Mozilla Counters "Dirty Dozen" Criticism of Firefox Security
Bit9, self-professed leader in enterprise application whitelisting, recently included Mozilla's Firefox browser among "the Dirty Dozen" applications with critical security vulnerabilities. Mozilla's security expert Jonathan Nightingale disputes that critique.
The Waltham, MA company has been issuing annual reports on Windows applications with the highest critical security problems. The most recent press release identifies "the Dirty Dozen," among which Firefox versions 2.x and 3.x rank at the top of the list, followed by Adobe Acrobat 8.1.2 and 8.1.1, Microsoft Windows Live (MSN) Messenger 4.7 and 5.1, Apple iTunes 3.2 and 3.1.2, and Skype 3.5.0.248.
According to Bit9, these applications have a few things in common. They run on Windows, are popular among users, and IT organizations don't consider them potentially malicious. The critical factors that put them on the Dirty Dozen list are that (a) at least one security hole was found, (b) they usually rely on users rather than IT admins to apply upgrades or patches, and (c) they can't be centrally updated with free enterprise tools. For the latter, Bit9 gives Microsoft's Systems Management Server (SMS) and Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) as examples.
Jonathan Nightingale from Mozilla's Human Shield group vehemently counters Bit9's assessment in a blog. He asserts that the "critical vulnerability reported in 2008" label penalizes software companies, such as Mozilla, with an open reporting policy about security problems. "To suggest that this openness is a weakness because it means that we have 'reported vulnerabilities' is to miss the reality: that software has bugs," he writes. For Nightingale, a more meaningful assessment would be to base "a product’s responsiveness to those bugs and its ability to contain them quickly and effectively."
Nightingale asserts that the vulnerabilities Bit9 found have long since been fixed, with most fixes within days of the announcement. He also considers Bit9's criticism of the lack of WSUS updating as ignoring real world experience in that Firefox's built-in update service spares users the trouble. "We consistently see 90% adoption within six days of a new update being released," he writes.
Comments
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Arch Linux Available for Windows Subsystem for Linux
If you've ever wanted to use a rolling release distribution with WSL, now's your chance.
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.
-
So Long, ArcoLinux
The ArcoLinux distribution is the latest Linux distribution to shut down.
-
What Open Source Pros Look for in a Job Role
Learn what professionals in technical and non-technical roles say is most important when seeking a new position.
-
Asahi Linux Runs into Issues with M4 Support
Due to Apple Silicon changes, the Asahi Linux project is at odds with adding support for the M4 chips.
-
Plasma 6.3.4 Now Available
Although not a major release, Plasma 6.3.4 does fix some bugs and offer a subtle change for the Plasma sidebar.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 First Release Candidate Now Available
Linux Torvalds has announced that the release candidate for the final release of the Linux 6.15 series is now available.
bit9 miss the platform and point
"free" enterprise tools..
"free" tools my a.. as far as I know at least you need some heavy investments in various windows products. Please advise me where I can get all this for "free"...
Central updates
Have you seen the bit9 website?
You guys at Firefox/Mozilla ought not to worry about this one. Who can take bit9 seriously?
Missing the Point
Bit9 is an idiot