Mozilla: We'll patch critical flaws in 10 days

Mozilla executive Mike Shaver backed up his claim by scrawling it on a business card at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas last week and handing it to Robert Hansen, CEO of SecTheory.com, who also runs the ha.ckers.org Web site. Hansen posted a photo of Shaver's business card, including the claim "Ten fucking days."

"I told him I would post his card -- and he didn’t flinch. No, he wasn’t drunk. He’s serious," Hansen wrote in his blog.

Web browser security has become increasingly important with the rise in use of Web-based applications, from Google's Gmail to social networking sites such as Facebook.com and enterprise software-as-a-service programs such as Salesforce.com. A security vulnerability within a Web browser can put a user's data at risk and make a PC vulnerable to hackers.

Shaver's 10-day pledge applies to "critical" vulnerabilities, although there is no standard for such a rating, and different companies evaluate levels of risk in different ways. Another condition is that the vulnerability is disclosed responsibly, meaning Mozilla is notified of the issue before it is publicized.

The pledge sparked some debate about whether Mozilla will be able to keep to it.

"I've always been a fan of Mozilla and Firefox, however, this is a pretty bold claim for a company of any shape or size," Hansen wrote.