Mozilla, the developer of the Firefox Internet browser, has asked a United States court to provided information regarding a vulnerability that was discovered hidden deep in the codes of the Tor browser. Tor (or The Onion Router browser) is based in part on the Firefox browser and Mozilla is keen to know whether the vulnerabilities discovered in it can be used to exploit Firefox users.

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In a statement posted on the company's official blog, Mozilla chief legal and business officer Denelle Dixon-Thayer wrote, "At this point, no one (including us) outside the government knows what vulnerability was exploited and whether it resides in any of our code base."

The tech company is asking the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington to share the vulnerabilities discovered on Tor. Mozilla has noted that the main intention of this request is to protect the interest of Firefox users.

Mozilla is concerned that should the vulnerability be publicized without the company properly patching it, this could result in serious issues that could led to cyber-attacks and hacks. The Tor browser is comprised of a version of Firefox with modifications to provide additional layers of privacy.

In 2015, the Federal Bureau of Investigation used what it called "network investigative technique" to monitor users who accessed websites that offer child pornography. These websites are hidden in the Tor anonymity network and can be accessed using only the Tor browser.

The court has asked the government agency to produce information linked to the security vulnerability that was used to exploit the Tor browser. The defense is demanding the information regarding the exploit to find out whether the government exceeded the conditions stated on the warrant.

Mozilla has said that if the court will not grant its request, it should at least allow the company to appear as a friend of the court or amicus curiae while the trial is being heard.

TagsMozilla, mozilla news, Tor, TOR browser, Mozilla update, Mozilla hack, Mozilla exploit, TOR hack, TOR exploit