• Researchers found "VPN Go" extensions for Chrome and Firefox secretly harvesting copied text
• The clipboard theft was not there at launch and arrived through a later update
• Anything copied while the extension was active should now be treated as exposed

Security researchers at Socket found two browser extensions distributed under the "VPN Go: Free VPN" branding, one listed on the Chrome Web Store and one on Firefox Add-ons, to secretly harvest copied text.

Both present themselves as free VPN tools with working proxy features. Underneath, Socket says, both also run a clipboard stealer that continuously watches copied text and sends it to infrastructure controlled by the attacker.

According to Socket, the clipboard theft was not present when the extensions first appeared. It was added later, through an ordinary-looking update, after the extensions had already built up a base of trusting users. That staged approach is exactly what makes this kind of threat so hard to spot, and why even a fairly cautious user can end up exposed.

For anyone weighing up a no-cost privacy tool, it is worth knowing that not every free option behaves like this, and the best VPN services are tested precisely so you do not have to take this kind of gamble. But this case shows how thin the line can be between a useful free extension and a data-harvesting one.

What Socket's research uncovered

Socket says the earliest analyzed builds behaved like ordinary proxy extensions, with no confirmed clipboard theft.

On Chrome, that changed with version 1.1, when the extension added a script that reads the clipboard and ships those chunks off to a hardcoded address. The Firefox version followed the same path slightly later, moving the same theft loop into its background script.

Once active, the monitoring is relentless. The Chrome content script checks the clipboard roughly every half a second, according to Socket's analysis, while the Firefox build polls every 1.5 seconds.

Each newly copied value is tagged with a session identifier so it can be reassembled on the other end, then sent out over plain HTTP. All of this was happening while the two apps' privacy policies stated that the tools did not collect, store, or share user data and did not keep activity logs.

TechRadar has reached out to VPN Go for comment, but both email addresses bounced, and both extensions have since been pulled from their stores.

Why clipboard stealers are dangerous for users

The reason clipboard theft is so effective is that it abuses something completely routine. People copy and paste sensitive information all day, and it's not careless to do so. Password managers rely on exactly that: copying long, unique passwords into your accounts.

An extension that can silently read the clipboard has access to all of this information; it just has to wait for you to copy the right thing. If you have used either of the two extensions in question, you should treat any information you've copied during that time as exposed.

Researchers have repeatedly found free VPN extensions doing things their users never agreed to. Recent reporting has covered a free Chrome VPN extension caught taking screenshots of every page its users visited, and a malicious free VPN extension that resurfaced after being removed, returning in a more evasive form.

The pattern is consistent enough that it is worth treating any unknown free VPN extension with caution by default. That caution matters: TechRadar's own polling found that nearly 1 in 4 readers use free VPNs despite knowing the risks.

How to stay safe

If you want the protection a VPN offers without rolling the dice, stick to providers with a track record and independent testing behind them.

A reputable paid service, or one of the carefully vetted best free VPN options, is a far safer bet than an unknown extension promising unlimited access for nothing. As the saying goes, when the product is free, there is a decent chance that you are the product.

• Cloudflare and web browsers to develop new internet protocol
• PACT protocol will help to verify legitimate web access from human and bots
• Users will be given an anonymized "personhood" token to show they have a real reason to access a website

Now that bot traffic on the internet has officially surpassed human HTTP requests, both web browsers and web infrastructure providers agree something needs to be done, especially as AI agents enter the fray.

Today, Cloudflare has announced a joint initiative with Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Microsoft Edge to launch a new internet protocol designed to verify if web access is legitimate or malicious - without intruding on user privacy.

Private Access Control Tokens (PACT) will act as anonymous tokens that verify legitimate access by both humans and authorized agents without the need for user logins or CAPTCHAs that cause friction and harm the browsing experience.

Cloudflare establishes PACT with web browsers

To start, PACT won’t deny access to automated traffic completely. According to Cloudflare, the protocol is designed to recognize legitimate access from certain bots. As consumers and businesses turn to new automations provided by AI agents, there is still a legitimate case for allowing certain bots to access websites.

For many AI agents, there is still a human at some point in the loop with a real reason for accessing a website. PACT offers an anonymous “personhood” token that is attached to the user’s browser. This token uses “trusted information from contexts that have authentic relationships with people” to verify legitimate access “while keeping that information private.”

StatCounter places the combined market share of Chrome, Firefox, and Edge at around 77%, meaning that the PACT protocol will likely roll out to the majority of internet users.

“PACT will further empower businesses to identify genuine visitors, ensuring they can focus their resources on the traffic that matters to them,” Cloudflare said in the announcement. “Using PACT on Cloudflare’s network raises the bar for trustworthiness and integrity online without the traditional costs.”

“In commerce, every extra challenge, delay, or false positive can turn a purchase into an abandoned cart. Merchants need effective protections against automated abuse, but buyers shouldn’t have to pay for them with unnecessary friction or invasive tracking,” said Ilya Grigorik, Distinguished Engineer at Shopify.

“Shopify is proud to help develop PACT as an open, privacy-preserving standard that can help the millions of businesses on our platform distinguish legitimate shoppers and authorized agents from abusive traffic while preserving buyer privacy."

• Proton confirmed its Firefox VPN extension is temporarily unavailable
• The issue is allegedly due to a mandatory Mozilla review process
• While the team works on a fix, users are advised to use the standalone app

Proton made headlines when it made the Proton VPN browser extension free for all, opening up robust privacy tools to users who don't want to pay for a premium subscription. But Firefox users have suddenly hit a major roadblock. One of the best VPN add-ons for Mozilla's browser has been temporarily pulled, leaving both free and paid users unable to download or manage the tool.

Users began noticing the issue about a week ago, reporting on Reddit that the VPN browser extension was getting stuck in an endless loading circle. This freezing prevented access to crucial settings like split tunneling, a tool that lets you choose which websites bypass the VPN, even though the underlying encrypted connection reportedly remained active.

Shortly after these bugs surfaced, the add-on disappeared entirely from the Mozilla Add-ons store. Anyone attempting a fresh installation is now met with a standard "Page not found" error. Proton VPN has since acknowledged the situation, with the company confirming the extension is temporarily unavailable "because of a review requirement from Mozilla".

"The team is aware and working on it"

The sudden removal has caused understandable friction within the community, especially for those who rely exclusively on browser-based protection for lightweight streaming or daily browsing.

Taking to the official r/ProtonVPN subreddit, one user wrote: "I'm really disappointed, I'm a paying user who waited more than a month for the Firefox extension to be fixed, repeatedly told the developers were 'aware' of the issue. Now I find the extension has been pulled completely instead of updated."

What happened to the firefox extension? from r/ProtonVPN

In response to the growing confusion on social media, Proton's official support channels confirmed the ongoing downtime.

Reassuring users on X about alternative ways to stay secure while the extension is under review, the company stated: "You can use the desktop app."

Furthermore, community members monitoring the situation on Reddit have reiterated that "The team is aware and working on it", though an official timeline for the add-on's return has not been provided.

What to do while you wait

If you are currently looking for the best Firefox VPN extension and rely heavily on Proton, you are not entirely out of luck. Until the Mozilla review queue clears and the official add-on returns, there are a few easy workarounds:

• Use the desktop client: As Proton's support team suggested on X, the standalone Proton VPN desktop application remains fully functional and unaffected by the Mozilla review process. It offers superior system-wide protection, encrypting all traffic on your device, and includes advanced features not typically found in a lightweight browser add-on.
• Change your browser: The underlying issue is strictly tied to Mozilla's specific review queue. If you prefer keeping your VPN traffic isolated strictly to your web browser, a popular choice for users who want to run a VPN in one window and their standard connection in another, the extension remains completely operational on Chromium-based alternatives like Google Chrome, Brave, and Microsoft Edge.
• Sideload the extension (for power users): If you absolutely must use Firefox and are comfortable with a more technical approach, the open-source community has provided a fallback method. As one Reddit user pointed out, "The .xpi extension can be built then manually installed, based on the source code found here", linking directly to Proton's official GitHub repository. While effective, this is generally recommended only for advanced users.
• Use Firefox's built-in VPN: Launched with the 149 update, Firefox now includes a free-to-use VPN directly built into the browser. While the feature is only available to users in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, if you are based in these countries, you'll be happy to know that Mozilla has scrapped its 50GB data limit for all summer — just enough time, perhaps, for Proton to fix the issue.

• Mozilla is lifting the 50GB monthly data cap on Firefox's free built-in VPN
• The offer includes 28 locations to browse from, up from the five standard set
• Everything reverts to the usual data cap and five locations on September 1

A free VPN built right into your browser is a rare thing, and for the next few months, Firefox is making its version even more appealing. Mozilla has announced that it is temporarily removing the data cap on its free built-in VPN, giving eligible users unlimited bandwidth for the summer season.

Until now, Firefox's free built-in VPN has handed users 50GB of free bandwidth each month. From now through August 31, that limit disappears entirely, so there is far more room to browse privately while you travel, hop onto public Wi-Fi, or connect from somewhere new.

On top of the unlimited bandwidth, Mozilla is also unlocking access to 28 countries to browse from during this period. A serious upgrade from its standard set of locations, covering only five countries.

It is a generous move for something baked into a browser at no cost, and a reminder that you don't always need to pay for one of the best VPN services to get a taste of private browsing.

What's new this summer

The headline change in the Firefox blog post is simple: the 50GB monthly bandwidth cap is gone for the summer, replaced by unlimited usage in Firefox from now until August 31.

During the promotion, Mozilla is also opening its network to servers in 28 countries to connect from, giving you a much wider spread of places to browse from than usual (Canada, France, Germany, the UK, and the US).

The additional countries available during the summer include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Norway, and South Africa.

The Firefox VPN isn't available everywhere. The browser only offers the feature in the countries Mozilla lists on its support page.

What the built-in Firefox VPN is, and how to use it

Mozilla launched the free built-in VPN with Firefox 149. It began as a beta for Firefox desktop users in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, with more countries planned over the following releases. The browser later gained location selection, letting users choose which country to browse from.

Unlike a traditional virtual private network (VPN) app, this one only covers your browser. Once it's on, Firefox routes your browsing traffic through its encrypted proxy network that swaps out your IP address before it reaches a website, so the sites you visit see the proxy's IP rather than your own.

Firefox already encrypts your traffic with HTTPS, and masking your IP adds another layer of privacy, which is especially handy on public Wi-Fi like the network at your local coffee shop.

The feature lives behind a toggle, and you can manage it any time in Settings > Privacy & Security > VPN. If a particular website misbehaves while the VPN is active, you can switch the VPN off for that site straight from the panel, or add sites to a list in advanced settings so they never connect through the VPN.

If you've been curious about trying private browsing without committing to a subscription, this is a good window to do it.

• Firefox's built-in VPN now lets users choose their favorite server location
• The feature is rolling out to users in the US, UK, France, Germany, Canada
• Firefox 151 also adds private session reset, stronger protection, and more

The latest Firefox update, 151, has added a highly requested feature to its VPN: the ability to pick your favorite server location.

Mozilla launched the free-to-use Firefox VPN just two months ago, but already more than one million people have signed up to try it. Even for a free service, however, not having a location selector was a big restriction, so this move brings the experience closer in line with the best VPN services.

The biggest difference is that you can now use the VPN for browsing region-specific content instead of just using it for privacy. This includes streaming, but it's worth noting that the 50GB monthly limit will get used up pretty quickly through this kind of heavy usage.

What's changed in Firefox's built-in VPN

Firefox's VPN is built right into the browser, and primarily focuses on the basics of encrypting your browser traffic and masking your IP address.

With the new update, the VPN now includes a location menu listing each of the countries where Mozilla has launched VPN support. For now, that's the US, UK, France, Germany, and Canada. If you leave the setting on 'Recommended,' Firefox will choose the location with the best connection (just as it was before the update).

Mozilla has confirmed that more countries are planned for future releases, and the rollout is being staged, so not everyone will see the option immediately.

To try it, open Firefox 151, head into the VPN controls in the browser, and look for the new country picker. From there, choose any of the supported regions or stick with the Recommended option.

What else is new in Firefox 151

The VPN upgrade is the headline change, but Mozilla Firefox 151 ships with a handful of other useful additions worth knowing about.

A new Clear Private Session button, shaped like a small flame and tucked next to the address bar in Private Browsing windows, lets you wipe cookies, history, logins, and other session data in one click without closing the window.

Enhanced Tracking Protection has also been strengthened. Firefox says its updated fingerprinting defences reduce the number of users who can be uniquely identified by common tracking techniques by around 14% on average, and by roughly 49% on macOS.

The update is also bringing the AI controls tab to mobile, both on iOS and Android. While availability depends on users' location, these include features like translations, voice search, and the company's flagship Shake to Summarize, which was named by TIME as one of the Best Inventions of 2025.

• Researchers uncovered a flaw in Firefox and Tor Browser that allowed websites to generate hidden, stable identifiers without cookies.
• The issue stemmed from IndexedDB behavior, enabling persistent fingerprinting even in private browsing or Tor’s “New Identity” mode.
• Mozilla and Tor quickly patched the vulnerability, with fixes included in Firefox 150 and Tor Browser 15.0.10.

Browsers like Mozilla Firefox and Tor Browser contained a vulnerability where websites could create a hidden ID from browser sessions without using cookies or otherwise obvious tracking methods.

The vulnerability was discovered by security researchers Dai Nguyen and Martin Bajanik of Fingerprint. In an in-depth report published earlier this week, the duo said the issue allowed websites to derive a “unique, deterministic, and stable process-lifetime identifier” from the order of entries returned by IndexedDB, even when users expect “stronger isolation”.

IndexedDB is a built-in browser database that lets websites store large amounts of structured data (like files or app data) directly on the device. It allows web apps to work faster and even offline without constantly talking to a server. However, when a site asked the browser for a list of stored items, the order of that list wasn’t random. Instead, it reflected internal browser behavior, which could be turned into a unique fingerprint.

Private Browsing

While this sounds bad for more privacy-oriented users, it gets even worse since the vulnerability persisted even when using the private browsing mode.

“In Firefox Private Browsing mode, the identifier can also persist after all private windows are closed, as long as the Firefox process remains running,” the researchers explained. “In Tor Browser, the stable identifier persists even through the "New Identity" feature, which is designed to be a full reset that clears cookies and browser history and uses new Tor circuits.”

Fingerprint responsibly disclosed the issue to both Mozilla and the Tor Project, and patches were quickly released. Mozilla addressed it in Firefox 150 and ESR 140.10.0, while tracking the patch in Mozilla Bug 2024220. Tor fixed it indirectly, by pulling Mozilla’s fix. According to available reports, Tor Browser version 15.0.10 includes the same security update that solved the issue in Mozilla Firefox.

• NCSC’s Richard Horne says hacking AI tools like Mythos Preview can strengthen defenses if guardrails are in place
• Anthropic’s Mythos Preview, part of Project Glasswing, finds zero‑days at scale
• Horne argues frontier AI exposes weak fundamentals quickly, giving defenders a chance to decisively outpace cybercriminals

With proper guardrails and safety regulations, hacking AI tools such as Mythos Preview can be net positive for cybersecurity defenses everywhere, says Richard Horne, head of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

According to the BBC, Horne echoed these statements in a speech to the NCSC’s annual conference CyberUK, on Wednesday.

