With so many businesses operating out of consumer homes or
from small businesses without custom software, it’s no surprise that thousands
of companies access both corporate and consumer information stored online using
Mozilla Firefox. Business owners looking to avoid the threats of browser-borne
malicious software (malware) often choose Firefox for corporate use because of
its well-known propensity to be more secure. However, according to PCMagazine’sSecurity Watch blog, Firefox’s safe reputation is now as at risk.
A document released by Symantec (best known as the
publishers of the Norton Anti-Virus program) revealed yesterday that
extensions, the popular customization tools offered to Firefox users to give
their browsers new functionality, are now being shown to carry malware. Once
infecting the user’s browser, malware can be used to exploit browser
vulnerabilities and transmit sensitive data like passwords, login credentials,
financial information and consumer Social Security numbers back to their sources,
which are often skilled identity thieves or fraudsters. Malware can also simply
act as a loophole through which malicious websites can perform the actual
information theft and transmission.
Businesses that rely on Firefox as a trusted business tool
should take heed of the warning by advising employees to be careful when
entering any qualifying or administrative information while connected to the Internet.
An id verification or id authentication tool implemented into a business’s in-house
security measures could potentially help avoid risks brought on by attacks on
the Firefox line of software.