Mozilla re-issues Firefox 2 update, includes missing patch

Computerworld - Mozilla Corp. issued a final update to Firefox 2.0 today, making good on a promise earlier this week when it forgot to include a patch in the Windows version of the browser.

Firefox 2.0.0.20 added the patch Mozilla said had been omitted from Firefox 2.0.0.19 because of a "clerical error." The patch, which Firefox Director Mike Beltzner had said was among the less severe of the 10 described on Tuesday, plugged a hole that could have been used by attackers to steal personal information from users.

Although only the Windows version of Firefox 2.0.0.19 lacked the patch, the Mac OS X and Linux versions were also re-issued as 2.0.0.20 to keep all platforms in sync.

Mozilla took the opportunity to urge users one more time to upgrade to the newer Firefox 3.0, as it has now officially retired the older browser and will not issue any additional security fixes.

Since it rolled out Firefox 3.0 last June, it has twice extended upgrade offers to Firefox 2.0 users, most recently just two weeks ago. It plans to make one final offer early next month.

Users can download Firefox 2.0.0.20 from Mozilla's Web site, retrieve it via Firefox's built-in update tool or simply wait for the automatic update notification to appear.

Firefox 2.0, which was released in October 2006, accounted for just 4.8% of browser market share last month, according to data from Web metrics company Net Applications Inc. In May, the last full month before the release of Firefox 3.0, the older version's share was 17.2%.

Read more about Web 2.0 and Web Apps in Computerworld's Web 2.0 and Web Apps Topic Center.