"As we have seen in the media in recent days, frontier AI is rapidly enabling discovery and exploitation of existing vulnerabilities at scale, illustrating how quickly it will expose where fundamentals of cyber-security are still to be addressed," he said.

This time is different

Earlier this month, Anthropic announced a new security initiative called Project Glasswing, and at its heart, the newest AI model, Mythos Preview. This model was apparently so good at discovering and exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities, that Anthropic decided to only give it to a handful of large software companies. That way, these companies can get a head start against bad actors, before the model is released to the general public at a (yet undetermined) later date.

There is also plenty of chatter online about this being just a PR stunt, with some people stating that OpenAI did the same for GPT-2 which later turned out to be a lot more benign.

However, this time it really might be different. The Mozilla Foundation said that with the help of Mythos it managed to find 271 vulnerabilities in Firefox 150, the famed browser’s latest build. When it tried a similar thing with an earlier model - Opus 4.6 against Firefox 148 - it found “just” 22 bugs.

Announcing the results, Mozilla CTO Bobby Holley couldn’t hide his excitement, hinting that the cat-and-mouse fight against cybercriminals might finally come to an end.

“Our work isn’t finished, but we’ve turned the corner and can glimpse a future much better than just keeping up,” he wrote. “Defenders finally have a chance to win, decisively. ”

Via BBC

• Mozilla has criticized Microsoft’s Copilot practices
• Microsoft has faced complaints over forcing its AI onto users
• It’s now decided to scale back Copilot in its apps

If you’re a long-time Windows user, you might have noticed Microsoft’s not-so-subtle attempts to shoehorn its Copilot artificial intelligence (AI) into pretty much every app possible on your PC. Copilot in Notepad? Check. In Widgets? You bet. In the Snipping Tool? Of course.

But all that unreasonable AI-ification has led to repeated user backlash, and it seems that Microsoft has finally cottoned on by scaling back machine learning features in a selection of its own apps. And for Firefox maker Mozilla, that move is long overdue.

Writing on the company’s official blog, Linda Griffin, Mozilla’s Vice President of Global Policy, said that “Rolling back these forced AI integrations is the right move, but this is just the most recent example of Microsoft going too far without user consent.”

Griffin characterized Microsoft’s Copilot expansion as forceful and done “with no prompt and no consent,” noting that users were not asked if they wanted their apps to be outfitted with AI features.

And Griffin was blunt about Microsoft’s motivations, saying that “When Microsoft says it now wants to be ‘intentional’ about Copilot, they’re really admitting that they made repeated choices to serve their business over their customers.”

‘Deceptive’ moves

Griffin argued that embedding AI inside its apps was part of a “pattern of deceptive design patterns” from Microsoft.

Research commissioned by Mozilla has found that “Microsoft uses design and distribution tactics to override user choice,” such as the Windows search bar opening Edge and not your web browser of choice, the lack of a device migration system in Microsoft’s operating system, and the convoluted path users must take if they want to select a new default browser.

In contrast, Mozilla says it’s doing things differently. Its own built-in browser AI can be disabled using a single kill switch, something that was implemented after vocal user feedback. Griffin says this is part of Mozilla’s way of thinking regarding AI: “You should decide whether AI is part of your browsing experience at all. Not Big Tech. Not Mozilla. You.”

Griffin also contrasted Mozilla’s approach against Microsoft’s in another way, saying: “And critically, your preferences also persist across browser updates, which means AI tools won’t silently re-enable themselves after a major upgrade. No reinstalling. No opting out again after the fact.”

There’s no doubt that Microsoft has come in for plenty of criticism over the aggressive way it has rolled out Copilot across its apps, and its hand has been forced by users in other areas too.

With the company deciding to change course after facing strong complaints, it’s hard not to agree with much of what Mozilla’s Griffin has said.

• Mullvad Browser Alpha has transitioned to the Firefox Rapid channel
• The switch provides quicker access to features
• The Alpha version is now available on Linux ARM devices

Mullvad Browser’s early testers will now receive updates every four weeks as the latest alpha version of the interface has transitioned to the Firefox Rapid Release channel.

This move offers a twofold benefit, giving testers quicker access to new features, whilst enabling Mullvad’s developers to smooth out the release schedule.

As it approaches its third anniversary, Mullvad browser, which features one of the best VPNs on the market, is now also available on Linux ARM devices, further boosting its user availability.

A more balanced approach

Launched in April 2023, Mullvad Browser is an alternative private browser developed in collaboration with the Tor Project team, offering the privacy and security of the Tor front-end combined with all the benefits of a Mullvad VPN.

Its features include anti-fingerprinting protection, default blocking of trackers during private browsing, and no telemetry for maximum privacy.

It is a fork of Firefox, which means that Mullvad’s developers must constantly update the browser to include all the latest security patches and features provided by Mozilla.

Until now, the browser has followed a long and slow update cycle known as ESR (Extended Support Release), which involves the release of major updates approximately once a year.

With the latest alpha release switching to Firefox's faster development cycle, the Firefox code updates will be sent to the Mullvad alpha team every four weeks.

The result? Mullvad’s developers will be able to update their own code faster, spreading the work steadily throughout the year rather than having to cope with a huge and stressful workload concentrated into a single major annual update.

Great for testers

The alpha cycle is the first of two interconnected cycles — alpha and beta — that the Mullvad browser is constantly engaged with. Only once the bugs in the beta version have been fixed is the code deemed ready to move on to the final stable phase.

The switch is particularly welcomed by alpha testers — those who evaluate the browser’s development in its very early stages, identifying bugs and suggesting improvements to optimise the final user experience — allowing them to test updates roughly once a month.

However, these testers also face greater risks and the possibility of bugs, crashes, and a potentially lower level of privacy and security, as not all bugs have been fixed yet. New features, however, usually aim to boost security, so this does not necessarily mean that the system will, on the whole, be 'less secure.'

Nonetheless, the change could prove to be a mixed blessing. Previously, the slower release cycle meant that the same version could be used for months, allowing for a more gradual analysis and more time to scrutinise versions between updates.

Now, however, there might be a risk that new versions will be released before all existing bugs have been fixed. Mullvad noted, in fact, that a faster cadence means it may indeed take longer than four weeks between scheduled versions to implement fixes.

Meanwhile, the Stable channel — the safest, ultimate version recommended to a wider user base — will continue to be based on Firefox ESR.

This means users will wait longer for new features, but gain maximum and fully audited stability and security: a well-worth wait for a secure and enduring digital life.

• Firefox 149 is adding a built-in free VPN starting from March 24
• It has a cap of 50GB of monthly data in the US, UK, Germany, France to start
• Mozilla is also rolling out a set of new tools to boost productivity

Firefox is gearing up for its biggest browser update in years, and privacy advocates have a major reason to celebrate.

Starting March 24, Mozilla is introducing a free built-in VPN for Firefox 149, allowing users to mask their online activities without needing to install external software or pay for a premium subscription.

The virtual private network (VPN) feature works seamlessly in the background by routing your browser traffic through a proxy, effectively hiding your IP address and location from the websites you visit.

Finding the best VPN can often be a minefield of hidden costs and security risks, but Mozilla claims its native tool is entirely different.

According to the company's official blog post, the feature actively avoids the "sketchy arrangements" associated with some free services, noting that the new VPN is "built from our data principles and commitment to be the world's most trusted browser".

However, this new privacy perk comes with some notable strings attached. At launch, the free VPN will exclusively roll out to users in the US, the UK, Germany, and France. Furthermore, Mozilla is imposing a data cap, limiting users to 50 gigabytes of protected browsing data every month.

Alternatives and data limits

If you only need a tool to securely check emails or read the news on public Wi-Fi, a 50GB monthly cap is a generous allowance. But if you plan to stream HD video or download large files, you will likely burn through that data long before the month ends.

If you fall into the heavy-usage camp, you may want to look at dedicated standalone software. Providers like Proton VPN Free and Hide.me Free offer superb alternatives for users in need of more data without spending a dime.

Cheap VPN services like Surfshark and Private Internet Access may also be valuable alternatives for those in need of a reliable streaming or P2P VPN tool, starting at the equivalent of $1.99 and $1.98, respectively.

What else is coming to Firefox?

The introduction of a free VPN is just one part of a much broader browser overhaul. As we previously reported, Mozilla is putting a heavy emphasis on giving users control over their browsing experience, including strict opt-in controls for its latest generative tools.

Alongside the VPN, the upcoming Firefox 149 update will introduce Split view, allowing users to put two web pages side-by-side in a single window to easily multitask. A new Tab Notes feature will also roll out, alongside an opt-in Smart Window tool that uses AI to summarize articles and provide quick definitions directly on the page.

Ajit Varma, head of Firefox, emphasized the scale of the upcoming release, arguing the Firefox roadmap for 2026 "is the most exciting one we’ve developed in quite a while."

"We’re solely focused on building the best browser, and our features over the next few months and beyond are driven by the feedback from our community," she added.

Varma also noted that Mozilla is "prioritizing features that give users real power, choice and strong privacy protections, built in a way that only Firefox can."

With a fresh new visual layout and a brand-new mascot named Kit, the revitalized browser officially launches on March 24.

• Anthropic Claude Opus 4.6 uncovers 22 Firefox security flaws
• Mozilla confirmed 14 high-severity vulnerabilities patched in Firefox 148
• AI model demonstrated accelerated, human-like vulnerability detection

Anthropic says it found almost two dozen vulnerabilities in the latest version of Mozilla’s Firefox browser, including a few that could have caused serious damage.

In a new blog post Anthropic said it teamed up with Mozilla’s researchers and, over the course of a couple weeks, scanned almost 6,000 C++ files using Claude Opus 4.6.

Opus 4.6 is the latest version of Anthropic’s most powerful large language model (LLM), which was released in early February 2026, and has been advertised as a must-have tool in every cyber defender’s arsenal, claiming it is “notably better” at finding high-severity vulnerabilities.

Major success

After analyzing popular open source repositories and finding more than 500 flaws, Anthropic set its sights to Firefox, mostly because it is “both complex and one of the most well-tested and secure open-source projects in the world.” In other words, it really wanted to prove a point by finding a product that’s generally considered large, and safe.

The team ran the experiment for two weeks, and in that timeframe, Opus 4.6 managed to find 22 vulnerabilities. Mozilla labeled 14 of them as high severity. In total, Anthropic submitted a total of 112 unique reports, most of which were addressed in Firefox 148. The remainder will be fixed in upcoming releases, it was said.

Anthropic is framing this as a major success, saying Opus 4.6 uncovered in two weeks roughly a fifth as many high-severity vulnerabilities as Mozilla fixed during all of 2025.

“AI is making it possible to detect severe security vulnerabilities at highly accelerated speeds,” they said. Earlier, Anthropic said Opus 4.6 stood out with the way it found vulnerabilities “out of the box without task-specific tooling, custom scaffolding, or specialized prompting.”

It also added unlike fuzzing, which is a standard vulnerability hunting technique, Opus works by reasoning about the code “the way a human researcher would”, meaning it was looking at past fixes to find similar bugs that weren’t addressed, spotting patterns that tend to cause problems, and was understanding logic “well enough to know exactly what input would break it.”

• AdGuard VPN is now available on Firefox for Android
• The 2.8 version also features UI refinements
• The firm recently open-sourced its VPN protocol

Is Firefox on your phone unnegotiable, and the magic of AdGuard VPN a no-brainer? Then a new upgrade from the ad-blocker specialist might just make your day.

The company has just rolled out a new version that extends AdGuard's VPN functionality to Firefox for Android. This means Firefox users can now install AdGuard VPN as a mobile extension, enjoying the same benefits and features that were previously only desktop-enabled.

As the list of the best VPNs and their extensions and add-ons for the Firefox browser continues to grow, AdGuard is not only keeping pace, expanding the range of browsers you can use it on by porting to the Mozilla browser. The new version also makes the whole experience even more elegant with a UI visual boost.

For Mozilla lovers only

"This update is definitely for those who prefer the 'fox' among the browsers," AdGuard said in a statement on X.

Until version 2.8, users could only use AdGuard's VPN capabilities through a full-fledged VPN app, leaving Firefox users with two options: using AdGuard on mobile devices via a different browser or resorting to another VPN provider.

The new version eliminates the dilemma, allowing users to activate the AdGuard VPN extension directly from their browser settings to automatically enjoy data protection, encrypted connections, location masking, and fluid, uninterrupted streaming directly in the mobile browser.

You can also benefit from AdGuard's quantum-resistant encryption, which the company recently integrated into its software to ensure data protection against new threats posed by quantum computing.

Additionally, the new version features a revamped interface that upgrades the streaming experience, including new icons that help identify the best streaming locations.

By clicking on each icon, you can find out which streaming services (such as Netflix, Disney or Hulu) are available in each location, to select the one that offers the best streaming experience to watch your favourite programmes without unexpected buffering.

The provider also said it streamlined the interface to minimise visual clutter, making the experience even more pleasing.

Installation is a breeze, AdGuard explains in a blog post:

• Just open Firefox on Android and tap the three dots on the browser's address bar.
• Then select "extensions."
• And add your VPN to the list to install it and access the service.

It’s an open-source world

Firefox and open-source enthusiasts seem to often go hand in hand, so it’s not surprising the upgrade comes a few weeks after AdGuard decided to open-source its custom VPN protocol, Trust Tunnel.

The VPN, which promises to dodge censorship by mimicking regular web traffic, is currently available in open source to "use, run, tweak, extend, and build upon," said the provider.

With a new VPN browser extension, the provider further strengthens its relationship with the ecosystem, expanding its accessibility on Firefox while inviting users to provide feedback on version 2.8 or suggest features or changes on GitHub.

At the same time, the move suggests that the Cyprus-based company is truly focused on prioritising usability for all modes, as v2.8 was launched in the same week as version 2.9 for Windows.

The latter promises improved accessibility and streaming navigation throughout the app, transforming its privacy solutions into a more inclusive tool. It even builds on v.2.8 by introducing screen readers to ensure that internet protection is easy to manage for everyone, no matter how they interact with VPN software — bringing everyone together, from newbies to experts.

Remember the days when your web browser was just a web browser, and not an AI-pushing, shop-selling, sponsored-content-shovelling annoyance? Corbin Davenport does, and he's made a tool to take all of that stuff out of the most common browsers: Chrome, Edge and Firefox.

The tool is a little script that works on the Windows, Mac and Linux versions of the three browsers (except for Edge on Linux, which is not currently supported). And as you'll see in a moment, it's pretty simple to use.

It's worth noting that Just The Browser changes your browser's settings, not the sites you visit – so Google.com will still answer your queries with AI summaries. If you want to get rid of that too you'll need to use the workaround. There are extensions for Chrome and Firefox that you can use to remove it automatically; there's also an Edge no-AI extension but it seems to nuke image search as well.

What does Just The Browser remove?

Just The Browser will remove AI features such as Firefox's tab group suggestions and CoPilot in Microsoft's Edge browser, although it's not intended to throw babies out with bathwater so it doesn't remove Firefox's useful page translation.

