FireFox privacy problem

If FF crashes or shuts down unexpectedly for whatever reason, and you restart it, you get an option to Restore Previous Session. Sounds very nice and helpful doesn't, and in some cases it might be.

But finish your new session/s, go offline, delete ALL your history etc etc with something like CCleaner, and reboot at some point. Launch FF and up jumps the option to Restore Previous Session, which it does if you click that button

It's even worse, i have the preferences set like this





so Nothing should be saved, EVER

FF is obviously saving ALL that Previous Session info somewhere, quite where i'm not sure, but i'll bet i'm not the only one who wants to know ?

Imagine if after you had been for eg, visiting sites supposedly anonomously via Xerobank etc, or anyhow for that matter that was just your business, and your comp got stolen, or raided by the thought police etc. Even though you had used a cleaner etc you hadn't rebooted after a crash, ALL that previously visited data would still be there

 

use Private Browsing then

 

Good advice. Firefox's Private browsing mode doesn't write any data to HDD. Be careful though, some plugins might still save data, even if the browser is in Private mode (or at least they do on the Firefox version I'm using).

 

One word: CCleaner.

 

@Cudni

Having the options set as shown in my sceenies, should be the same as using Private Browsing, i would have thought ?

@Nebulus

Really What data ?

@Gullible Jones

I mentioned that even using CCleaner still does NOT prevent ALL that data being stored after a crash

 

Should be default me thinks ==> about:config ==> toggle browser.sessionstore.resume_ from_crash false (amitbhawani.com).

 

your previous sessions in FF are stored in sessionstore.js which can be found in your FF profile folder

 

I thought that if you had Firefox set to delete everything when you exit, nothing period would be saved. And I had always assumed that when it crashes, that session is still available because Firefox was not really closed out. The ordinary function was disabled. Other than that can you provide evidence that anything is really saved with these settings?

 

@GlobalForce

Now why didn't i think of that

Interestingly when i copy/pasted browser.sessionstore.resume_ from_crash into the about:config Filter, nothing showed ? But when i reduced it to browser.sessionstore.resume it did and as browser.sessionstore.resume_ from_crash ? Not a problem but ?

browser.sessionstore.resume_session_once also showed, and was already set to FALSE, as are both now

@biscuits

Thanks to both of you

I'll be keeping an eye on things for the next time it happens

@caspian

Me ?

Yes, as i mentioned before, that even with my settings not to save Anything, and using CCleaner still does NOT prevent ALL that data being stored after a FF crash. Because on rebooting i get asked if i want to restore ALL my previous sessions. And if i do, as i have to see what happens, it does. Which proves my point i think Not happy that it does, but now we know, and what to do to prevent it

 

Well you know what they say on Four Nets - "trim that url!" Here's a scad more - https://wiki.mozilla.org/Session_Restore

 

@GlobalForce

Trimmed it, works, and thanks for the scad, here's a

 

Sch--urely! You feel "resume_ from_crash = false" should be default?

 

browser.sessionstore.resume_ from_crash = false should be default =

You say or

 

Ditto! Sixth post bud.

 

Who's counting, wanna make it 7

 

OK, OK ... last word's yours .... Default it is. "True" for your any local kiosk - hardly a good idea.

 

I have a Firefox security CONCERN!!!

I am running the portableapps Firefox version:

http://portableapps.com/news/2010-04-02_-_firefox_portable_3.6.3

And whenever Firefox is closed my router light stays static and does not blink.

But as soon as I load firefox, the router internet light starts blinking, indicating that it's accessing the internet. And what concerns me is that if I just sit on a website, e.g google and don't touch firefox at all, the router light keeps blinking so obviously Firerfox is accessing the internet NON-STOP, even when I am not using Firefox to do anything.

Is this a SECURITY RISK?

What is Firefox accessing?

Is it sending any personal data to someone?

 

@GlobalForce

I don't got no local kiosk And yes you're right, last word is mine

 

@TheMozart

Yes i've noticed that too, and it's not just the Portable And it happens on and off about every 10 seconds ?

JRViejo mentions several things which would do that, but i either don't have them, or have disabled them, so it can't be that.

Have you found the source of the problem yet ? As i'd like to know how to prevent it, and what causes it, as i presume others will too.

 

Sure? You really disabled update checking, you really disabled anti-phishing and blocklist updates, you're really blocking the loopback connection with a PFW, you really have no extensions like, e.g., AdblockPlus updating its subscriptions, you really haven't set "Show a blank page" when FF starts, ... and so forth?! No offense meant but I sincerely doubt that.

 

Yes I understand that. I guess I wasn't being clear. My thinking is, (and I am in no way suggesting that I am correct), but my thinking is that the reason that Firefox saved the personal info is because it was *NOT* closed. It crashed in mid air and was not able to delete any private data. It ceased to function properly because it crashed. It's ordinary function is to to clear that data when you close it. But you did not close it. And so it was not able to complete it's ordinary tasks.

So I am just wondering if anyone here has the expertise to test Firefox and compare saved data from a crash as compared to when it is closed properly?

 

How do you prevent it?

 

@tlu

Yes

How are you suggesting that is achieved ?

Don't have AdblockPlus. No offense taken, but believe it

Even if i have a blank page" when FF starts, which i don't, as soon as i start surfing it would negate any effect that might have surely ?

@caspian

Correct

With the helpful tip from GlobalForce in Post 6

browser.sessionstore.resume_ from_crash = false

 

That's a connection to 127.0.0.1 which can be blocked by most Personal Firewalls (which is not recommended, but anyway).

ABP was only an example. Many other extensions update their databases too.