Proof of concept exploit code for an unpatched security flaw in the newly released Firefox 1.5 was publicly posted Wednesday by Packetstorm Security.
It’s not schadenfreude per se since I am actually a recent convert to Firefox. I’m also excited about the kind of innovations that having two or three browser makers will have on the market. But it will be nice to have some evidence that supports my theory that virus makers go after Microsoft because they are the only game in town and not because they are inherently less secure than any other product.
Seeing an open source product get some egg on their face is also somewhat satisfying, so maybe it is schadenfreude after all. This is an important test for the Open Source community; depending on whether or not an exploit actually becomes widely distributed and how quickly a fix is made available could potentially scare a lot of converts away from the Open Source movement in general. Even worse, unlike Microsoft products, administrators can’t fix this one centrally with the click of a button.
HatTip: BetaNews
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