It doesn't stop at AI, though. It also removes price tracking and buy now pay later (BNPL) integration; sponsored site suggestions and suggested articles on the New Tab page; pop-ups asking if you want to change your default browser, and first-run features such as welcome screens that ask if you want to import data.

The script also removes telemetry features that collect data, with the exception of crash reporting that can notify the browser developers of bugs.

Each browser has a different set of features, and that means Just The Browser will remove different features in each. You can see a full list of the features removed from each browser on the Chrome, Edge and Firefox pages. They also contain detailed instructions about how to install Just The Browser if the script doesn't work on your computer.

How to install Just The Browser on your computer

The simplest way to install Just The Browser is to run the script. There's one script for Windows and one for Macs and Linux, and you'll find them both on the main Just The Browser web page. Copy the appropriate script with Ctrl-C (Windows) or Command-C (Mac).

In this tutorial we'll change the browser settings on our Mac. If you're on Windows it's essentially the same, but instead of the Mac Terminal you'll need to open a PowerShell prompt as the PC administrator. To do that, just right-click on the Windows button in your taskbar and select Terminal (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin). Paste the code and follow the on-screen instructions.

1. Go to the Terminal

Terminal lives in your Applications folder, and the quickest way to launch it is via Spotlight: press Command-Space and start typing Terminal, then hit Enter or double-click on the app.

2. Paste the code

Press Command-V to paste the code you copied from Just The Browser. As you can see, it includes a URL: that's the GitHub location where the script you need for your computer lives. When you hit Enter the script will run.

3. Choose the browser

The browsers you see here will depend on what's on your system, so here we have a choice of Chrome or Firefox. The Update Settings option removes the features; the Remove Settings feature removes Just The Browser's changes.

4. Make the changes

We'll change Chrome, so we'll press 1 for Google Chrome: Update Settings. This downloads a new device profile to our Mac, and macOS's security means the profile needs to be reviewed by you. Click on OK and the appropriate Systems Setting page should be waiting for you.

5. Review the profile

If the page didn't load automatically you can find it in System Settings > General > Device Management. You should see "Google Chrome settings" in the Downloaded section. Double-click on it.

6. Install the profile

This screen shows you what the profile is going to do, so in this case it shows it's going to change some of the settings in com.google.Chrome. That’s exactly what we want it to do, so click Install to make the changes.

7. Say you're sure

macOS really wants you to be sure about this, so it'll ask you to confirm your choice. Click Install again.

8. Exit System Settings

The warning triangle is now gone from the Device Management page and "Google Chrome settings" is now listed as a user. You can close this window now.

9. Do it again

If you want to change another browser, repeat the process by choosing Update Settings for that app in the Terminal window. If you want to reverse your changes, use the Remove Settings option. If you're happy, quit Terminal.

10. Open your browser

When you open your web browser it'll look the same, but there's one big sign that the script has done its job and changed the settings on our copy of Chrome: the "AI Mode" button that usually sits in the main search bar is no longer there.

• Mozilla Firefox 148 will soon get an AI kill switch
• This addition can disable all AI features in one go
• You’ll also be able to disable AI tools individually, if you like

Firefox is often chosen by people who dislike the direction Google Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers are taking. And as browser makers rush to stuff their products with as much artificial intelligence (AI) as possible, Firefox is taking a different tack, introducing an “AI kill switch” that disables all AI features in the Mozilla app.

In a blog post about the decision, Mozilla says users will get the feature with the Firefox 148 update, which is set to arrive on February 24. Not only will this let you manage individual AI features within the browser, but you’ll also be able to switch them off entirely with a single click.

Aside from the all-in-one kill switch, you’ll be able to choose whether to enable or disable the following features: translations, alt text in PDF files, AI-powered tab grouping, link previews, and the AI chatbot that’s located in the browser’s sidebar.

Mozilla caused something of a backlash late in 2025 when it announced it would bring AI features to the Firefox browser. Although these run on your device – meaning your information is not sent to any company’s cloud servers – many users were unhappy with the advent of AI features in a browser like Firefox, which has often sought to differentiate itself from rival offerings.

Banish AI from your browser

Mozilla’s latest move seems to have met with a positive reaction from some sections of the internet. Responding to the announcement on Reddit, user jpsreddit85 quipped, “Says a lot about the future state of AI when the most requested feature is to disable it.” User David-J, meanwhile, commented that “Someone is actually reading the room.”

As a long-time Firefox user, this feels like the right move by Mozilla. AI is controversial at the best of times, but especially so among Firefox users, who pride themselves on their independence and generally seem less on board with AI than many internet users.

Adding AI to Firefox was always going to be a risky move by Mozilla, given the userbase’s sentiments – adding a way to block it entirely is a sensible way to win back support.

That said, this seems to be a fairly isolated move in the world of web browsers. Chrome has a near-monopoly on browsers, and its creator, Google, a major AI investor, has added numerous AI features to the app. Microsoft and Apple, makers of Edge and Safari, are equally committed to AI.

Very few browsers have added an AI kill switch like Firefox's, though privacy-focused alternatives like Brave and DuckDuckGo can also be customized in this way. That all means that if you’re sick of AI in your browser, there are options available to you – you just need to avoid the biggest players.

• Mozilla says Firefox will get an AI ‘kill switch’ in early 2026
• The move is an attempt to reassure users angry about its AI plans
• Mozilla’s new CEO revealed plans to turn Firefox into an ‘AI browser’

AI is taking over the world, but not everyone is happy about it. That was aptly demonstrated by the swift backlash received by Mozilla when the developer announced it would be adding AI features to the Firefox browser – and now, Mozilla has revealed its plan to placate angry users.

Writing on December 16, new Mozilla CEO Anthony Enzor-DeMeo described a plan to evolve Firefox into “a modern AI browser” that will “support a portfolio of new and trusted software additions,” adding that the company would be “investing in AI that reflects the Mozilla Manifesto.”

It was one point in a broader article on his goals for one of the best web browsers around, but many readers took issue with his mention of AI and worried that Firefox would lose its identity as it chased the latest tech trends.

Now, Mozilla has responded to the furor. Writing on Reddit, Enzor-DeMeo explained that web browsers need to appeal to a wide range of people, before adding: “Rest assured, Firefox will always remain a browser built around user control. That includes AI. You will have a clear way to turn AI features off. A real kill switch is coming in Q1 of 2026. Choice matters and demonstrating our commitment to choice is how we build and maintain trust.”

The next day, Jake Archibald, Web Developer Relations Lead at Mozilla, took to Mastodon in an attempt to clarify the situation. “Something that hasn’t been made clear: Firefox will have an option to completely disable all AI features,” Archibald wrote. “All AI features will also be opt-in … the kill switch will absolutely remove all that stuff, and never show it in future. That’s unambiguous.”

Restoring trust

Firefox has long attracted users precisely because it is different from its rivals. Unlike most browsers out there, it’s not based on Google’s Chromium engine and makes a deliberate effort to be as privacy-friendly as possible – indeed, it’s our pick as the best secure browser on the market.

Its principles have attracted people concerned by modern AI developments, whether that’s the bloat that AI can add to a browser or worries over how the tech will affect jobs, creativity and intellectual property.

I’ve been using Firefox continuously for over 20 years now, and one of the things that has convinced me to stick with it has been its long-standing commitment to privacy. That’s hit a few bumps in the road along the way, but nothing close to the privacy concerns that plague the likes of Google Chrome. In my case at least, trust has been maintained.

Yet it’s exactly that trust that the push towards AI is threatening. AI algorithms are a black box that users have no visibility over, and for now it’s impossible to know exactly how Mozilla plans to implement those AI elements.

Perhaps the main sticking point is the lack of information in Enzor-DeMeo’s original post. What is meant by an “AI browser” and a “portfolio of new and trusted software additions” is never made clear, leaving people’s anxiety to fill the void. The sooner Mozilla can clarify its plans, the sooner it can regain trust and reassure its users that it’s not killing Firefox’s soul in the hunt for AI innovation.

• Koi Security uncovered 17 malicious Firefox extensions that hid backdoors and tracking code, downloaded over 50,000 times
• The extensions pulled payloads from remote servers, hijacked affiliate links, injected trackers, stripped security headers, and enabled ad‑fraud mechanisms
• Mozilla removed all affected add‑ons and updated detection systems; users should uninstall them and secure accounts

More than a dozen Firefox extensions were found to be malicious, planting backdoors and keeping track of user browsing habits, experts have warned.

This is according to security researchers from Koi Security, who named the campaign “GhostPoster”, and said that some of these extensions have a rather unique way of retrieving malicious code.

In total, these extensions were downloaded more than 50,000 times.

Hijacking affiliate links

Here is the full list of the ones found so far:

free-vpn-forever
screenshot-saved-easy
weather-best-forecast
crxmouse-gesture
cache-fast-site-loader
freemp3downloader
google-translate-right-clicks
google-traductor-esp
world-wide-vpn
dark-reader-for-ff
translator-gbbd
i-like-weather
google-translate-pro-extension
谷歌-翻译
libretv-watch-free-videos
ad-stop
right-click-google-translate

Some of these extensions actually store the malicious JavaScript code in the PNG logo. The code serves as instructions on how to download the main payload from a remote server. To make detection and attribution more difficult, the attackers made the extensions download the main payload on 10% of the time.

The main payload can do all sorts of things. First and foremost, it hijacks affiliate links on major ecommerce sites - stealing money directly from content creators.

Then, it injects Google Analytics tracking into every page the user visits, and strips security headers from all HTTP responses.

Finally, it can bypass CAPTCHA using three separate mechanisms, and can inject invisible iframes, mostly used for ad fraud, click fraud, and tracking. These iframes self-destruct after roughly 15 seconds.

While stealing money from affiliates and keeping tabs on user behavior is definitely a serious matter, researchers warned that the campaign could get even more destructive at any point, should the attackers decide to start harvesting passwords, or redirecting users to fake bank login pages and similar phishing sites.

After news broke, Mozilla investigated the report and decided to remove all of the discovered extensions from its browser store.

"Our add-ons team has investigated this report and as a result, has taken action to remove all of these extensions from AMO,” the company told BleepingComputer. “We have updated our automated systems to detect and block extensions using similar attacks now and in the future. We continue to improve our systems as new attacks appear."

If you are using any of these extensions, you should remove them immediately and secure your critical accounts.

Via BleepingComputer

• Mozilla has just launched Firefox VPN, and it's now in beta
• Firefox VPN is a free, browser-only feature built into Firefox
• Mozilla also has its own standalone VPN client, but the two are wildly different

Mozilla has just started testing what it refers to as a "new experiment:" Firefox VPN.

This is a free, browser-only VPN that's built directly into the Firefox browser and is currently available in beta.

The company says that it'll start simple with a pretty barebones VPN service and then evolve the feature based on user feedback.

However, Mozilla has an ambitious goal ahead, as the company claims that it wants to "build the best VPN-integrated browser on the market."

Here's everything we know about Firefox VPN so far, including how it compares to Mozilla VPN and how to join the beta.

What is Mozilla's Firefox VPN?

Firefox VPN is a new, free, browser-only VPN feature built directly into Mozilla's Firefox browser.

It's currently in beta testing and is designed to encrypt and route only the traffic that passes through Firefox, rather than protecting your entire device.

In practical terms, it hides your IP address and prevents websites, trackers, or network providers from seeing your true location or browsing activity, but only within Firefox itself.

As Mozilla VPN uses Mullvad servers, chances are that Firefox VPN does too, although the company doesn't elaborate on that in its announcement.

Right now, you can only connect to the nearest stable server, so users in the United States will also be connecting to the US, for example. This means that if you want to watch Netflix from other countries, you'll still need to use a standalone VPN or a different VPN browser extension.

Mozilla says it will only collect some necessary technical data, such as connection status and how much data you've used on a given day, and store these for three months. It won't store information about the websites you've visited while using Firefox VPN.

How can you join the Firefox VPN beta?

If you want to join the beta, you might need to be patient. Mozilla is selecting testers at random, so you may or may not get in. The one thing you'll definitely need is a Mozilla account.

Once you've been selected, you'll see a prompt in the Firefox toolbar. You can then either choose to opt in and log on to your Mozilla account to activate the VPN, or pass on the opportunity by selecting "not now" and then "no thanks." Doing this removes the icon from the toolbar.

To turn on Firefox VPN, click the VPN icon from your toolbar and toggle it on. It'll automatically pick the closest server to you.

There are no usage and bandwidth limits for testers.

What's the difference between Mozilla VPN and Firefox VPN?

Firefox VPN and Mozilla VPN have one main thing in common – they both come from the same company. Other than that, they're different products in most ways.

For starters, Firefox VPN is free, and Mozilla VPN is a paid service. The former is a browser-only tool, and the latter is a full-on VPN client that protects your entire device.

Mozilla VPN offers advanced features such as split tunneling, flexible multi-hop connections, and ad blocking, and it runs on the WireGuard VPN protocol. Meanwhile, Firefox VPN doesn't interfere with your connection outside of when you use the browser.

Although Mozilla VPN can’t rival some of the best, such as NordVPN, the service keeps evolving. Mozilla recently made its proprietary VPN available on all Linux distributions.

It remains to be seen if Firefox VPN will evolve into a service able to compete with the best free VPN options out there. Mozilla is certainly trying and hopes its users will help with this endeavor.

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• Pocket is officially being shut down today
• Today is your last chance to export your data before the app is shuttered
• There are several alternatives that you can use instead

Five months ago we heard the sad news that Mozilla would be closing down the popular Pocket app, which lets you save articles from the web so that you can read them later. Well, today is officially its last day, which means it's time to find an alternative, if you haven't already.

While the first phase of Pocket's shutdown was on July 8, 2025, it's been possible to export your saved articles since then. However, after October 8, 2025 (today) you'll no longer be able to do that and your data will be permanently deleted.

If you still haven't exported your data, it's only takes a minute or so. Just go to Pocket's Export page, sign into your account, then click the 'Export CSV file' button (see below). You'll then see a notice saying "your export is on the way", which also confirms that it could take seven days for the export to arrive.

You'll also get an email confirmation that it's being processed. If you run into any issues, you can find the answers to most questions on Mozilla's guide to exporting your Pocket saves.

Why is this happening?

It's a shame to see the end of Pocket. While many of the best browsers like Google Chrome have built-in bookmarking, Pocket was different in that it tweaked the experience to make reading more enjoyable. To that end, it added its own formatting so that articles appeared in a uniform, readable style, and it also let you to add tags and highlights for better organization.

In a blog post, Mozilla said the move was made to help it focus on its Firefox web browser, adding that “the way people save and consume content on the web has evolved, so we’re channeling our resources into projects that better match browsing habits today.” The company has also posted a more detailed guide to its decision and explained what will come next on its website.

As for Fakespot, its apps, website and extensions become unavailable on July 1, 2025. The Review Checker feature that’s built into the Firefox web browser also stopped working on June 10, 2025.

Sorely missed

I’ve used Pocket religiously for many years, and the move to shut it down came as an unwelcome surprise. Since I found out about the move, I’ve been looking for alternative apps that let me save articles and read through them at my leisure.

So far, I’ve seen Instapaper come highly recommended. It’s designed to help you save articles from around the web and display them in a simple, easy-to-read format. It can even speak articles aloud so you can listen on the go.

