Mozilla is warning Firefox users. This Friday, March 14, 2025, a "root certificate" used by the browser will expire. This is a digital certificate, the basis of a certificate chain, which establishes a chain of trust in online exchanges. In this case, the expiring certificate is used to "prove that an add-on has been approved" by Mozilla».
Once the certificate is no longer valid, some Firefox users «will not be able to use their add-ons». In short, the extensions installed on the browser will no longer work, but that is not the most serious thing.
An imminent cybersecurity risk
Indeed, an expired certificate jeopardizes Firefox's security. Mozilla indicates that malicious extensions can take advantage of this to steal users' personal data by bypassing security mechanisms. Without a root certificate, Firefox cannot verify that an extension has been validated by Mozilla teams. It no longer differentiates between a virus and a legitimate module.
Furthermore, Internet users risk visiting fraudulent websites without receiving a warning from Firefox. Finally, compromised password alerts may not work.
Which versions of Firefox are affected?
This is only the case for people using older versions of the browser. In its blog post, Mozilla specifies that versions prior to Firefox 128, which was released in July 2024, are affected. For users of Firefox Extended Support Release (ESR), the version for businesses, organizations, and users that prioritizes stability and security, you will need to have at least ESR 115.13 installed.
The change affects Firefox versions on all operating systems, including Windows, Android, Linux, and macOS, with the notable exception of iOS.
How do you know if you are affected?
To find out if you need to take urgent action, you should check that you have a version newer than Firefox 128. Go to Menu, then Help, and click on About Firefox. The browser will display the installed version. If an update If an update is available, it will be downloaded automatically. In the future, we recommend that you enable automatic updates by going to Firefox's Settings, then to the General tab. Then go to the Firefox Updates section, and choose Allow Firefox to install updates. update automatically.
Source: Mozilla
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