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Firefox privacy but lets others see where you've been visiting [my title]
Mozilla.org ^ | 2006-03-17 | anonymous

Posted on 04/17/2006 5:58:28 AM PDT by antiRepublicrat

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To: zeugma
As I stated earlier on the thread, this doesn't happen on Unix/Linux systems because of where the data is stored.

Actually, if you replicated the steps on any Unix/Linux box, I'd expect to see exactly the same thing happen.

41 posted on 04/17/2006 8:20:45 AM PDT by Senator Bedfellow
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To: AntiGuv

Yep, I got the breakup email from my GF, and about a month later I was looking through pictures that had been uploaded. It turns out before she broke it off, she had gone through all the pictures and deleted those with her in them. Erasure of the past I guess. We're back together now minus the pictures ;-)


42 posted on 04/17/2006 8:22:49 AM PDT by glorgau
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To: Panerai

"Hmmmm .... this is just dumb, of course Firefox ( or any other programs ) must save somewhere it's preferences. "

How about a simple click on "clear all" of the privacy pane in preferences.


43 posted on 04/17/2006 8:29:22 AM PDT by moehoward
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To: antiRepublicrat

Good thing you got rid of that bum...

What makes you think the next one will be any better...

You will probably just keep going through them till you get to the point..where you will settle...but in your mind...you will make yourself believe that the 'golden one' is 'perfect for you...

Good luck...but remember when fishing in cess ponds...don't be too surprised when you end up with a few turds on your hook...


44 posted on 04/17/2006 8:51:22 AM PDT by joesnuffy
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To: Senator Bedfellow
Actually, if you replicated the steps on any Unix/Linux box, I'd expect to see exactly the same thing happen.

I don't think so. Since each user has a separate home directory, typically /home/$user that is created with permissions of 700, users wouldn't have access to the same profile unless they were logged in as root (which is really dumb- many programs explicitly tell you how dumb an idea this is when you start them). 

Even if you had installed the profile under a shared user, when you attempted to start FF as another user, it would create the new profile under your home directory unless you'd explicitly modified the start script or your environment. Granted, this is possible, but I don't see the purpose of having $MOZILLA_FIVE_HOME be a shared directory.

45 posted on 04/17/2006 8:55:26 AM PDT by zeugma (Anybody who says XP is more secure than OS X or Linux has been licking toads.)
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To: antiRepublicrat

Doo-oh


46 posted on 04/17/2006 9:14:52 AM PDT by Gamecock ( "I save dead people" -- God (Eph 2:5)
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To: zeugma

Windows also has a separate settings folder for each user. The question is why Firefox isn't using it. Why would it behave differently under Linux?


47 posted on 04/17/2006 9:17:13 AM PDT by js1138 (~()):~)>)
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To: antiRepublicrat
I went into the Password Manager to change the saved password option from Never to Always and that's when I saw all these other sites that had been selected as "Never Save Password." Of course, those were sites I had never visited or could ever dream of visiting.

Total BS.

I just tested it by logging off of my XP account and logging in to my wife's XP account, opening Firefox and checking the Password Manager.
The first two sites listed in my list are for juno.com and computing.net...along with many, many more. This includes the "Saved" and "Never saved" tabs.
Those two sites do not appear anywhere in Password Manager under my wife's XP/Firefox account. In fact, there are only 4 sites listed in hers as she is an infrequent browser.

The only explanation is that they were using the same Firefox account somehow.

48 posted on 04/17/2006 9:18:51 AM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (I can't complain...but sometimes I still do.)
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts
Total BS.

It looks like he installed Firefox, browsed around and declined to remember passwords, then deleted Firefox, but the profile remained. She re-installed Firefox, which picked up the existing profile, apparently in a place both of them could access.

49 posted on 04/17/2006 9:22:58 AM PDT by antiRepublicrat
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To: js1138
The question is why Firefox isn't using it. Why would it behave differently under Linux?