Another alternative is Readwise Reader. Like Instapaper, it’s great for saving from the web, but it also works with RSS feeds, X threads, PDFs, newsletters, YouTube videos, and more. There’s integration with Readwise’s highlighting capabilities, plus a beautiful design that’s easy on the eye.

There’s also Raindrop, which some of my TechRadar colleagues wholeheartedly recommend. This bills itself as a bookmark manager, so it helps with organizing almost anything you find on the web, not just articles. It’s built for teams and will automatically back up any files and web pages you add, ensuring you can keep reading even if the original source is lost.

Despite coming across these alternatives, I can’t say I’m not disappointed to lose Pocket. One of its best aspects was its suggested articles feature, which has helped me find an incredible array of fascinating stories that I’d otherwise never have discovered. Once it officially goes tomorrow, it’ll be sorely missed.

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• Germany's top court has revived a legal case that could lead to a ban on ad blockers over copyright violations
• The case originates from a lawsuit brought by a major German publisher against the firm behind Adblock Plus
• If this comes to pass, Germany will be the second country in the world, after China, to ban ad blockers

The German Federal Supreme Court (BGH) has put into question the very legitimacy of ad blockers. The court is now investigating whether these programs – which, by default, block certain elements of a website – can be qualified as copyright infringement.

The case originates from a lawsuit brought by Axel Springer, a major German publisher, against Eyeo GmbH. Eyeo is the company behind Adblock Plus, which is one of the best ad blockers according to TechRadar's reviewers.

If ad blockers get banned in Germany, the consequences could be far wider than they seem at first glance. It's not just ad blockers that could be in danger, warns Mozilla, as "such a precedent could embolden legal challenges against other extensions that protect privacy, enhance accessibility, or improve security."

The legal battle between publishers and ad blockers is heating up

Axel Springer SE, which is one of the biggest media publishers in Europe, has been locked in a decade-long legal battle against Eyeo GmbH, meaning Adblock Plus. The publisher argues that ad blockers interfere with its right to control how its copyrighted content is rendered and displayed, potentially violating German copyright law – CyberInsider reported.

For a long time, Adblock Plus has seemingly emerged victorious from these legal battles, but that might not be the case this time around. Germany's Federal Court of Justice has overturned parts of a 2023 decision by a Hamburg appeals court, stating that further fact-checking was needed.

The question comes down to whether ad blockers truly break copyright laws. The BGH is exploring the interaction between ad blockers and various structures of a website, including the browser's Document Object Model (DOM) and CSS Object Model (CSSOM). The DOM is responsible for all the content to include on a page, and the CSSOM determines what it looks like.

The key legal question here is: Does modifying how a website displays through browser-side tools like ad blockers count as breaking the law? If the German courts rule that yes, it is copyright infringement, Germany could be the second country in the world to ban ad blockers, second only to China.

Why this matters for ad blockers — and beyond

Ad blockers are one thing. Many of us use them, and they help us get rid of pesky ads on a daily basis. However, if the German courts decide that any kind of browser-side alterations is copyright infringement, many similar browser extensions or tools may end up being banned too.

For instance, some of the best VPN software also comes with ad-blocking capabilities. There are also extensions or browser features that improve accessibility or offer additional privacy and security protection, like against phishing. All of those tools could potentially be banned right alongside ad blockers.

Given the potential danger, it's no wonder that Mozilla, the developer behind Firefox, took a strong stance on the matter.

In a blog post published earlier this month, Mozilla's Senior IP & Product Counsel, Daniel Nazier, notes that user freedom, privacy, and security are at risk if this court ruling comes to pass and Germany indeed bans ad blockers.

"We sincerely hope that Germany does not become the second jurisdiction (after China) to ban ad blockers. This will significantly limit users’ ability to control their online environment and potentially open the door to similar restrictions elsewhere," wrote Nazier.

The case will now be reviewed by the court in Hamburg, which might take a year or two. Until then, the future of ad blockers in Germany will remain uncertain, as will data privacy in the country and throughout Europe. If other countries decide to take a page out of Germany's playbook, we could have a bigger legal battle on our hands.

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• Experts flag 150 Firefox add-ons which served as infostealers and keyloggers
• Add-ons added to the store are benign, but when they gain a reputation, they are transformed into malware
• The crooks steal crypto and track their victims' IP addresses

Cryptocurrency users running the Firefox browser should be careful - a major campaign has been detected aiming to steal their tokens right out of their wallets.

Recently, security researchers from Koi Security identified 150 add-ons in the Mozilla store which served as infostealers and keyloggers.

These add-ons started as benign tools, impersonating popular crypto wallets such as MetaMask, TronLink, or Rabby, but after accumulating enough downloads and positive reviews, the attackers replace them with new names and logos and inject malicious code that steals user wallet credentials and IP addresses.

GreedyBear

"The weaponized extensions captures wallet credentials directly from user input fields within the extension’s own popup interface, and exfiltrate them to a remote server controlled by the group," Koi Security said in its writeup.

"During initialization, they also transmit the victim’s external IP address, likely for tracking or targeting purposes."

The malicious code was partially generated with the help of AI, the experts said, dubbing the campaign “GreedyBear”, and claiming it raked in more than a million dollars already.

The “bear” in the name could be a reference to Russia, since the operation is apparently complemented by dozens of pirated software websites distributing 500 malware variants, as well as fake Trezor, Jupiter Wallet, and other crypto websites. All of them are written in Russian.

The malware distributed through the website is generic, the researchers added, with LummaStealer standing out as a more notable name.

All of the sites are linked to the same IP address, which means that a single entity is running the entire operation.

Koi Security reported its findings to Mozilla, which swiftly removed all malicious add-ons from its repository. However, users who downloaded them in the meantime will remain at risk until they delete the add-ons from their browsers and refresh all login credentials.

Via BleepingComputer

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• Mozilla is warning its dev community of an ongoing attack
• The attackers want access to the devs' accounts
• Tainting browser addons with malware could be the play here

Mozilla is warning its developer community they are at risk of being targeted by devious new phishing attacks urging them to “exercise extreme caution and scrutiny” when receiving emails claiming to have come from either Mozilla, or AMO (addons.mozilla.org).

“Phishing emails typically state some variation of the message “Your Mozilla Add-ons account requires an update to continue accessing developer features,”” the company said in its description of what the targets could expect.

The company did not say who the threat actors are, what they’re looking to achieve, or how successful they are - however, given browser add-on developers are being targeted, it’s safe to assume the miscreants are looking for a way to compromise the products with malware.

Supply chain attacks

Browser add-ons are tiny programs that add extra features or functions to a web browser, and users usually install them to customize or enhance their browsing experience.

Some of the most popular addons include ad blockers, spelling and grammar checkers, password managers, screenshot tools, and VPNs or privacy tools.

By tainting the solutions with malware, cybercriminals can engage in supply chain attacks, gaining access to people’s bank accounts, social media accounts, cryptocurrency tokens and NFTs, passwords, session cookies, and more.

It’s a common attack vector, too. Less than a month ago, it was reported that many Chrome and Edge addons, including several prominent products, were found spying on users and communicating with a third-party server.

At the time, security researchers from Koi Security reported that a seemingly benign Chrome add-on called “Color Picker, Eyedropper — Geco colorpick”, which allows users to quickly identify and copy color codes from any point within their browser, was secretly a malware.

While working as advertised, and having thousands of downloads and positive reviews, the add-on also did something in the background - it hijacked browser activity, tracked the websites users were visiting, and communicated with remote C2 infrastructure.

This discovery led them down a path that uncovered an entire web of add-ons, all doing similar things.

Via The Register

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• Firefox 139 has added an AI-powered link preview feature
• This summarizes web pages without you needing to click a link
• Like all AI generation, it needs time to think – which can be a pain

With artificial intelligence (AI) all the rage these days, it’s not uncommon to find your favorite web browser has added a bunch of AI features designed to change the way you surf the internet. Firefox is no exception: as explained in the release notes of its latest version 139 update, the browser has brought AI-powered link previews to its users.

Once the experimental feature is enabled, you can activate it by hovering your mouse pointer over a link and pressing Alt+Shift. This fires up a preview box that summarizes key info about the web page so that you can see what it’s about without needing to visit.

On first glance, I love this idea. Imagine you land on a web page and you’re not sure if you can trust its embedded links. Or you’re super busy and just want to know if it’s worth clicking through to a linked page. With an AI link preview, you can get artificial intelligence to do the work for you.

Firefox’s AI comes into play by showing a set of key points that sum up the main ideas of the linked page, helping you to understand it before you click through. But although that initially sounds great, I’m not totally convinced just yet.

A good idea with an annoying flaw

I’ve been a loyal Firefox user for 20 years now, and I’ve seen it change a huge amount in that time. And with the rise of AI, I shouldn’t be surprised that developer Mozilla has been leaning into machine learning features in recent years.

While link previews feel like a good idea on the surface – for one thing, they let you check if a link is actually what it claims to be without having to click and find out – they suffer from a common AI problem: you have to wait for them to be generated. It’s the same with tools like ChatGPT, where you need to wait for the AI to think up a response. Firefox’s link previews are not instant, and when I tried them out, I found they ended up slowing down my browsing experience.

Still, they have to be activated with a specific keyboard shortcut, which means they won’t appear when you simply hover over a link, minimizing the risk of accidental activations. That’s good, since a slow-generating box that obscures the text you’re trying to read would quickly get annoying. As it is, you can activate the previews if you want, or totally ignore them if you don’t.

This is far from the only AI tool that Firefox has added over the last year or so. You can now add an AI chatbot to your sidebar, use AI to overhaul your tab groups, and more. And while link previews help it keep up with the current tech zeitgeist, I’m not sure it’s a feature I’ll be using a whole lot right now.

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Want a pretty OS? Look no further. Zorin comes as close as any operating system to rivalling Windows 11’s featherweight fluid design. We’re testing the free Zorin OS Core, but there are alternatives for older computers (Zorin OS Lite) and professional users (Zorin OS Pro).

Lite switches the highly customized Gnome 43 desktop environment for Xfce, while Pro, which costs £39 exc VAT, bundles installation support and additional software for image editing, 3D graphics, video editing, note taking and more. Pro can be installed on multiple computers with a single license, unless you’re a business or education user, in which case you’ll need a license for each machine.

Whichever version you choose, Zorin is based on Ubuntu, with the latest build running on the 6.2 kernel. Support runs until at least April 2027.

Linux Mint is often touted as the best Linux for Windows switchers, and certainly it takes very little time to become comfortable with its Cinnamon desktop. However, for our money, Zorin is better yet. The default UI has the taskbar and Start-style menu of both Windows and Mint, and the color scheme is immediately familiar. It’s supplemented by three other themes, with one adopting the traditional Gnome shell and another optimized for touch – and, if you upgrade to Zorin Pro, you get additional desktop styles, including more explicit Windows 11, macOS, Chromebook and Gnome 2 options.

You may be able to bring some of your Windows apps with you, with optional Windows App Support, which uses Wine and its graphical front end, PlayOnLinux. However, you can install these yourself on other distros (and Nitrix has it built in, in the form of Bottles), so they’re not a reason to choose Zorin in their own right – and Windows application support isn’t 100%, so don’t expect to be able to run everything you rely on today. That said, the one-click setup may well make this implementation a tempting one for less confident switchers.

Zorin introduced an upgrader with version 16.3, which was simultaneously rolled out to existing version 15 installations. This preserves your files, apps and settings when you make a full-point upgrade. Previously, such upgrades required a clean start and manual migration. It sits alongside a carefully curated selection of default software. LibreOffice 7.6.3 is preinstalled, but GIMP isn’t. The default browser is Firefox, and for email it’s Evolution. This is a good-looking alternative to Thunderbird, but with the latter receiving a significant brush-up in its 115 release, we’re inclined to switch, simply so we can run the same client on both Linux and Windows.

Both the Core and Pro builds include Zorin Connect, which maintains an encrypted local-network connection between your computer and an Android phone. You can sync notifications, share files, and control music and video playback across devices. You can also use it to turn your phone into a remote keyboard and mouse, or a controller for PC-based presentations. If you want the same features in an alternative distribution, check out KDE Connect (kdeconnect.kde.org).

You can download anything that’s not preinstalled from the integrated app store, which is set up to use Zorin and Ubuntu repositories, Flathub and Snap Store. This all makes for a friction-free environment for Linux newbies, and we were pleased to see that both printers on our network were recognized on first boot.

If you’re new to Linux and nervous about switching, then, Zorin could be just the distribution you’ve been searching for. It looks great, feels immediately familiar (even if you don’t pay for the Windows 11-style UI of Zorin Pro) and goes to significant lengths to simplify working with your mobile – so long as it’s running Android – and integrating (some) Windows applications. It feels like the best Linux distro for Windows switchers who want to quickly feel at home.

We also ranked the best privacy tool and anonymous browser.

Debian-based Ubuntu is the jumping-off point for many other distributions, including Linux Mint and Zorin OS. The Desktop edition is available in at least two builds: the so-called LTS (Long Term Support) build, which receives support for a minimum of five years from release, and the bleeding-edge release, which comes with nine months of security and maintenance updates. In each case, the build number – 23.10 in the case of this review – denotes the year and month of release, so 23.10 will enjoy support until July 2024, and 22.04 LTS until April 2027. New releases appear every six months for the cutting-edge build, and every other year for the LTS edition.

Both 23.10 and 22.04.3 LTS require 4GB of memory, 25GB of drive space and a 2GHz dual-core processor, despite running on different kernels (6.5 versus 5.17) and desktop environments (Gnome 45 versus Gnome 41/42). Build 23.10 is also running more up-to-date versions of its default applications, Firefox, LibreOffice and Thunderbird. Of these, perhaps the most significant is Thunderbird, which sits at 91 in the LTS release and at 115.2 in 23.10. Thunderbird 115 introduced significant interface improvements and, even if you install the LTS release, we’d recommend updating Thunderbird to at least 115 yourself.

As well as the desktop edition, there are builds for server and IoT platforms, with the latter including Raspberry Pi. The Pi edition is available directly through the Raspberry Pi Imager. There’s also an immutable build, in which the core system files are protected against tampering.

None of the installer’s questions is too taxing. You don’t need to know what kind of security your network uses, as you do for openSUSE, and we didn’t need to play around with the partitioning of our drive to complete the process successfully.

Once up and running, you’re presented with a largely vanilla workspace. Although Ubuntu has its own style, it remains fairly faithful to Gnome’s default look and feel, rather than making a significant departure as Zorin does (or as Nitrux does from KDE Plasma). If you don’t like Gnome, you’ll find alternative builds with a little searching. Kubuntu (kubuntu. org) switches it out for KDE, while Ubuntu Budgie (ubuntubudgie.org) and Ubuntu Cinnamon (ubuntucinnamon.org) naturally use Budgie and Cinnamon respectively. Lubuntu (lubuntu.me), using Qt, and Xubuntu (xubuntu.org), using Xfce, are both Ubuntu-recognized ports for lower powered computers.

Apps can be installed using the built-in App Center or via the Terminal using apt. The App Center, which gives access to both Debian and Snap packages, has been upgraded in 23.10, and certainly feels more engaging than the installer it replaced. There’s a handy “Jump start your desktop” at the top of the homepage that gives direct access to the most commonly installed apps, rather like the recommended software section in Raspberry Pi OS. Other named sections, including a Productivity section, make it easy to find essentials such as alternative browsers, Bitwarden and Slack. Neither Inkscape nor GIMP are preinstalled, but the versions available through App Center match the latest-edition version numbers available from their respective sites.

