Mozilla rushes out Firefox 3.6.2 update

Mozilla has pushed out an earlier than expected update to its Firefox browser that fixes a recently discovered critical security flaw.

Firefox 3.6.2 is available immediately and Mozilla strongly recommends all Firefox users to upgrade to this latest release.

Users should see an automated update notification within 24 to 48 hours, according to the organisation.

The update fixes the critical security issue reported earlier, whereby a buffer overflow in the Web Open Font Format technology introduced in Firefox 3.6 could be used by an attacker to crash a victim's browser and remotely execute arbitrary code on their system.

A fix was due for release on 30 March, but this has been released ahead of schedule following warnings from the German government that the flaw was so serious that it advised users not to browse with Firefox until the issue was dealt with.

Version 3.6.2 also fixes several other security and stability issues, Mozilla said.