Firefox 2.0 loses anti-Phishing protection in final release

by Steve Ragan - Dec 8 2008, 16:06

In the final release of Firefox 2, version 2.0.0.19, Mozilla has confirmed that there will be no anti-Phishing protection, as this feature will be removed. The removal is due in part to a request from Google, which asked that the feature be disabled, as the company will no longer support the older version of the SafeBrowsing protocol.

Mozilla and Google plan to pull Phishing protections from 2.x branch.(IMG:J.Anderson)

If you needed a reason to switch from Firefox 2.0 to version 3.0, the loss of a security feature would be an important one to consider.According to an email interview with Computerworld, Mike Beltzner, director of Firefox said that, “The Phishing Protection feature in Firefox 2 relies on data provided by Google via the first version of the SafeBrowsing protocol. Now that Firefox 2 is reaching the end of its support lifespan, we have been asked to turn this feature off as Google will no longer be supporting requests using the obsolete SafeBrowsing v1 protocol.”The 2.0 branch of Mozilla’s popular browser will see one last security update and the end of support on December 16, according to present plans. The planned removal of SafeBrowsing 1.x from Firefox 2.0 is nothing sinister, and only enforces the end of life for the browser.Users who have not moved to Firefox 3.0 by the time 2.0.0.19 is released will see a notice that SafeBrowsing has been removed. Versions 2.0.0.18 and earlier still support the Phishing filter.For those who refuse to use Firefox 3.0 and want to stick with the 2.0 release, there are other layers of Phishing protection available.Web of Trust (WOT) works almost like McAfee’s site advisor, warning you of potential issues with a color system. The Netcraft toolbar also blocks Phishing sites, FirePhish is another add-on that would offer the same protections. You can also use OpenDNS, which adds Phishing protection and several other layers of defense.However, while each of the options will work on version 2.0 for Firefox, it is important to note they will work with 3.0 as well. The best method of security is to update the software you use, and by now Firefox users should switch to version 3.

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DeborahDec 9th, 2008 - 08:03:12

Thank you, Steve, for recommending Web of Trust to your readers. We have seen an increase in phishing attacks because of the ongoing financial crisis and seasonal online shopping. WOT gives your computer, and your wallet, an extra layer of protection so you can be confident before you click!

Safe surfing,
Deborah
Web of Trust

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