More good news? On first boot, both of the wireless printers on our network were successfully recognized and set up.

For many newcomers, Ubuntu may well be a byword for Linux, and it’s easy to see why. Installation is a breeze and, once complete, it just works. The new features in this latest release, including the updated App Center and Gnome 45, are subtle but welcome improvements over their predecessors, and the default interface is unflashy and provides few distractions.

Ubuntu was our Labs Winner last time around, and nothing changes here – so long as you’re happy running Gnome. If you aren’t, take a look at KDE-based openSUSE Tumbleweed or Cinnamon-based Linux Mint.

It’s not difficult to find an Ubuntu-based distribution running KDE, Budgie and several other desktop managers, although, as they’re not directly controlled by Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu itself, it’s fairer to consider them different products.

We also rated the best Linux PCs.

Rocky Linux is one of the youngest distributions around, first appearing in mid-2021. It’s based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, so in some ways is a natural home for anyone previously running CentOS, a community-supported version of Red Hat terminated in December 2020.

Rocky’s first release was version 8.3, reflecting the fact that it was based on the same version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The version-8 line remains current, despite 8.9 appearing two days after 9.3, which itself is based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.3. That’s the version we’re testing here. Planned end of life for the Rocky 9 line is May 2032. For Rocky 8, it’s May 2029.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux uses Fedora source code in its development, so Fedora and Rocky naturally share several touch points. However, where Fedora 39 is built on the 6.6.3 kernel, Rocky Linux 9.3 is built on the same 5.14 Linux kernel as Red Hat 9.3. While this may look outdated, it shouldn’t be an issue, as Red Hat uses a system known as backporting to implement fixes and features within the existing kernel while maintaining compatibility with overlaying applications.

Installation is straightforward. There’s no media builder as there is for Fedora, so it’s a case of downloading the ISO and using balenaEtcher or similar to write it to a bootable thumb drive. The full DVD ISO is a hefty beast, tipping the scales at 9GB. However, there are lighter “boot” and “minimal” builds that can be used to enter rescue mode and install the OS from an alternative source, like an online repository. There are four processor builds, covering x86_64, ARM, PowerPC and IBM s390x servers (although only the first two of these are available for Rocky 8). Dig deeper and you’ll find a build specific to Raspberry Pi in the alternative images library.

Although Gnome is the default window manager, you can swap it out for KDE, Xfce, Mate or Cinnamon.

We opted for the DVD ISO and, once up and running, were dropped into Gnome 40.4, which feels dated if you’re accustomed to Gnome 45. Aside from the operating system, we didn’t have much to show for our 9GB download. Firefox was pre-installed, but there was no email client, office suite or image editor. These are all available through the Software app, and we were glad to see that the version of Thunderbird available through the repository was 115 (which benefits from a significant redesign). However, LibreOffice, had we chosen to install it through the default repository, would have been version 7.1 (the latest build is 7.6), GIMP was one point behind the latest build, and Inkscape was at 1.1.1, while its latest stable release is 1.3.2.

Further hurdles: the two printers on our network hadn’t been recognized upon first booting and updating the system, and we needed to enter their IP addresses in the printer setup dialog to add them to the OS.

Less rocky was this distribution’s turn of pace. Rocky Linux 9.3 returned a respectable 1,097 in the single-core Geekbench test and 3,112 in the multicore test. Despite the different kernels, this was broadly similar to the scores we saw when testing under Fedora, which turned in 1,105 and 3,053 respectively. In either case, we would be surprised if this made a noticeable difference in day-to-day use.

It’s perhaps unsurprising that our verdict is so similar to that for Fedora, which was our runner-up to Ubuntu. They are, after all, the bread in a Red Hat sandwich, sitting at either end of the development chain. If you don’t want to run a Debian-based OS, either would be an excellent choice, being well supported and closely aligned to one of the pre-eminent commercial Linux distributions.

Of the two, we would opt for Fedora. There are three reasons why. First, it got us up and running more quickly. Second, for bundling Gnome 45. And third, for including a wider range of pre-installed default applications, each running a recent build.

We've also ranked the best Linux distro for privacy and security.

Many Debian-based distros, Linux Mint included, use Ubuntu as their jumping-off point. The latest release – 21.2 Victoria – is based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and will continue to be supported until 2027. That means it currently uses the 5.15 LTS kernel, but there’s a bleeding-edge edition, aptly called 21.2 Cinnamon Edge, that uses 6.2 should you prefer.

Where many Ubuntu spin-offs stick with Gnome display manager, as used by Ubuntu itself, Mint’s default is Cinnamon. This started as an offshoot from Gnome 2 when version 3 was released. Version 3 was the first to drop support for the panel (taskbar in Windows parlance) in favor of a purer shell, which likewise demoted widgets and jettisoned desktop icons. Cinnamon puts all of these front and center, which is one of the reasons it’s often held up as an ideal distro for anyone switching from Windows. It also has a Windows-like menu, with applications sorted into categories, and essential tools – such as the browser and settings – kept in view up the side. You can pin your most used apps to the panel so they’re never more than a click away.

Cinnamon is certainly a sturdy, tidy interface, but we think it feels a touch old-fashioned when compared directly with Microsoft’s Fluent UI for Windows 11. If it doesn’t immediately grab you, you can tweak the colors, install a theme, or opt for one of the alternative desktop managers, since Mint is also available with Mate or Xfce. And, while it seems highly unlikely that Ubuntu is going to disappear any time soon, the Mint developers are maintaining a parallel build, LMDE – Linux Mint Debian Edition – based on the Debian codebase, from which development can continue.

Whichever build you choose, you’ll need at least 2GB of memory and 20GB of storage, although 4GB and 100GB are recommended. These are hardly onerous, and the same specs apply to the Cinnamon Edge release.

Getting up and running is a familiar process, which starts with booting into a live installer and stepping through the wizard. However, because of changes to Ubuntu’s shim-signed bootloader, compatibility with Secure Boot was broken for the ISO that was current when we performed our tests. We therefore had to disable Secure Boot to proceed and, unless the ISO has been fixed by the time you install, you may have to do the same. Linux Mint says that it’s working on a fix.

Once up and running, pretty much everything was ready for use. Our monitor was recognized and its native resolution selected, our two network printers were installed, and a range of default applications were in place. Three desklets – effectively Windows-style widgets – for a clock, launcher and digital photo frame are installed but not activated. You can add others from a desklet store, where we’d highly recommend the weather desklet and notepad.

LibreOffice was ready to roll, and while we can’t say the same for GIMP and VNC, they were available through the software manager, which was set up to work with Flatpak. Thunderbird was pre-installed for handling mail, and Firefox was set up as the default browser.

Hypnotix, Linux Mint’s bespoke IPTV application, is perhaps the most impressive of all the default apps. Its integrated catalogue includes links to more than 1,200 broadcasters, organized by country, with 92 from the UK. Pick a country, then click a channel in the sidebar to tune in. It was quick, efficient and very smooth on our consumer broadband connection. At the time of testing, it wasn’t possible to save favorites, but that may change as work is ongoing for a future release.

Linux Mint with Cinnamon is a pleasant place to spend a lot of time, and while we don’t think Cinnamon feels as dynamic as Windows 11, its familiarity will likely be a significant draw for more cautious switchers (although we would urge anyone in that position to also consider “new kid on the block” Zorin). Hypnotix and the desklets are the star turns in this distribution, and they’re reason enough on their own to make it one for the shortlist.

We've also rated the best lightweight Linux distro.

It's been about three years since I started writing about the privacy risks of being online. Day in and day out, I dig into cyberattacks, Big Tech's privacy violations, and the security tools that are supposed to keep us all safe.

I can confidently say that my awareness of digital privacy is way above the average. I know the risks and what I must do to protect myself. The question is, am I good at following my advice? Is it that easy to minimize the personal data we all share online?

To find out, I decided to go on a 7-day digital data detox to understand what it looks like. Spoiler alert – it wasn't always easy.

1. De-Googled my life

My digital privacy hypocrisy hit me straight in the face on day one. Despite knowing Google's data obsession, my Gmail account was still my main door to the internet. The solution? De-Google my life.

Firstly I decided to switch to one of the most secure email services available to ensure protection against third-party access and more. I already had a Proton Mail account which I generally use for communications that need an extra layer of security. But, hey, do not all my emails deserve the same treatment?

Proton makes switching all your messages, contacts, and calendar appointments from Gmail super easy and straightforward. The provider also offers the option to automatically forward all future emails from Gmail to your Proton inbox with a click, meaning I won't need to open Gmail ever again.

Exporting my Google Drive to Proton's encrypted storage was slightly more complicated as the process required more steps. Proton's tutorial, however, was easy to follow. All in all, it was worth the hassle knowing all my files are now encrypted and secure.

Proton doesn't offer a privacy-first alternative to Google Photos (yet?) meaning I had to manually download my photos on there for later, securing them on its encrypted cloud storage. The success of Google equivalents such as Proton Docs makes me hope a solution is down the line. If you hadn't guessed, I said farewell to Google Docs as well.

With all sides of my Gmail account safe and encrypted, there was one last thing to do, split ways from Google Chrome, for good.

My research on the most private and secure web browsers led me to Brave and Mozilla Firefox. I went with the latter as it uses its own Gecko engine, while Brave is based on Chromium. De-Google means everything, I couldn't risk it.

Fully open-source, Firefox boasts customizations that allow you to choose your level of privacy. While it automatically blocks malware and browser fingerprinting, it does not do that with ads, unlike Brave. After installation, however, it suggests downloading browser extensions like PrivacyBadger for exactly that.

I couldn't hope for a smoother experience switching my digital life from Google Chrome to Firefox. Just download the app on your device and follow the instructions, it takes less than brewing a coffee doing it all!

2. Encrypt, everything

Reveling in the first step into my digital data detox, the next move was securing my internet connections. I knew the tool for the job – a virtual private network (VPN).

A VPN is security software that encrypts all the data leaving your device when you browse the web. It scrambles the communications into an unreadable form to prevent third parties from accessing their content. At the same time, the VPN also masks your real IP address for extra security.

For a week, I alternated between some of TechRadar's best VPN picks, namely ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark, and Proton VPN. I admit, for the most part, I forgot to have the VPN on all the time – especially when using my smartphone.

That said, on desktop, I had a few instances where I couldn’t access some web pages. Likely because these websites detected I was using a VPN, meaning I had to either switch VPN protocol or provider.

While it didn't happen often and bypassing the issue was very easy, such an incident may push a user to disconnect the VPN and browse without protection. At least, in the past, I may have done exactly that.

3. My privacy, my choices

With my emails, files, meetings, and even internet connections encrypted, I was browsing with armor. There was just a problem now – the data I willingly shared online.

If you live in a country with GDPR or similar data protection rules, you'll know the annoying cookie pop-up that appears every time you visit a website. That is how we can exercise our right to privacy and opt out of invasive data tracking.

Clicking "enable necessary cookies only" for every web page you enter can be a pain. However, this minimizes the chances of advertising companies profiting from your data by building your digital persona.

What I found very disappointing, however, was coming across a privacy paywall. Some companies in the EU and UK employ the so-called 'Pay or Consent' or 'Pay or OK' model, asking for a fee from users seeking to opt out of data sharing and personalized ads.

In my 7-day detox, at least 7 times I had to leave sites (mostly news publications) I needed for work and look for alternative sources – de facto losing time to exercise what is supposed to be my GDPR rights. This made me wonder how many people would do that, and how often I've given away my data for convenience or necessity.

4. Smartphone security – always room to improve

Securing my smartphone was the next thing to do to minimize the data I shared with third parties.

Despite still being an avid Gmail user before this data detox week, I already followed most digital hygiene practices, or so I thought.

On reviewing my iPhone's privacy settings and app permissions, I was on top of my game, as I should have been.

I found some inessential permissions I didn’t grant by heading to Settings and tapping Privacy & Security. These included granting full access to contact lists and photos to Goodreads. I then turned on the App Privacy Report option to help me stay on top of granted permissions.

My most shocking discovery was the number of applications I haven't used for years, sitting on my phone with the potential to make me vulnerable. Seventeen apps, all of which have since been removed to avoid the risk.

5. Make it tougher

Last, but certainly not least, I needed to secure perhaps the most important part of my digital life – my online accounts.

To do that, I turned to a security software that does this within a few clicks. A reliable password manager not only stores and protects all your login details, but also helps you generate customizable strong combinations while notifying you when passwords become vulnerable or compromised.

Already having a Proton account, it made sense for me to choose Proton Pass. The provider made the process straightforward. However, in my case, not having the password syncing option enabled on my Google Chrome password manager forced me to do this process manually – my bad.

Bottom line

After living a week on a restricted data-sharing regime, I won't go back. I feel more secure and confident when I browse the web knowing that I did everything to reduce my digital footprints. I'm sure I'll see further benefits of this over time too.

There's certainly more I can do – such as using a data removal service to delete all the data I willingly (and otherwise) shared all these years. But this is a marathon, not a sprint.

Switching to privacy-first products seems daunting – I postponed it myself for a while – but this experience showed me how easy it was to do in under an hour.

I also realized that, while I cannot do anything to halt companies from enforcing privacy paywalls in their content, I can still choose not to give up my privacy. It would take time to adjust, but it's worth it.

• The Firefox web browser is ending support for Do Not Track
• This asked websites not to track you, but it was routinely ignored
• There are much better alternatives for keeping your data safe

Firefox is one of the best web browsers you can get, yet it will remove support for its Do Not Track feature in the upcoming version 135 of the app. This is used to ask websites not to follow users around the internet using cookies and other trackers. On the surface, this move sounds like a blow to your privacy, but it could actually end up being a positive change in the long run.

Previously, if the Do Not Track setting was enabled, Firefox would send a request to websites stating that you didn’t want to be tracked. Created in 2009, Do Not Track was meant to be a simple way to keep your private data safe, and Firefox was the first web browser to adopt this feature.

Yet over the years, concerns have been raised that Do Not Track simply doesn’t work. Since it’s only a request, websites are free to completely ignore it – which many do. After all, when trackers can be used to increase a website’s advertising profits, what website owner is going to pass up an opportunity to make more money from your private data?

As well as that, in a support article (via Windows Report) announcing that Do Not Track would be phased out, Firefox developer Mozilla stated that the feature can actually reduce your privacy. This might perhaps be because some users enable it and assume that it protects them, thereby neglecting other privacy-enhancing features that actually do work.

What you can do instead

While these concerns have been ongoing, Firefox has been adding more robust privacy features of its own, as have some other browsers. Mozilla recommends you use the Global Privacy Control setting in Firefox instead, as this is respected by more websites and is even enforced with legislation in some places.

As well as that, Firefox has many other built-in features designed to combat trackers. That includes Enhanced Tracking Protection, which blocks known trackers, and a Facebook container that stops Meta-owned websites – notorious for their privacy violations – from following you around the web.

So, while Firefox ending support for Do Not Track seems like a blow to your privacy at first glance, in reality the browser is simply discontinuing a feature that never really worked properly in the first place.

