The new version of the popular web browser Firefox 69 has been released , as well as the mobile version Firefox 68.1 for the Android platform. Along with these two, updates have been generated for the long-term support branches 60.9.0 and 68.1.0 (the ESR 60.x branch will no longer be updated; transitioning to the 68.x branch is recommended).
Among the new features introduced in this new branch of the browser are the default modes for blocking cryptocurrency mining , as well as the blocking of autoplay content, in addition to other key improvements for the browser.
What's new in Firefox 69
This new version of Firefox 69 comes with blocking features for different issues that benefit the user's browsing experience , such as inappropriate content . Firefox 69 includes the ability to ignore cookies from all third-party tracking systems and block JavaScript insertions, as well as those specifically designed for cryptocurrency mining.
Previously, these locks were activated only when strict lock mode was selected, but now the lock is performed by default and according to the Disconnect.me list.
This blocking will be noticeable when the shield symbol is displayed in the address bar , and in the context menu you can see which sites blocked cookies used to track movements. In addition, in the same menu, you can selectively disable the blocking of individual sites.
Another feature implemented by default in Firefox 69 is the blocking of autoplay media. In addition to the previously added function of muting the sound in autoplaying videos, it's now possible to completely stop video playback, without simply muting the sound.
For example, if advertising videos were previously shown on sites, but without sound, in the new mode, they won't even start playing without an explicit click.
On the other hand, we can find that the feature of watching video in "Picture-in-Picture" mode (similar to the one implemented in Chrome) has been added , which allows you to watch a video in a floating window , which remains visible while browsing in the browser.
In addition to the innovations and bug fixes in Firefox 69, 30 vulnerabilities were fixed, of which only one was marked critical (CVE-2019-11751).
The decrease in the number of critical vulnerabilities is due to the fact that memory problems, such as buffer overflows and access to already freed memory areas, are now marked as dangerous, but not critical.
The new version fixes 13 problems that could lead to the execution of malicious code when opening specially designed pages.
Finally, if you'd like to learn more about the new features in Firefox 69, you can do so by following this link. It's also important to note that the next version, Firefox 70, which will enter the testing phase, is scheduled for release on October 22nd.
How to update or install the new version of Firefox 69?
For those interested in installing or upgrading to this new version of Firefox, you can do so by following the instructions below.
It is important to mention that most Linux distributions have the Firefox package in their repositories, so the availability of this new version may take a few days.
However, it's possible to obtain this new version more quickly. This is the case for users of Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or other Ubuntu derivatives, who can install or update to this new version using the browser's PPA.
This can be added to the system by opening a terminal and executing the following command in it:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-mozilla-security/ppa -y sudo apt-get update
Done this now they just have to install with:
sudo apt install firefox
For users of Arch Linux and derivatives , simply run the following command in a terminal:
sudo pacman -Syu
Or to install with:
sudo pacman -S firefox
For all other Linux distributions, you can download the binary packages from the following link.