discovered while chasing monkeys in the wilds of India (she studied to be a primatologist but has since left monkey business behind). While she's happiest with a camera in her hand, she's also an avid reader and has become a passionate proponent of ereaders, having appeared on Singaporean radio to talk about the convenience of these underrated devices. When she's not testing camera kits or the latest in e-paper tablets, she's discovering the joys and foibles of smart home gizmos. She's also the Australian Managing Editor of Digital Camera World and, if that wasn't enough, she contributes to T3 and Tom's Guide, while also working on two of Future's photography print magazines Down Under.