Instead, there are other settings – plus a host of excellent extensions – that can be used to keep your private data securely out of the hands of trackers and advertisers.

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• ESET discovers two zero-day vulnerabilities that can lead to remote code execution
• The researchers spot Russian hackers abusing the flaws to deploy backdoors
• Fixes for both flaws are already available to download

A Russian advanced persistent threat (APT) group known as RomCom has been exploiting two zero-day vulnerabilities to hit its victims with potent backdoor malware, security experts have said.

ESET said its researchers first found a use-after-free bug in the animation timeline feature in Firefox. Since the bug forces the browser to use memory that has already been freed, it can lead to all sorts of undefined behavior, including executing code in the restricted context of the browser. This bug was discovered on October 8, and was assigned CVE-2024-9680. It was fixed a day later, on October 9.

Further investigation led to the discovery of a second vulnerability, this time in Windows, tracked as CVE-2024-49039, WHICH allows previously authenticated crooks to run arbitrary code in the system. By chaining the two vulnerabilities together, the attackers were able to deploy backdoors on target devices.

Targeting Europe and North America

In practice, thIS means embedding a website with code that is capable of exploiting the vulnerabilities, redirect the victims to a server where the backdoor is hosted, and have the operating system infected. The worst part is that the attack is “zero-click” - meaning besides visiting the malicious website, the exploit requires no interaction from the victim’s side.

While ESET does not discuss how many people, or entities, fell victim to the attack, they say that the majority of victims tracked between October 10 and November 4 were located in Europe and North America.

It is also worth pointing out that patches for both flaws have been available for more than a month now, and the best way to defend against the attack is to have Firefox, Thunderbird, and the Tor Browser (which were all said to have been vulnerable) all patched, together with Windows.

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It was my birthday a few weeks ago, and as if that didn’t make me feel old enough, the Firefox browser has just turned exactly 20 years old today. Yes, Firefox version 1.0 launched on November 9, 2004 – and I've been using it for almost as long as it's been alive, picking it up in the mid-noughties and loading it onto every computer I’ve used in the years since.

Over all that time, I’ve stuck with Firefox through thick and thin (and Chrome's increasing dominance). It’s clear to me that Firefox has always done a few things far better than rivals like Chrome and Safari – things that those web browsers are unlikely to ever match.

Right from when I started using Firefox, what drew me to it was its strong stance on privacy. It’s always been important to me that my data stays my own and is not sold to anyone else for profit. It’s not always possible to stop that happening, but with Firefox, it’s a whole lot easier.

That’s because Firefox blocks all sorts of trackers that can invade your privacy and follow you around the web. Cookies are isolated to stop them building a detailed picture of you, and Firefox limits access to data that can be used to create a digital “fingerprint” of your browsing habits by less conscientious websites and services.

That’s just scratching the surface of its privacy-protecting features, and I’m still glad to have them at my disposal whenever I use the web.

Chrome’s privacy problem

Take a look at Google Chrome and the contrast is stark. Chrome doesn’t block trackers by default, nor does it offer fingerprint blocking. It monitors the websites you visit and uses this data to send you targeted ads. While you can block some of the topics it identifies, you can’t stop it finding other ad topics to share with websites. It’s going to sell your private data, whether you want it to or not.

While Google has considered implementing pro-privacy features, it’s often backtracked when it became apparent how much that could impact third-party advertisers and data brokers. Just look at the Privacy Sandbox, which Google has watered down significantly, or the way Google often uses so-called dark patterns to lure you into sharing as much of your data as possible.

Ultimately, we shouldn’t be surprised at Chrome’s behavior. Google runs the world’s largest advertising network and has a built-in incentive to violate your privacy (and limit what you can do to stop it). Google’s privacy efforts will always be half-hearted as long as implementing policies that keep your info safe hurt its bottom line. Money talks, after all.

Things are different for Firefox because it’s developed by Mozilla, a group that puts privacy at the forefront of its work. Firefox is open source, too, so you know exactly what you’re getting without having to worry about hidden nasties making it into your browsing experience. In other words, it’s the antithesis of Chrome.

Actions speak louder than words, and Mozilla doesn’t just talk the talk – it follows through on what it promises, even when its features might hurt its ability to make money from its users.

In contrast, it’s clear that this is absolutely not the case with Chrome, and nor will it ever be. I know which browser I’d rather trust.

Why don’t I just use Safari?

If privacy is a priority for me, why haven’t I switched to Apple’s Safari browser? There’s an argument for me doing so: like Mozilla, Apple is well-known for its pro-privacy stances. Safari is generally faster than Firefox, too, helping it offer the best of both Firefox and Chrome.

But there’s a problem: Safari is limited to Apple’s own devices. I use both Windows and macOS in my day-to-day life, so I need something that will function on every device I own. Safari can’t do that, and given how disappointing Safari for Windows was back when it existed, I doubt Apple is too fussed about expanding the browser beyond its own products.

In contrast, I can get Firefox on any of my devices and it will be set up just as I expect it to be, with all the extensions, bookmarks and tabs right where they should be. I can send a tab from Firefox on my Windows PC to Firefox on my Mac or on my iPhone and it’ll arrive instantly, letting me pick up where I left off whatever device I’m using.

It’s that combination of cross-platform compatibility and rock-solid privacy credentials that have me still using Firefox 20 years later.

Throw in a huge library of excellent extensions and I get everything I need from Mozilla’s browser – there’s no alternative that quite matches what it can do. With 20 years in the bag, I imagine I’ll still be using Firefox in another two decades’ time.

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Mozilla has just patched a major vulnerability in its Firefox browser that was apparently being abused in the wild.

In a short security advisory, the company said it discovered a use-after-free vulnerability in Animation timelines.

This bug, tracked as CVE-2024-9680, does not yet have a severity rating, but is being abused to achieve remote code execution (RCE), which means crooks can use it to deploy malware on vulnerable devices, and possibly even take them over, entirely.

Drive-by, XSS, and more

"We have had reports of this vulnerability being exploited in the wild,” Mozilla said in the advisory, adding both Firefox and Firefox Extended Support Release (ESR) are vulnerable, so users are advised to patch to these versions immediately:

Firefox 131.0.2
Firefox ESR 128.3.1, and
Firefox ESR 115.16.1.

There are currently no reports on who, or how, is exploiting this bug, but looking at similar recent issues, there are several ways the vulnerability could be abused, including a watering hole attack targeting specific websites, or a drive-by download campaign that tricks people into visiting the wrong website.

Browsers are an indispensable part of every computer these days, and as such, they are basically omnipresent. This makes them an extremely popular target for cybercriminals looking for a way onto a network and into a device. Firefox, with more than 250 million monthly active users, is one of the most popular products in its category, having been downloaded more than 2 billion times globally.

By hosting vulnerable code, the browser allows threat actors to conduct, among other things, drive-by download attacks. Hackers can inject malicious code into websites or ads they previously compromised. When a user visits such a site, they download malware without even realizing.

Other types of attacks made possible via compromised browsers include cross-site scripting (XSS), buffer overflows, and man-in-the-middle attacks.

Via The Hacker News

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Manifest V3, Chrome’s new platform for extensions is finally going into effect. After being announced back in 2019 and facing delays, heavy controversy and pushback, 5 years later users are now beginning to see evidence of the forthcoming API change which will dramatically impact how browser extensions can operate on Google Chrome.

For one, uBlock Origin users on Chrome began receiving a notice last month, warning that the extension would soon no longer be supported on the platform, but they won’t be the only ones impacted. So, what does Manifest V3 mean for Chrome users, especially those with an eye for privacy?

The short of It

Put bluntly, the past few years have seen ample drama between Google and extension developers as both parties readied for this platform change. The Google team argued that Manifest V3 would improve privacy and performance for extensions, and most developers (us at Ghostery included) both disagreed it would be effective in doing so and felt it had a net negative impact on the privacy of users given its restrictions on ad-blockers.

The new V3 framework has several key differences from the older V2 version that significantly hinder ad-blockers in particular. Without getting overly technical, the changes impact the level of interception ad and tracker-blockers can have over web traffic and requests, like neutralizing requests from data-collecting trackers.

But after a lot of push and pull, all ad-blocker extension developers were forced to decide whether they’d redesign for the new API or not – which is why uBlock Origin users are now receiving a warning message, while users of some other ad-blockers are not.

Your options in the new MV3 reality

Let’s start with a quick summary of which ad-blocking extensions did redesign for MV3 and where others stand:

• Ghostery – recently released Ghostery 10 which is Manifest V3 compliant 
• AdBlock Plus – has been updated to be Manifest V3 compliant 
• AdGuard – has a Manifest V3 compliant version currently in beta testing 
• uBlock Origin – will not support Manifest V3 on its primary extension, but has released a Lite version which will continue to operate on Chrome under V3

But, even if your preferred ad-blocker is listed as being Manifest V3-compliant, that doesn’t mean your privacy won’t still be impacted to some degree if you remain on Chrome.

Ad-blocker developers have spent years redesigning how our extensions operate at a foundational level to be able to function on this new platform. The restrictions are so excessive that it’s safe to say ad-blocking with any extension on V3 will be less effective than before (you can think of pre-Manifest V3 ad-blocker protection being at 100%, and post being around 75%).

As one Reddit user put it and many others echoed, “Google is in the ad business. They are removing ability to block ads. Use another browser, there are plenty of them.”

So, if you’re serious about your privacy and want to maximize your ad-blocking capabilities (and essentially go back to 100% protection), you should switch to another browser before Manifest V3 goes into effect.

But, be aware of what browser you’re switching to, as many others like Opera and Edge are still Chromium-based and therefore will be subject to the same extension restrictions as Chrome.

Firefox is one of few browsers not built on Chromium and where your favorite ad or tracker-blockers will retain full functionality. Some Chromium-based browsers like Brave have also implemented tracker-blocking in the browser and therefore are not affected by Manifest V3 changes and remain good options.

Other reasons to consider moving off Chrome

While we’re discussing browser privacy, I’d be remiss not to mention a few other recent developments shaping the future of privacy on Chrome which you should consider.

Google recently announced that their long-held plans to abandon third party cookies on Chrome have been cancelled. This means that many of the data-collecting trackers that extensions like Ghostery were able to easily block on Manifest V2 and which are now more difficult on V3, will also be allowed to remain on Chrome for the foreseeable future.

Ironically, the decision to abandon these plans wasn’t even Google’s alone. U.K. regulators had anti-trust concerns over the advantageous position Google’s own first-party cookies would enjoy once third-party cookies were phased out.

This brings me to my final point. While Manifest V3 and the abandonment of third-party cookie phaseouts continue to leave your data vulnerable to unknown and often malicious third parties in Chrome, one of the chief reasons you may want to consider switching browsers comes down to the data Google itself is able to collect on you. No matter what technical changes or developments come down the line, that’s one threat that’s certain not to change as long as you remain on Chrome.

We've listed the best privacy tools and anonymous browsers.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

Mozilla Firefox is known as one of the best web browsers for privacy. In an unexpected turn of events, however, the service is currently under fire in Europe for tracking users without consent.

On Wednesday, September 25, Austria-based digital rights group Noyb (None Of Your Business) filed a complaint with the local data protection authority for quietly enabling what's supposed to be a privacy feature, the so-called Privacy Preserving Attribution (PPA). Mozilla describes it as a "non-invasive alternative to cross-site tracking," but experts argue it may interfere with user rights under the EU’s GDPR.

While standing by the controversial privacy feature, Mozilla has now admitted to TechRadar that it "should have done more" and is ready to work to "clear up confusion" over its approach of rolling out PPA by default.

"There’s no question we should have done more to engage outside voices in our efforts to improve advertising online, and we’re going to fix that going forward," Christopher Hilton, Director of Policy and Corporate Communication at Mozilla, told me.

Noyb, in fact, especially criticized Mozilla's decision to turn the new feature on by default once people installed a recent software update. Developed jointly with Meta and announced back in February 2022, the provider automatically enabled PPA in Firefox 128 which was released in July this year.

The digital rights group also didn't buy the explanation a Mozilla developer shared on Mastodon arguing that users can’t make an informed decision on such a complicated system like PPA.

"It’s a shame that an organization like Mozilla believes that users are too dumb to say yes or no," said Felix Mikolasch, data protection lawyer at Noyb. "Users should be able to make a choice and the feature should have been turned off by default."

Noyb is now calling the provider to inform users about its data processing activities, effectively switch to an opt-in system, and delete all unlawfully processed data for the millions of European users who may have been affected. 

On its side, Mozilla now claims that, while the initial code for PPA was included in the Firefox 128 update, it has not been activated and no end-user data has been recorded or sent. "The current iteration of PPA is designed to be a limited test only on the Mozilla Developer Network website," Hilton told me.

What is Firefox's Privacy-Preserving Attribution?

As per Mozilla's words, Firefox's Privacy-Preserving Attribution (PPA) aims to "provide a privacy-first design for advertising companies to be able to measure how advertising drives conversions." 

Put simply, the new technology is meant to replace third-party cookies. It does not involve websites tracking you, in fact, but it's the browser in control, instead.

Firefox's PPA echos Google's plans – now halted – of developing a new advertisement system for minimizing online tracking as part of its Privacy Sandbox initiative. Google's so-called Protected Audience API was supposed to enable on-device auctions on the browser level to tailor relevant ads to users without sharing their information and browsing activities with third parties.

Like the Mozilla case, Google's plans have been met with criticism. In February, ad-blocker provider AdGuard warned how such a solution is "far from being private," de-facto transforming the browser into an ad auction tool. Noyb would then file a privacy complaint against Google's parent company in June for tracking users without asking for informed consent. 

The history is now repeating. For Noyb, Mozilla's solution is also problematic in terms of privacy. What's changed now is that part of the tracking is done directly in Firefox, potentially breaching GDPR rules. So, yes, it's less invasive but still invasive, according to experts. 

"While Mozilla may have had good intentions, it is very unlikely that 'privacy-preserving attribution' will replace cookies and other tracking tools. It is just a new, additional means of tracking users," said Mikolasch from Noyb.

Mozilla doesn't agree with this view, though. Hilton said: "We continue to believe PPA is an important step toward improving privacy on the internet and look forward to working with NOYB and others to clear up confusion about our approach."

Some of the world’s biggest and most popular browsers are vulnerable to a flaw that allows threat actors to steal sensitive information from target endpoints, experts have warned.

Cybersecurity researchers from Oligo recently detailed the “0.0.0.0-day attack” - a way to abuse how Apple’s Safari, Google’s Chrome, and Mozilla’s Firefox handle queries to the 0.0.0.0 address.

Usually, the browsers would redirect the user to a different IP address, such as “localhost”, which is usually a server or computer on a private computer. However, by sending a malicious request to the target’s 0.0.0.0 IP address, the attackers are able to grab private data. This could be done via phishing or social engineering, where a victim would be somehow enticed into opening a malicious website.

Apple and Google working on a fix

The flaw is currently being exploited in the wild, the researchers said, as developers work on a permanent fix.

“Developer code and internal messaging are good examples of some of the info that can be accessed right away,” Avi Lumelsky, an AI security researcher at Oligo, told Forbes. “But more importantly, exploiting 0.0.0.0-day can let the attacker access the internal private network of the victim, opening a wide range of attack vectors.”

