Munich  - Internet users can download the new 3.0 version of the popular Firefox browser starting immediately. The software is available at http://www.getfirefox.com. Versions are available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux - all free, reports the Mozilla Foundation.

The browser loads web sites two to three times faster than its predecessor. Among the central functions of the newest Firefox are guards against malicious software and phishing attacks. This prevents pages known to disseminate viruses, trojans or spyware from being loaded in the first place. That blacklist is updated every half hour.

Users should not rely exclusively on this functionality, though, notes IT security expert Maik Morgenstern from the company AV-Test in Magdeburg.

It's also crucial to use tools like anti-virus software, whose makers can react quicker to new threats - and provide other security benefits. The new Firefox security functions nevertheless represent a valuable addition, "since most malicious software sneaks onto the computer via the browser."

Also new are the intelligent address bar, known as the "Awesome Bar," and various options for tagging and bookmarking websites. There is also now a zoom function that lets you mark any section of a home page to be zoomed within several seconds for better reading and visibility.

Add-ons are used for tasks like uploading photos and participating in online auctions. The new Firefox already has a catalogue of 5,000 of these add-ons. Anyone who wants to use a wide variety of them can use the add-on manager to maintain an overview.

Maik Morgenstern recommends that surfers who like to use extensions turn to the add-ons for the new Firefox instead of ones from unknown sources: "Because then you have some certainty: if it's in the package from Mozilla, it's been checked and meets certain standards," Morgenstern says. (dpa)