New Firefox browser bug causes crashes on Windows, Mac and Linux

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And can even completely freeze your OS in some cases

Only a week after disclosing a new web code exploit that can cause an iPhone to crash, security researcher Sabri Haddouche, has uncovered another browser bug that can force Firefox to crash on all three popular desktop operating systems – Mac, Linux and Windows – reports ZDNet.

According to ZDNet, the bug not only crashes the browser on a Windows machine, it also occasionally freezes the entire operating system, requiring users to perform a hard reboot. Mobile platforms seem safe from the exploit, however, and tests performed by ZDNet have confirmed that Firefox on Android and iOS are not affected.

In explaining how the exploit works, Haddouche told ZDNet that “the script generates a file (a blob) that contains an extremely long filename and prompts the user to download it every one millisecond”.

"It, therefore, floods the IPC (Inter-Process Communication) channel between Firefox's child and main process, making the browser at the very least freeze," he added.

Haddouche has notified Mozilla of the new exploit, which comes hot on the heels of the release of Firefox 62 – which itself contained 13 significant bug fixes. It's already been added to the internet company’s bug tracking platform and Firefox users can find out more about the progress on a fix there.

Sharmishta Sarkar
Sharmishta Sarkar
Managing Editor (APAC)

While she's happiest with a camera in her hand, Sharmishta's main priority is being TechRadar's APAC Managing Editor, looking after the day-to-day functioning of the Australian, New Zealand and Singapore editions of the site, steering everything from news and reviews to ecommerce content like deals and coupon codes. While she loves reviewing cameras and lenses when she can, she's also an avid reader and has become quite the expert on ereaders and E Ink writing tablets, having appeared on Singaporean radio to talk about these underrated devices. Other than her duties at TechRadar, she's also the Managing Editor of the Australian edition of Digital Camera World, and writes for Tom's Guide and T3.