Firefox 100 requires Windows update KB4474419 on Windows 7

Firefox users running the open source web browser on Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system should ensure that Windows update KB4474419 is installed on their devices. The update is a prerequisite for Firefox 100, as Mozilla switched to SHA-256 digest logging in that version.

Windows update KB4474419 introduced support for SHA-2 code signing in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008/2008 R2. The latest version of the update dates from September 2019 and should already be installed on most Windows 7 devices as it was released before the operating system reached end of support. Systems without the update may receive Windows Update Error 0x80092004 due to missing dependency; this can happen on manually upgraded systems.

Customers running legacy OS versions (Windows 7 SP1, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, and Windows Server 2008 SP2) must have SHA-2 code signing support installed on their devices to install updates released on or after July 2019. Any device without SHA -2 will not be able to install Windows updates as of July 2019.

Windows 7 administrators find the update in the Microsoft Update Catalog, but it should also be available from Windows Update and other update management systems.

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Mozilla notes in the Firefox 100 release notes for the Nightly version that the update is required to properly install Firefox on Windows 7 devices.

Starting with this release, the Firefox for Windows installer is signed with a SHA-256 digest, instead of SHA-1. Update KB4474419 is required for successful installation on a computer running the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system.

Microsoft removed SHA-1 due to weaknesses and to “align with industry standards.” SHA-2 does not have these weaknesses and ensures that the Firefox installation or update has not been tampered with.

Mozilla does not mention whether the Firefox installer displays an error message if the required Windows update is not installed on the system. It would make sense to highlight the missing dependency to help users resolve it.

The change affects Firefox for the Windows 7 operating system only. Firefox running on newer versions of the Windows operating system will install or update normally once Firefox 100 is released.

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Mozilla plans to release the first three-digit version of the web browser on May 3, 2022 according to the release schedule.

Now you: Do you run Firefox on Windows 7 or other systems? (via Technologies)

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