The attack vector is somewhat limited, since it only affects individuals and businesses hosting web servers. This still leaves a large attack surface, though.

There is evidence of in-the-wild abuse, too. A Google security developer confirmed it in a post on the Chromium forum earlier this year, but stated that the flaw can only be leveraged on Apple devices, since Microsoft blocks 0.0.0.0 in Windows, something Apple is planning on doing with macOS 15 Sequoia beta.

Google will do the same on Chromium and Chrome, leaving only Mozilla, which is currently exploring its options. 

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Discovering how to mute a tab is vital if you don’t want to be plagued by loud, unexpected video ads on websites. 

All popular web browsers let you control the audio of individual tabs for more customized browsing. Whether for work or listening to music/podcasts without disturbance, muting a tab is handy for a distraction-free browsing environment. 

In this guide, we’ll show you how to mute tabs on Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Opera, and Safari. And if you want to optimize your browsing experience further, consider our roundup of the best ad blockers. 

Steps for how to mute a tab

• Mute site on Chrome: right-click the tab then click Mute Site. 
• Mute tab on Chrome: Add Tab Muter extension, then click the mute icon. 
• Edge, Firefox, Opera, and Safari: click the speaker icon on the tab to mute it.

Step by step guide to mute a tab

As of May 2024, Google Chrome has an option to mute sites, but not to mute tabs. To demonstrate how to mute tabs on Chrome, we’ve used the Tab Muter extension, but you could select a different one. 

Final thoughts

Muting tabs goes a long way in creating a more focused and interruption-free browsing experience. And with the steps outlined above, you can conveniently mute Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, and Safari tabs.  

Looking for more tips to optimize your browsing experience? Learn how to get Firefox dark mode, how to view and clear your web browsing history in Safari, and how to use profiles in Chrome.

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Mozilla just powered up its Firefox browser by bringing on board a new tech from Nvidia to provide better-quality video playback.

The release of Firefox v126 introduces RTX Video, one part of which is Nvidia’s RTX Video Super Resolution tech. That already debuted in Mozilla’s browser previously, and it upscales video clips to an artificially higher resolution using AI to add the extra detail.

That extra sharpness and detail is now accompanied by a second piece of Nvidia tech in Firefox: RTX Video HDR. This feature does much the same thing, but for colors, improving SDR colors to (artificially) become HDR – giving the image a lot more vibrancy and pop.

So, the overall effect now when watching video clips in the latest version of Firefox is that the experience will be much improved. Indeed, we were seriously impressed with the HDR emulation (which is essentially what this is) on offer with RTX Video HDR when we experienced it first-hand.

RTX means what it says

There are a couple of caveats, though (aren’t there always?) and as the name suggests, RTX Video is only for those who own an Nvidia RTX graphics card. Secondly, at the risk of stating the obvious, you’ll need an HDR-capable monitor to enjoy RTX HDR colors.

Assuming you’re correctly equipped on the hardware front like so, it might be a good idea to grab the new version now, if Firefox is your browser of choice – you’re in for a treat.

Mozilla was relatively slow to pick up on RTX Video Super Resolution, mind you, while some of its best web browser rivals were very quick to adopt this tech when it emerged last year. Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge had it in play at the beginning of the year, just after it was announced, whereas Firefox didn’t get it for some months after.

However, the second part of the equation that makes up RTX Video, the HDR trickery, has been deployed in a much timelier manner by Mozilla.

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After Mitchell Baker’s second resignation as CEO, and under the leadership of new interim CEO Laura Chambers, Mozilla has revealed significant changes to its business that will affect both workers and products.

A new TechCrunch report claims Mozilla plans to scale back investments in various products and close certain services, which is set to affect around 60 workers.

Some of the standalone consumer products affected by reduced investments will include VPN, Relay and Online Footprint Scrubber, with Mozilla setting its sights on more profitable areas of the business.

Mozilla announces job cuts and more

Hubs, the 3D virtual world launched in 2018, is also set to shut down due to a changing market landscape for this particular vertical. According to an internal memo shared by TechCrunch, Mozilla said: “We will wind down the service and communicate a graceful exit plan to customers.”

The organization has also set out a “strategic correction” move for mozilla.social, its venture into the Mastodon-based social media space, after investing too heavily, too quickly.

The layoffs, which are primarily the result of role consolidation in the People department, are expected to affect around 60 workers, according to previous reporting by Bloomberg. Though a small number, the redundancies will reduce the organization’s headcount by a fairly sizeable 5%.

Moreover, Mozilla intends to concentrate on bringing “trustworthy AI into Firefox,” its privacy-focused browser. This streamlining effort suggests that Firefox will once again return to the forefront of Mozilla’s focus, during a time when browsers are facing scrutiny over trackers, cookies, and APIs.

A Mozilla spokesperson told TechRadar Pro in an email:

"We’re scaling back investment in some product areas in order to focus on the ones that we feel have the greatest chance of success. To do so, we've made the difficult decision to eliminate approximately 60 roles from across the company.

The 60 roles equal approximately 5% of the workforce, with the majority of positions being eliminated from the product organization.

We intend to re-prioritize resources towards products like Firefox Mobile and AI, where there's a significant opportunity to grow and establish a better model for the industry."

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Some rather serious accusations are being thrown in Microsoft’s direction by Mozilla - including that the company is pushing its proprietary web browser, Edge, on Windows users by using deceptive tactics. These allegedly include using misleading ads, notifications that are worded like system warnings, and confusing interfaces. 

In case you don’t know, Mozilla is a non-profit open-source organization behind the Firefox web browser - which is a competitor to Microsoft’s Edge. Mozilla has addressed Microsoft directly, calling for it to stop its current practices, and has called for wider industry regulations to make things fairer for competing browsers. 

It recently released a report titled “Over the Edge: The Use of Design Tactics to Undermine Browser Choice.” It opens by stating that users should have the right to choose their browser and use it without their operating system butting in. 

It goes on to accuse Microsoft of using deceptive design elements, calling them “dark patterns” that try to not-so-subtly corral users into using Microsoft’s own Edge browser, which is installed by default in Windows 10 and Windows 11 (similarly to how Internet Explorer was in the past). Mozilla explains that this makes it hard for competitors to even get visibility, let alone be installed and used by Windows 11 users, hence putting Edge rivals like Chrome and Firefox at a disadvantage.

Mozilla goes into detail about some of the tactics it alleges Microsoft is using. They include actions like injecting Edge ads when users went to Chrome’s download page or when users were using Bing search in other browsers, designing a deliberately confusing Windows 11 interface, and instances of misleading language in notifications that look like system warnings. You can check out Mozilla’s complaints in their entirety in its report.

The dust has been kicked up - what comes next?

The organization suggests that Microsoft is narrowing user choice and prevents fair market competition for browsers. Mozilla doesn’t mince words and urges Microsoft to reconsider its “harmful designs.” It also calls for regulators to get involved and facilitate fairer competition.

So, the ball’s in Microsoft’s court, and the company has yet to respond to Mozilla’s report. This isn’t the first accusation of this kind leveled at Microsoft (among other tech companies). Some of Mozilla’s grievances might be addressed in the upcoming Digital Market Act (DMA) in Europe, which comes into effect in March 2024, so we’ll see. 

We’ll be watching to see if Microsoft responds, as many users will agree with Mozilla, and competition is often helpful for consumers to have more options and better outcomes. We've also contacted Microsoft for a response to this report.

It’s best not to rush to conclusions, but Microsoft does have a prolific history of poor market competition practices (that many people probably don’t remember, luckily for Microsoft). Microsoft is no stranger to being in hot water with regulators, including when it comes to browsers - it faced multiple legal challenges in the US regarding its controversial market and distribution practices, particularly with programs like Internet Explorer, in the 1990s. Let’s hope it’s not reverting back to old habits.

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Google might be a search company, but it’s also an advertising company, and nowhere is that clearer than with its efforts to crush ad blockers in its Chrome web browser. The latest twist in this saga has seen Google announce that it is resuming its plan to severely restrict ad blockers, leaving users and privacy advocates in uproar.

In a post on the company’s blog, Google explained that, beginning in June 2024, it will restart its plans to deprecate the Manifest V2 format that current Chrome extensions use and replace it with the more restrictive Manifest V3. According to the post, a range of new features have been added to Manifest V3 that have – according to Google – met with approval from the developer community.

One of the changes is that Google has increased the upper limit on how many rules that extensions can have in place from 5,000 to 30,000, a number Google calls “generous.” That might sound like a lot, but it’s still far below what any decent ad blocker needs to run.

The popular extension uBlock Origin, for example, needs around 300,000 rules in order to work properly – ten times the Manifest V3 limit – and that’s before you add in any custom rules.

If Manifest V3 continues as is, it means ad blockers will essentially be crippled. That would be terrible news for users, not just because ads can be annoying, but because they can also be highly dangerous spreaders of malware – something Google doesn’t seem to be able to stop. Yet one thing the death of ad blockers won’t be bad for is Google’s advertising business. What a coincidence!

Time to switch?

Google has defended its plans by saying Manifest V3 restricts extensions in order to preserve user privacy and provide a more lightweight browsing experience. Yet both claims have been met with scorn from some industry experts.

For instance, Firefox’s Add-On Operations Manager pointed out that malicious add-ons can still steal user data in Manifest V3 using the webRequest API, which Google’s latest extension changes will not block.  Privacy advocates at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), meanwhile, have called Google’s Manifest V3 strategy “deceitful and threatening,” arguing that it is “outright harmful to privacy efforts.”

None of this should be particularly surprising since Google has a very obvious conflict of interest: blocking ads is simply bad for business. Concerns over user privacy and security will, many have argued, always take a back seat when there is money to be made.

If you’re worried about this, it might be time to think about switching to a different browser. A great alternative is Firefox – our pick for the best web browser – because it blends fantastic privacy protections with incredible flexibility and cross-platform support. 

There are plenty of other browsers that look out for your privacy, like Brave, DuckDuckGo and Apple’s Safari too, so you’re not short of secure alternatives to Chrome’s data-grabbing practices.

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People from across the internet have been experiencing a strange five-second loading delay whenever they open a YouTube video.

This phenomenon appears to have been discovered by a user on the YouTube subreddit, however, the original clip has since been deleted by the moderators. Copies of it fortunately exist elsewhere showing the delay occurring on Firefox. From here, people began to find the same issue on other non-Chrome browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Brave, and Safari. There are claims online stating it also happens on Google Chrome although it is much less frequent. Internet sleuths have pointed to a specific line of code in a YouTube Javascript source file as the primary culprit of the five-second gap.

In our experience, we couldn’t find that particular line. In fact, we didn’t experience any performance problems when we opened a YouTube video on Firefox, Edge, or Chrome. It’s entirely possible this is only affecting a handful of accounts For whatever reason, we were spared. Still, the delay is an ongoing issue; one that may or may not see a fix.

Crackdown continues

So what gives? Why is this happening? Well, it appears this is yet another attempt by YouTube to crack down on ad blockers. 

A spokesperson told Android Authority, “Users who have ad blockers installed [on their web browser] may experience suboptimal viewing”. This will happen regardless if you use Firefox, Edge, or Chrome. The company would rather you either allow ads to play as normal or buy a YouTube Premium subscription.

User wukko on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) provided extra details about the move after diving into the source file. They explain the freeze is caused by a “new anti-adblock functionality” that is being tested primarily for third-party browsers. Some understandably annoyed users have branded the gap as a “lazy attempt” to ensure ads are played “for at least five seconds” until the video loads. The blank screen is caused by an ad blocker preventing the commercial from playing as normal. What’s more, browsers that have “tracking protection enabled”, like Firefox, will be negatively affected too.

As to why people on Chrome are affected less often, wukko says this is because the app “doesn’t block in-house trackers”

Workaround

It’s not all doom and gloom. There does appear to be a solution if you have the uBlock Origin extension installed. Tom’s Hardware in their coverage states you can reduce the artificial delay down to 0.001ms by adding a certain filter to its configuration. 

To do this, click the uBlock Origin icon on your browser. This can differ between apps. The image below shows the process on Firefox. Next, select the gear icon in the drop down menu to open the dashboard. 

In the dashboard, go to My Filters at the top of the window. Enter the following filter into the first line and click Apply Changes right after: 

www.youtube.com##+js(nano-stb, resolve(1), *, 0.001)

It remains to be seen whether or not YouTube’s crusade has been successful or not. Back in early November, Wired published a report about the crackdown stating it has caused users to uninstall their extensions en masse so it seems to have worked – for now. We could see people branch out to other forms of ad-free videos which, in turn, could cause the platform to implement stricter tactics, resulting in an eternal cat-and-mouse game between YouTube and its users.

Be sure to check out TechRadar's list of the best ad blockers of 2023.

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There’s a major security flaw concerning many of the best browsers and other apps that you must address as soon as possible to prevent hackers from attacking your device.

The vulnerability, which is being tracked as CVE-2023-4863, is caused by a heap buffer overflow in the WebP code library (libwebp) and can lead to your system crashing or arbitrary code execution when exploited.

Affected applications include Chrome, Firefox, Brave, and Edge, along with other programs like Telegram, Thunderbird, and Gimp.

"Very bad"

Most Chromium-based browsers have rolled out their updates, including the four mentioned above, while others expected to be issuing patches soon. We'd advise you to keep an eye out for update notifications and to apply your browser patch(es) as soon as possible.

Heap buffer overflow allows an attacker to flood an area of a system’s memory with malicious activity, in turn allowing them to take control of a device, obtain data, or simply spread malware.

Alex Ivanovs of Stack Diary, who, alongside a in-depth technical explanation of the flaw, also noted that the vulnerability has affected more than just browsers, noticed that Apple has patched macOS Ventura to address the flaw with version 13.5.2.

Apple's Security Engineering and Architecture (SEAR) team and the University of Toronto Munk School’s Citizen Lab are credited with first reporting the bug on September 6th.

Failure to update could result in damage being done to a victim’s machine and even the loss of personal data.

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Firefox users can now preserve their anonymity online directly from within the web browser to give themselves a new security boost.

Firefox Relay allows users to create an email mask which hides their true email address from services that they sign up for, but can still forward emails from the service in question to your real address without revealing it. You can block emails from masks if you end up getting spammed, too. 

Mozilla will be rolling out the new integration over the next couple of weeks to Firefox Account users, after a period of testing earlier this year. In May 2023, the company also added Firefox Relay to the toolbar of Firefox for testers, allowing them to generate random masks and reuse existing ones without switching apps.

Email masking

Mozilla believes that there are numerous advantages to using Firefox Relay. Email masks can be easily deactivated - unlike your real email account which you'll likely be reluctant to delete outright - if it no longer serves you a purpose.

It can also help to preserve your anonymity if you want to share your contact information publicly on social media, for instance; by using an email mask, your true email will not be known to strangers.   

By creating numerous masks, you can also control and monitor what emails come from what source. Masks can be renamed to whatever you like, and Firefox keeps track of which mask you've used where. 

Mozilla also believes that it can help protect you from data leaks, as you real email address won't be known to bad actors should they breach a service you have signed up for. If they had your real email address that was tied to your other valuable services, such as your bank, then they may be able to perpetrate fraud and ID theft.

