Firefox and Saved Passwords

[sterlingice]

Ok, I love Firefox but now I'm a bit miffed at their security after messing around a little on the menus and subsequently looking online for a solution.

If you go to "Options -> Privacy -> Passwords" there is a button for "View Saved Passwords". Back in the day, it just saved and showed you the user name. But if you go there now, there's a button for "Show Passwords".

Now, my computer, unless it's stolen, no one on it is going to have time to completely ruin my computer life. However, if someone can just look and see all my usernames and passwords with the click of a button- that's a big problem. You can get some pretty important passwords in a really short time.

Of course, there is a way to protect it, by declaring a master password. However, if you do that, then you have to enter your master password every Firefox session. I guess that's good because if someone is just checking their email on my computer, then they won't need my passwords. But, what if they want to view a site that has passwords just to view normal content? I don't want them to have to bug me for my master password. Heck, I don't want to have to enter my master password every time I start Firefox.

Now, looking at Firefox boards, this has been suggested as a problem before but the Firefox people go all fanboy on anyone who claims it's a problem "How hard is it to enter a password once every session"- that kind of thing.

Anyone know of an extension or about:config option that gets rid of the "Show Passwords" button?

SI

[SackAttack]

Set a password on your XP login. Set Firefox as unavailable to accounts other than that one.

Set up a guest login with no password for people who just need to use the machine to check their email or something.

They won't have access to your saved passwords, and instead of doing a password once per session of Firefox, you type it once per logged in session of Windows XP. If your usage is anything like mine, that ends up being once per day instead of once per session.

[jeff061]

Never noticed that show password "feature", pretty lame/stupid. I mean even if you set some user level securities, say you leave your desk and you forget to lock your system. Bad design.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Set a password on your XP login. Set Firefox as unavailable to accounts other than that one.

Set up a guest login with no password for people who just need to use the machine to check their email or something.

They won't have access to your saved passwords, and instead of doing a password once per session of Firefox, you type it once per logged in session of Windows XP. If your usage is anything like mine, that ends up being once per day instead of once per session.

But the whole point is I want them to be able to use Firefox, just not see the passwords.

SI

[jeff061]

The idea is you will be able to use Firefox, but no one else can (unless they have access to your user account).

Edit: Never mind, I'm dumb .

[gstelmack]

Everyone bashes Microsoft for "poor security" talking about how Open Source is so much better. And then Firefox came along...

It's a great browser, but don't kid yourselves that it is any more secure than Microsoft. It just hasn't had the market penetration to be worthy of attack, but it's getting there fast...

[Draft Dodger]

that really is a ridiculous feature