CYBERSPACE – The Mozilla Foundation, makers of the number-two internet web browser Firefox, today issued a security update for its popular browser. The update fixes a security hole that could allow hackers to spoof domain names for the purpose of various phishing scams designed to collect private information from unwitting users.”Regular security updates are essential for maintaining a safe browsing experience for our users,” wrote Chris Hofmann, a director of engineering for the Mozilla Foundation.

Domain name spoofing involves tricking users into believing that they are visiting a trusted website when in fact they are visiting a website controlled by hackers. Hackers take advantage of security holes to display URLs in the browser’s address bar that do not correspond to the website actually being shown in the browser’s window. This tactic can be used to collect private information from users who think they are on a website that they can trust. For example, users who think they are on PayPal’s website might be tricked into entering their PayPal username and password.

The new Firefox security update can be downloaded at www.mozilla.org; updates are available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.