Mozilla released a new version of its open source Firefox web browser today. Firefox 139.0.4 is a point update that addresses security issues and bugs in the browser.
The update is already live. Most Firefox installations should receive it automatically, but you can speed up the installation by going to Menu > Help > About Firefox.
The security fixes
Firefox 139.0.4 fixes two security issues in the browser. Both have a severity rating of high, which is second only to critical. Mozilla does not mention any exploits in the wild, which is good.
One issue fixes memory corruption in canvas surfaces, the other an Integer overflow in OrderedHashTable. You can check them out here if you want to take a look by yourself.
The non-security fixes
Mozilla lists four non-security issues on the official release notes website.
The big fix in the release addresses freezes in Firefox. Mozilla notes that these could happen when switching between apps or when certain panels were opened within the browser.
The linked bug reports reveal additional details. One report started that Firefox froze when the uBlock Origin icon or other icons were opened. A second report claimed that Firefox would freeze and crash when Alt-Tab was used on Windows while a full-screen game was being played.
The second and third bug fix address various selection issues in the web browser. Mozilla notes that one fix addressed an issue that made the selection of drop-down menu items when using the in-page search difficult. Another addressed selection issues when triple-clicking text “in some situations”.
The final bug addresses a filename issue. Firefox used an incorrect filename when an image is set as the desktop wallpaper on Windows.
Closing Words
Firefox users may want to update to the new browser version immediately to fix the security issues and prevent hypothetical attacks against them. Those affected by the non-security bugs may also want to update asap.
Now You: when do you update your browsers? Immediately after a patch is released or do you wait and see first? Feel free to leave a comment down below.
Linux user here, Clem and his team updated my Firefox and Thunderbird. No worry’s.