Mozilla on Tuesday released Firefox 3.0.12, an update to the open-source browser that fixes five critical security vulnerabilities and fixes a handful of other bugs.

"We strongly recommend that all Firefox 3.0.x users upgrade to this latest release," Mozilla said on its developer blog. "If you already have Firefox 3, you will receive an automated update notification within 24 to 48 hours. This update can also be applied manually by selecting 'Check for Updates...' from the Help menu."

Version 3.0.12 fixes five critical problems and one high-level security problem, according to the Mozilla security advisory site.

Mozilla is trying to move people to the newer Firefox 3.5, which offers faster JavaScript program execution, new privacy features, and a handful of technologies geared for more powerful Web applications.

And Mozilla is pushing the new browser hard. Security and stability fixes for the 3.0.x series will end in January 2010.

Source: news.cnet.com