Mozilla issues Firefox security update

Mozilla has issued a Firefox update patching nine vulnerabilities, six of which are rated as 'critical'.

The company said in a security advisory that at least one flaw could allow remote code execution on a user's computer. This discovery was credited to a security researcher known as Nils of MWR InfoSecurity.

Mozilla said in a blog post announcing Firefox 3.6.4 that the 400 million Firefox users will now be protected against crashes in Windows and Linux, as the updated software now isolates failing third-party applications.

"Results from our beta testing show that Firefox 3.6.4 will significantly reduce the number of Firefox crashes experienced by users who are watching online videos or playing games," the firm said.

"When a plug-in crashes or freezes while using Firefox, users can enjoy uninterrupted browsing by simply refreshing the page."

Firefox has also been boosted with a system that alerts users when third-party features are out of date. Mozilla claimed that this will let users "experience all the content they love without any of the hassles".

Crash protection is provided for applications including Adobe Flash, Apple QuickTime and Microsoft Silverlight on Windows and Linux computers.

Support for other plug-ins and operating systems will become available in future releases, the firm said.