14 DAY TRIAL // Mozilla has decided to pull the automatic update to Firefox 65 for its Windows users after discovering an issue with certain antivirus products that breaks down websites.
After installing Firefox 65 on Windows, some websites can no longer be loaded in the browser, and users who posted in this Bugzilla thread say they are being provided with an error reading "Your connection is not secure" "SEC_ERROR_UNKNOWN_ISSUER".
Several users have confirmed that this problem is experienced with absolutely all websites they try to visit, though it appears that the number of pages affected by the problem varies from user to user.
A report from TechDows reveals that the problem is encountered due to an issue with Avast or AVG antivirus, and Mozilla engineer Ryan VanderMeulen confirmed this is indeed the case.
Automatic update pulled
As a result, to prevent the issue from hitting more devices, Mozilla has decided to pull the automatic update to Firefox 65 on Windows – note that the browser remains available for download as a stand-alone installer.
“Our users updating to Firefox 65 with Avast & AVG installed have been encountering this error with regularity since we launched on Tuesday. We've temporarily halted all automatic updates on Windows to avoid further exacerbating the issue,” VanderMeulen explained.
A workaround does exist, and users are recommended to open the settings screen of their antivirus and disable HTTPS scanning. The cited source indicates that some Firefox users may also experience similar issues with Kaspersky, though confirmation from Mozilla in this regard isn’t available just yet.
By the looks of things, the culprit is the antivirus software trying to use their own certificates in Firefox when loading websites, so updates to the security products will probably resolve this. Mozilla and antivirus vendors are already investigating the problem, so it shouldn’t take long before a fix is available.