Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Development

    Mozilla Patches Firefox 28 Pwn2Own Flaws, Adds Gamepad API Support

    By
    Sean Michael Kerner
    -
    March 18, 2014
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Mozilla is out today with its latest Firefox Web browser release, fixing security vulnerabilities and providing new capabilities to end users and developers.

      Firefox 28 patches all four zero-day vulnerabilities that were disclosed during the Hewlett-Packard Pwn2Own event last week. HP awarded security researchers $50,000 each, for a total of $200,000, for the four zero-days that are now patched in Firefox 28.

      Johnathan Nightingale, vice president of Firefox at Mozilla, told eWEEK that Mozilla implemented all of the fixes over the weekend so they could be included in today’s Firefox 28 release. Although the four zero-day flaws were first reported on March 19 and March 20, they were not being exploited in the wild. HP has a responsible disclosure process for Pwn2Own vulnerabilities and has not publicly disclosed the flaws.

      From a features perspective, the Firefox 28 update had been anticipated to include Mozilla’s first real attempt at a native Windows Modern UI (formerly known as Metro) interface. Nightingale decided to terminate the Firefox for Metro effort last week after coming to the conclusion that Mozilla’s resources would be better utilized elsewhere.

      While Firefox 28 does not have a Metro interface, it is still available as a normal Windows application, as an alternative to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer Web browser. IE was also targeted by security researchers at the Pwn2Own event, though Microsoft has yet to patch its browser for the reported zero-day flaws.

      Gaming

      One of Firefox 28’s new features is support for the Gamepad API, which could enable a new era of browser-based gaming.

      “The Gamepad API enables access to generic game controllers; no specific vendor’s hardware is needed,” Nightingale said.

      The Gamepad API has been available to Mozilla users as a configuration option since the Firefox 24 release in September 2013. Firefox 28 for the first time, however, makes the Gamepad API available by default to all users, though it’s a technology that doesn’t yet enjoy much adoption.

      “Few Web games use the Gamepad API currently because of spotty support, but we’re hoping that now with both Firefox and Chrome supporting it, we’ll see developers taking advantage of it,” Nightingale said. “It will become even more important now that we’re seeing a lot of interest in bringing high-end games to the Web via WebGL and asm.js.”

      WebGL (Web Graphics Library) and asm.js are evolving Web technologies that are set to bring console-level gaming to the Web browser. Mozilla has been working with game development companies to further enable Firefox browser support. In March 2013, Mozilla announced a partnership with Epic Games to leverage WebGL and asm.js for the Unreal game development engine. Mozilla is now working with Epic’s rival Unity to enable Unity developers to run their games directly inside the Firefox browser as well.

      Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at eWEEK and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.

      Sean Michael Kerner
      Sean Michael Kerner is an Internet consultant, strategist, and contributor to several leading IT business web sites.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×