New Firefox flaws enable DoS attacks

Although rated "not critical" by Secunia, the bug "can be exploited to corrupt the memory (of Firefox) and cause a crash." The execution of abnormal JavaScript causes the flaw.

The vulnerability has been confirmed in version 1.5.0.2, yet other versions may also be affected, Secunia said. As users await a patch, Secunia suggests disabling JavaScript when visiting unknown websites.

According to media reports, Firefox has developed a patch, but it has yet to be distributed to users.

News of the vulnerability came five days after Mozilla announced two "critical" flaws affecting Firefox.

One flaw is caused by the execution of JavaScript embedded in an email message, according to a company advisory. The code can increase client privileges and be used to install malware or send spam.

Mozilla suggested users switch to plain text when emailing as the flaw only affects HTML composition.

The other bug, discovered through TippingPoint's Zero Day Initiative, is caused by "an invalid and nonsensical ordering of table-related tags," which could allow the attacker to run malicious code, a second company advisory said. Users should update to a fixed version to avoid potential problems.