Good question. Personally, I'd blame it on the registry because the registry is evil :-) 

50 posted on 04/17/2006 9:23:37 AM PDT by zeugma (Anybody who says XP is more secure than OS X or Linux has been licking toads.)
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To: zeugma
Since each user has a separate home directory, typically /home/$user that is created with permissions of 700, users wouldn't have access to the same profile unless they were logged in as root (which is really dumb- many programs explicitly tell you how dumb an idea this is when you start them).

Yeah, but here's what happened:

A) They shared a login. He installed and used Firefox under that login, browsing pr0n sites and what-have-you, telling it not to save passwords for said pr0n sites.
B) He uninstalled FF under that login, but by default FF preserves its profile information, in case you reinstall later. Thus, his website password info was saved.
C) They created a new login for him, but she continued using the old, previously shared login.
D) She reinstalled FF, but naturally it located the old profile information from when he had it installed, and so she had access to all the info previously stored for that browser profile, including the website password info.
E) She looked at it and discovered that there were a bunch of pr0n sites in there.
F) Fiance comes home to find all his s*** out on the lawn.

There's no reason this couldn't happen on a Unixy system too - at no point was it going into someone else's /home directory. All it did was pull the info from the /home directory of the current user. The only thing that might be done differently by FF/Moz would be to offer to delete profiles on uninstall, but other than that, there's no security breach on the part of either the browser or the OS, because they shared the login. The moral is either A) don't share user accounts, or; B) don't surf for pr0n on your girlfriend's computer in the first place. ;)

51 posted on 04/17/2006 9:25:38 AM PDT by Senator Bedfellow
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To: antiRepublicrat
It looks like he installed Firefox, browsed around and declined to remember passwords, then deleted Firefox, but the profile remained.

Smooth movement on Mr. Bowel's part. He was subconsciously asking to be caught.

52 posted on 04/17/2006 9:25:39 AM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (I can't complain...but sometimes I still do.)
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To: js1138
Windows also has a separate settings folder for each user. The question is why Firefox isn't using it.

It does use it. The problem is a result of the fact that they shared a user account. See my previous post. ;)

53 posted on 04/17/2006 9:27:11 AM PDT by Senator Bedfellow
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To: Senator Bedfellow
I was basing my interpretation on this from the original post...

However, when he logged off his user account, and I logged onto my Windows XP account X amount of days later...

54 posted on 04/17/2006 9:29:14 AM PDT by js1138 (~()):~)>)
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To: js1138
Yep, but that's wrong. What she was certainly seeing was the website password list from the previous install, not the current install. Try it yourself on a multi-user system - you won't be able to see someone else's website password info.
55 posted on 04/17/2006 9:33:14 AM PDT by Senator Bedfellow
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To: Senator Bedfellow

One of life's greatest pleasures is having a spouse from whom you don't feel the need to keep secrets.


56 posted on 04/17/2006 9:45:40 AM PDT by js1138 (~()):~)>)
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To: js1138

Well, yeah, but it's also nice to be able to sandbox the kids.


57 posted on 04/17/2006 10:01:41 AM PDT by Senator Bedfellow
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To: Senator Bedfellow

Mine are a bit old for that.

I do maintain computers for other people, and they bring them to me shortly after their kids start downloading "free" music. Most of these require a reinstall. The alternative is just too time consuming, and I am not free.


58 posted on 04/17/2006 10:11:50 AM PDT by js1138 (~()):~)>)
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To: js1138

Seriously. I sat with one of my wife's friends after several bouts of free tech support, just to watch what they were doing to foul things up in such short order, and her 12 year old daughter was literally clicking on every shiny, flashy, noisy thing that presented itself. "Install HardDriveKiller.xpi, Y/N?" One quick chat with mom, and into the sandbox she goes. ;)


59 posted on 04/17/2006 10:35:52 AM PDT by Senator Bedfellow
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To: Senator Bedfellow

I don't do free anymore.


60 posted on 04/17/2006 10:39:00 AM PDT by js1138 (~()):~)>)
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