Mozilla is introducing a new privacy feature for Firefox users, strengthening browser security. With the latest version of Firefox, Mozilla introduces mandatory device lock authentication to access saved passwords.
Firefox users must enter Device Lock to access saved passwords
The latest Firefox update requires users to authenticate browser access with the device lock to access saved passwords. This step seemingly adds an extra security check when viewing login credentials stored in the browser.
Web browsers have long offered users a password management feature, allowing them to save login details for their respective accounts, be it social media platforms or banking websites. Most modern browsers also facilitate users in creating strong passwords and allow them to store the login credentials in the user’s browser accounts.
However, this security strategy does not protect users’ credentials from compromise due to physical intrusions. An adversary can access and even export a target user’s credentials from the browser if the user leaves the browser account logged in.
Nevertheless, Mozilla has now come up with a security measure to prevent such breaches. Starting Firefox 127, the browser requires users to pass device authentication before accessing the browser’s stored credentials. This will not cause any problems for the users as they will simply have to enter the system’s security lock (a password or biometric scan (depending on the device in question)) to access Firefox Password Manager.
While this step prevents password theft due to physical breaches, it will not be enough to prevent online threats such as credential stuffing and theft due to malware attacks. At this point, users should take adequate security measures to protect their devices from digital threats.
In addition to this feature upgrade, Mozilla has released some security fixes with the latest Firefox version. These patches address four high severity vulnerabilities, eight medium severity vulnerabilities, and three low severity vulnerabilities.
To receive all these security fixes and feature upgrades, Firefox users should update their devices with the latest browser version as soon as possible.
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