Firefox to alert users running old version of Flash

Browser maker Mozilla is set to launch new functionality which will inform users of its popular Firefox web browser if their version of the popular Adobe Flash Player plug-in is out of date.

In a blog posting yesterday, security lead at Mozilla, John Nightingale, announced that the upcoming releases of Firefox 3.5.3 and Firefox 3.0.14 would feature the new capabilities.

“Old versions of plug-ins can cause crashes and other stability problems, and can also be a significant security risk,” he wrote.

“For now our focus is on the Adobe Flash Player both because of its popularity and because some studies have shown that as many as 80 per cent of users currently have an out of date version.

After installing the Firefox update, users running an out of date version of Adobe Flash Player will be presented with a message reading: “You should update Adobe Flash right now. Firefox is up to date but your current version of Flash can cause security and stability issues. Please install the free update as soon as possible.”

Nightingale added that Mozilla will work with other plug-in vendors to provide similar checks and alerts for their products to its users.

Just this week, security researchers warned users of Apple’s new Snow Leopard operating system that the OS was, without their knowledge, downgrading their version of Flash to an older version which may contain security holes.

Users of the upcoming version of Firefox would be alerted to this issue immediately.