An add-on that Microsoft silently slipped into Mozilla’s Firefox last February leaves that browser open to attack, Microsoft’s security engineers acknowledged earlier this week.
via Sneaky Microsoft plug-in puts Firefox users at risk ( — Internet — Software — Security ).
I suppose somewhere in Microsoft’s licensing language there is an acknowledgment and release of liability for actions like this. Even so, I certainly don’t think most Microsoft customers expect updates to so directly compromise 3rd-party programs like Firefox — and I wonder what Microsoft’s legal responsibility would be, even with their licensing language, should this kind of action truly result in a major loss?
I'm a PhD student in the history of science, focusing on intellectual property and other law & technology issues. I'm also a recent law school graduate and a former developer/sysadmin at a biotech non-profit. For more about me and my work, see 
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Kristopher Nelson
