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The Firefox web browser provides a robust environment for improving online security and privacy.
Most people should use the Extended Support Release (ESR) version of Firefox. Download and install that version from the Mozilla web site:
32-bit Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10:
Firefox 32-bit
64-bit Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10:
Firefox 64-bit
Linux users should install Firefox from the distro repositories.
Windows users should ensure Firefox is automatically updated:
- Open the Firefox Preferences dialog.
- Select the Advanced option.
- Select the Update option.
- Select the Automatically install updates option.
Linux users should use the distro repositories to automatically update Firefox.
Firefox add-ons are an important way of improving security and privacy. There are many such Firefox add-ons. Two add-ons that will help immediately are:
Both add-ons are provided by developers with the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
To install the add-ons:
- Start Firefox.
- Click the above links.
- Select the Download Now button.
One of the cornerstones of tracking users online is various forms of cookies.
Web browser cookies
DOM cookies
Flash cookies
Never allow third-party cookies. There is no reason to allow third-party cookies. Disabling third-party cookies in Firefox is simple.
- Open the Firefox Preferences dialog.
- Select the Privacy option.
- In the History section, select Firefox will: Use custom settings for history.
- Change the Accept third-party cookies option to Never.
Controlling first-party cookies requires a few additional steps but is easy. Firefox is designed to allow creating a white list of web sites where cookies are allowed. A white list means cookies will be allowed only for those sites in the list. Cookies will be denied for all other web sites.
There are two types of web browser cookies: 1) persistent and 2) session-only. Persistent cookies remain in the web browser settings after closing the browser. When the web browser is restarted, persistent cookies are available as though the web browser had never been closed. Session-only cookies are deleted when closing a web browser. Firefox supports both types of cookies.
Session-only cookies improve security and privacy.
One trade-off with deleting cookies when closing the web browser is web sites requiring a login. Using such sites means having to log in each time because the cookies are not stored permanently. This trade-off can be worked-around using the Firefox built-in password manager.
To allow session-only cookies from preferred web sites:
- Visit the desired web site.
- Click inside the Firefox Location Bar (press Ctrl+L).
- Copy the full URL inside the Location Bar (press Ctrl+C).
- Open the Firefox Preferences dialog.
- Select the Privacy option.
- In the History section, select Firefox will: Use custom settings for history.
- Select the Exceptions button.
- Click inside the Address of website text box.
- Paste the copied web site URL address (press Ctrl+V).
- Select the Allow for Session button.
To avoid some of the loss of convenience with not automatically logging into web sites, use the Firefox built-in password manager. When visiting a web site that requires a password to login, Firefox will provide a dialog prompt with the user name and password.
Visit the desired web site. Log in. Firefox will detect logins and prompt with a dialog to save the user name and password. Accept the dialog prompt to save the data.
From that point forward, logging in is as simple as selecting the web site login link. Firefox will automatically complete the login information. After logging in a session-only cookie will be created.
Just remember to actually log out of each site when finished. That does not mean merely closing the site web page. Doing that is not logging out. Logging out requires explicitly selecting a logout link on the web site. Not logging out means the session-only cookie will remain active as long as Firefox remains open. That cookie easily enables tracking around the web.
Current Firefox users might be shocked to learn that Firefox has stored thousands of cookies. Some people already using Firefox might want to delete all of the cookies already accumulated in the browser.
Before deleting all cookies, be sure to know all required user names and passwords for any affected web sites. Deleting all cookies will require logging in the next time certain web sites are visited.
To delete all existing cookies:
- Open the Firefox Preferences dialog.
- Select the Privacy option.
- In the History section, select Firefox will: Use custom settings for history.
- Select the Show Cookies button.
- Select the Remove All Cookies button.
A warning.
The “Do Not Track” option supported in most web browsers does not really work. While the feature does inform web site software not to track, the web site owner is under no obligation to honor the setting. Fundamentally, “Do Not Track” cannot be trusted. The old adage of “let sleeping dogs lie” might be a better approach than Do Not Track.
Firefox supports Private Browsing mode. When this browsing mode is used, all browsing history can be deleted when closing the browser. For some people, this mode is easier to use than manually configuring various security and privacy settings. To always use Private Browsing in Firefox:
- Open the Firefox Preferences dialog.
- Select the Privacy option.
- In the History section, select Firefox will: Never remember history.
Another way to force Private Browsing is to select the Always use private browsing mode option.
Remember that using Private Browsing mode always will require logging to web sites.
The journey to improving web browser security and privacy has begun. More to follow.
Technical trivia: To avoid name confusion with the NCSA Mosaic web browser, an early alternative named Mosaic was renamed to Netscape. Netscape later was released as open source code, which eventually became Firefox.
Family time: What is a portmanteau? Think you know? Search the web.
Next issue: Firefox Security and Privacy — Part 2
Time to feel small. Really, really small.
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