Some services, however, do not allow users to signup using email masks, including those generated by Firefox Relay. Last year, GitHub upset many users when Firefox Relay domains were added to a blacklist of burner email providers, which is used by many companies to block such addresses from being used when signing up to their services, forcing users to use their real email address instead. 

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The Firefox app for Android will soon support third-party plugins again as developer Mozilla reverses a previous decision.

Back in 2020, the company launched an overhauled Firefox for Android phones, upgrading its security and making the user interface easier to use. One of the casualties of the redesign was that support for browser extensions was drastically reduced. Soon, though, Mozilla's mobile Firefox app on Android has the necessary infrastructure for extensions. So you can have your favorite desktop add-ons with you on the go.

What’s more, this will be an "open extension ecosystem" where any skilled developer can come in and create something for the app. Moving forward, “Firefox will become the only major Android browser to support,” Mozilla claims, such a creative environment. People can essentially come in and create whatever they want. This could give the mobile app an edge over rivals like Google Chrome, which doesn't allow third-party add-ons of any kind. 

Future update

Before you run off and install the browser, be aware the patch is not out yet. This is still in the works. Mozilla states it will give a “definite launch date” for its open ecosystem sometime “in early September”. The company does guarantee everything will be released by the end of the year. In the meantime, Mozilla is offering help and resources to developers interested in creating plugins for its app. 

It’s unknown if this patch will ever go out to Firefox on iOS. As stated on a Mozilla Support page, Apple has its own extension system for iPhone that is “incompatible with Firefox add-ons”. We asked the developer if there are plans to expand this patch over to iOS devices on the off chance it's possible. This story will be updated if we hear back. 

It will be really interesting to see what comes out of it. According to Android Police, 22 plug-ins are officially available for Firefox on Android including TechRadar’s pick for the best ad-blocker: uBlock Origin. There are a few others we would love to see. For instance, there's Tabby to help manage browser tabs plus Enhancer for YouTube. The latter introduces a lot of cool tools for YouTube like the ability to configure shortcuts.

While we have you, be sure to check out TechRadar’s recently updated list of the best web browsers for 2023. 

Earlier in 2023, it was revealed that Microsoft was testing out Bing Chat on third-party browsers like Google Chrome, Apple Safari, and Mozilla Firefox. Now the tech giant announced that it would not only be bringing Bing Chat to these browsers but to mobile devices as well.

With this move, Microsoft intends to compete with other AI services and built-in browser tools like Google’s generative AI search features found in both the browser and mobile app, according to TechCrunch. 

In Microsoft’s official Bing blog post, it stated that “This next step in the journey allows Bing to showcase the incredible value of summarized answers, image creation, and more, to a broader array of people. You’ll get most of the great benefits of Bing and we’ll continue to optimize along the way to meet your needs across different browsers.”

The tech giant also warned that though you’ll be able to use your preferred platform for Bing Chat, the best service would be provided on Bing. For instance, users and Windows Latest noticed that Chrome’s Bing supports five messages per conversation versus the 30 in Microsoft Edge. Bing in Chrome has a character limit of 2,000, while Edge supports 4,000.

Microsoft’s blog post somewhat mentioned said limitations. “With Edge, you'll unlock longer conversations, chat history, and more Bing features built right into the browser. To experience the best browser for Bing, and get the full breadth of features, simply open the Microsoft Edge browser…”

Can Microsoft pull this off? 

It’s an interesting strategy for Microsoft to put its own service on mobile devices and other browsers. Mobile especially, as it’s one of the most popular ways to access websites, services, and applications, and not having a dedicated mobile version of Bing Chat is missing out on a crucial audience.

And it’s an understandable direction too, since the end goal is to increase Bing’s market share. Getting users, who would otherwise never use Bing, to try out Bing Chat on their preferred browser and then slowly convincing them to use it on Edge is pretty crafty. But limiting the access of Bing Chat in the hopes of pulling users to Bing is a risky move as well.

Instead of getting more Bing users, there’s the very real threat of turning off these users and having them switch back to whatever other AI chat they had been using before. Switching browsers is a huge deal and it’s difficult to get a dedicated Chrome or Firefox user to go to a completely new browser just for a service they can get elsewhere. And losing mobile users would be an especially hard blow, as they make up such a huge market.

Maybe Bing can gain more users if Microsoft continues to upgrade the experience on mobile and other browsers, like getting dark mode, voice input, and other interface improvements such as what iPhone users received. Not to mention equalizing the experience between other platforms and Bing browser.

Google has received Internet-wide backlash for plans it has drawn up which consider the implementation of what it calls a Web Environment Integrity (WEI) API.

The four authors behind the WEI explainer article explain how such an API would allow servers to “evaluate the authenticity of the device” in order to prevent some types of fraud, however comments on the GitHub page were largely negative.

Among the many complaints, some users raised concerns about surveillance and discrimination, while others called for approval by regulatory bodies and indeed for Google to compare the preposition to the W3C code of Ethics.

Google backlash

To add insult to injury, Google is now facing criticism from rival browser makers, including some that use the Chromium foundations.

Brave co-founder and CEO (and ex-Mozilla CEO) Brendan Eich pointed out on Twitter that the browser will not be shipping with support for Google’s proposed API, comparing it to other “junk” that Google puts into Chromium which Brave disables.

Firefox developer Brian Grinstead posted on a GitHub thread that “Mozilla opposes this proposal,” suggesting that other avenues for detecting fraud and invalid traffic should be explored.

Vivaldi developer Julien Picalausa called the result of Google’s developers’ work “toxic” and “dangerous,” but in a glimmer of hope, Picalausa suggests that the EU will almost certainly want to look into the effects of the WEI API should it be given the green flag by Google.

So far, Apple and its workers have remained quiet on the matter. We gave the company the opportunity to share its thoughts on Google’s plans, but no response has been received as yet.

We also asked Google whether it had anything further to add beyond last week’s comment, when a company spokesperson told us that the program had been paused, and directed us in the face of early backlash to a response by the explainer article’s author, which concluded:

“We welcome collaboration on a solution for scaled anti-abuse that respects user privacy, while maintaining the open nature of the web.”

Again, Google did not immediately respond to our request. Further updates will be posted here.

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Mozilla has announced a new feature for its Firefox web browser which will mean some extensions blocked from certain sites.

In the release notes for the latest version of Firefox, 115.0, Mozilla stated that the Quarantined Domains tool will "only allow some extensions monitored by Mozilla to run on specific websites for various reasons, including security concerns."

In another blog post further explaining why some extensions will no longer work on certain sites, the company said that having an open ecosystem of add-ons, which is good for developers, can also be good for threat actors too. It added that reviews and user reports are not always enough to find and prevent malicious add-ons.

Add-off

"[Quarantined Domains] allows us to prevent attacks by malicious actors targeting specific domains when we have reason to believe there may be malicious add-ons we have not yet discovered," it said.

However, users can disable the new feature if they so choose, by typing "about:config" in the address bar and setting "extensions.quarantinedDomains.enabled" to false. Mozilla also says that it will be improving this feature as time goes on, and expects Firefox 116 to allow users to control the behavior for each add-on they have. 

The warning for potentially bad add-ons appears in the Extensions popup rather than the icon, so such alerts are not displayed the pinned toolbar of extensions when they are added.

Jeff Johnson, a researcher and developer of a privacy-focused extension, noted that, "the quarantined domains warning no longer appears in the Extensions popup either. In fact, there's no longer an Extensions popup: clicking the Extensions toolbar icon simply opens the about:addons page, which doesn't show the quarantined domains warning anywhere."

"This is a terrible user interface design for the new so-called 'security' feature, silently disabling extensions while hiding the warning from the user," they added.

The new feature comes soon after Mozilla took a stance on a proposed bill in France that would block certain websites contained on a government list. It said that, "such a move will overturn decades of established content moderation norms and provide a playbook for authoritarian governments that will easily negate the existence of censorship circumvention tools."

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Mozilla has announced details of its latest Firefox release, version 115.0, and alongside a handful of new features and under-the-hood tweaks, the developers also issued a stark warning to Windows 7 and 8 users.

Referring to Microsoft dropping support for Windows 7 and Windows 8 in January 2023, Mozilla confirmed that Firefox 115 would be the final browser version to support the deprecated operating systems.

At the same time, Mac users were faced with a similar warning about macOS 10.12, 10.13, and 10.14, otherwise known as Sierra, High Sierra, and Mojave.

Firefox kills off support for old OSs

Instead, users running the previous versions of the popular browser will be migrated over to the Extended Support Release (ESR) version, which will still provide security updates.

Fortunately, the Windows 7 market share has dropped substantially since the beginning of the year, when it was hovering around 10%. Now, it accounts for around 3% of Windows instances, according to Statcounter.

The famously unpopular Windows 8 represents just 1% of all Windows downloads, so together, fewer than one in 20 Windows users will be affected. Moreover, Firefox accounts for around 6% of all desktop browser sessions.

To use Firefox 116 to its fullest, users will now need to use Windows 10 or 11, or macOS Catalina or newer. 

Google already issued the same warning to Chrome users, when in October 2022, it announced that Chrome 110 (which launched in February 2023) would drop support for the legacy OSs.

Moving forward, Firefox 115 which launched on July 4 has added improvements to migrating payment methods from other Chrome-based browsers to Firefox, tweaked the Tab Manager, and made changes to video decoding.

The full release notes and details of operating systems set to be dropped with Firefox 116 are available on the Mozilla website.

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For years Pocket users have been able to get away with not having a Mozilla Firefox account despite the service being on its browser, but they'll soon have to make the switch.

Starting on July 11, 2023, all Pocket users will be prompted to create a Mozilla Firefox account, and it will become mandatory by August 15, 2023. But according to the official blog post, other than changing how you log in, this will not have any effect on your saved items. Also, if you’re a Pocket Premium subscriber, your subscription will not be affected by this move.

Mozilla stated that this move is to ensure that all users will have Mozilla’s security benefits like two-factor authentication and Mozilla’s privacy policy. And if you log in using your Apple ID or Google login, then not only will you receive these benefits but your account will also be auto-migrated on July 11.

Mozilla’s apps will also be unaffected by the switch, not to mention Pocket will continue to be accessible on other web browsers, including the Pocket browser extension. So, in other words, you’ll have a much more secure browsing experience while maintaining your full breadth of services free of charge.

The full instructions on how to convert your Pocket account to a Mozilla Firefox account are below:

• Beginning July 11, 2023, if you’re already logged in to Pocket, simply log out to be redirected to the Pocket Log In page.
• Enter your email and click Next. If you haven’t already set up your Firefox account, you’ll be prompted with instructions. For Pocket users who log in via Apple ID or Google, please see *below.
• Select Upgrade my account to proceed. (Note: If you select I’m not ready, you will be prompted to transition your account the next time you log in.)
• Log into your Firefox account or create a new one.
• You’ll then be redirected to your Pocket content.

Mozilla previously had been asking users to make the transition, Android Police stated, even setting the mandatory conversion date to June 30, 2022. But now it seems that the company has decided to take things more seriously.

Google will soon be launching a new API for Chrome, designed to provide ads tailored to users' preferences within the web browser.

However, since the revelation that a fingerprinting attack on the API could lead to individuals being identified, Google has asked that developers refrain from abusing it by using this method. 

In responding to the discussion about the issue on GitHub,  Josh Karlin, a technical lead at Google responsible for Chrome, wrote, "we've added a requirement on Chrome that developers enroll to use the API and to attest that they won't abuse the API. That's not a technical solution, but I do believe it goes a long way to addressing this problem. Closing for now."

Topics API

The Topics API will come as part of Chrome version 115, set to release July 12. Mozilla and Apple have opposed using the new API for their respective browsers (FireFox and Safari), with both citing privacy concerns. 

Apple WebKit team member Anne van Kesteren also posted on GitHub to say that "We don’t think cross-site data about the user’s browsing behavior should be exposed in APIs." They also cited many other reasons for taking against the Topics API.

And Mozilla engineer Martin Thomson, in speaking for the company, said that, "we're "negative" on Topics. Our reasoning is different than that of Apple, though we broadly agree with many of the points they make."

Thomson also added, "Though the information the API provides is small, our belief is that this is more likely to reduce the usefulness of the information for advertisers than it provides meaningful protection for privacy. Unfortunately, it is hard to identify concrete ways in which this might be improved."

Google's previous attempt at an interest-based advertising API - Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) - ended in failure, and this is another shot for the tech giant to plug the gap once third-party cookies disappear near the end of 2024. 

The Topics API is part of the Google Privacy Sandbox, and aims to maintain users' privacy whilst serving ads relevant to their interests. It allows a website to run a JavaScript code to find three topics based on the user's past visits, and show ads related to them.  

The problem is that web publishers could run the code on multiple websites and then build up a picture - or fingerprint - of the user. Earlier this month, Google announced changes to the Topic API to address concerns, but Mozilla, Apple and others in the space remain unconvinced.

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Microsoft’s Bing AI is about to appear in all major web browsers according to a new report.

This comes from Windows Latest, which tells us that according to sources, the Bing chatbot will no longer be exclusive to Edge, but will be available in Chrome, Safari, and Firefox – all the main browsers – at some point this week (in a few days apparently).

Take that with a pinch of seasoning, naturally, but we already heard from Mikhail Parakhin, Microsoft’s head of Advertising and Web Services, last week, who informed us that “hopefully” the first experiments in enabling third-party browsers would be happening soon.

So, it seems that hope is now a reality, or is about to become one, with Windows Latest further reporting that Microsoft actually tested Bing AI in Apple’s Safari browser over the past weekend.

If you blinked, you’d have missed this, though, as the test was a brief one.

Windows Latest also received an email through, apparently sent to some Bing AI mobile users, which mentions new features inbound for the AI. That includes the idea of “characters with personalities in Bing AI”, meaning a more in-depth choice than the simple creative, precise, or balanced personalities that currently grace the chatbot.

Microsoft is also planning to lift some restrictions, we’re told, so that could mean longer chat sessions with Bing AI are on the way, perhaps.

Analysis: Sarcastic mode? Oh yes, that’s real likely, we’re sure...

Windows Latest actually got to use Bing AI in the Safari test, and reports that it’s much the same experience as using the chatbot in Microsoft’s Edge browser. That’s pretty much what we’d expect, of course – there’s no reason it would be meaningfully different.

As we’ve discussed previously, it makes more sense for Microsoft to focus on driving usage of the Bing chatbot, than it does to use the bot as a lure to get people to switch to the Edge browser.

Yes, Edge is doubtless very important to Microsoft, but having its AI outgun Google’s Bard is surely a far more important consideration. And so having Bing AI in all the big browsers will help to that end, though we weren’t expecting this to happen quite as soon as this week. That would clearly indicate this is a real priority for Microsoft.

As for the idea of more varied personalities, this was something hinted at before in the very early days of Bing AI. Windows Latest points to leaked personalities that include ‘friendly’ and ‘sarcastic’ modes, though in the latter case, we’re skeptical as to whether this might be in the works.

Granted, sarcastic mode would be entertaining, certainly. But when folks have tried to get entertainment out of Bing AI in the past, pushing its buttons and boundaries, Microsoft has done its best to limit the chatbot’s more off-the-wall responses, and we’re not sure we see that changing anytime soon.