Firefox 133: Privacy Improvements with Bounce Tracking Protection and Critical Security Fixes
Mozilla’s Firefox 133 introduces robust privacy tools and crucial security fixes, cementing its focus on user protection. The Bounce Tracking Protection feature, a major addition, combats trackers that exploit redirection behaviors to bypass anti-tracking systems. By regularly clearing cookies and associated data from such trackers, this tool ensures heightened privacy. However, users must activate strict mode via Settings > Privacy & security > Enhanced Tracking Protection to enable this functionality.
The update also brings performance gains for Windows users, as GPU-accelerated Canvas2D is now enabled by default. This enhancement optimizes rendering for graphics-heavy tasks, complementing the WebGL API to deliver smoother and faster graphical performance.
In terms of security, Mozilla’s report 2024-63 outlines 17 resolved vulnerabilities, with two classified as high risk. CVE-2024-11691, specific to Mac systems with Apple Silicon, addresses exploitable memory errors in certain WebGL operations. Meanwhile, CVE-2024-11699 covers internally identified issues that could lead to arbitrary code execution. Additionally, medium-risk vulnerabilities primarily affect Firefox for Android, underscoring Mozilla’s platform-specific security efforts.
Updates for Related Mozilla Products
Mozilla has updated its Firefox ESR (Extended Support Release) versions, addressing nine vulnerabilities in Firefox ESR 128.5.0 and two in ESR 115.18.0. The Tor Browser, based on ESR 128.5.0, incorporates extra security improvements from Firefox 133. Updated Tor versions, including 14.0.3 and 13.5.10, extend support to older systems like Windows 7 and macOS 10.13, ensuring continued access for legacy devices.
Thunderbird has also received a security boost with its 128.5.0esr update, fixing nine vulnerabilities. However, support for older operating systems concludes with Thunderbird 115.16.2, while Thunderbird 133 is currently available for testing purposes. Notably, Thunderbird’s expansion to Android reaches a new milestone with the official release of Thunderbird 8.0 on Google Play, no longer in beta.
Looking ahead, Mozilla has scheduled the release of Firefox 134 for early January 2025, maintaining its commitment to regular updates for enhanced functionality and security.