Firefox 57 is here. No noscript etc. Advice for alternatives add ons

[Bernix]

As title say. FF 57 is here... Many of invaluable addons gone So good to know about alternatives for them.
It actually suggesting alternatives, but they are of course not good as original ones.

instead of noscript - uMatrix doesnt look bad
video download helper - Video downloader professional <- name looks suspicious
Flash Got - Bulk media downloader.
Thats for my add-ons Download status bar no alternatives same with SSleuth.

[DeJay]

I've been testing various add-ons, trying to get rid of the legacy ones in preparation for 57. So far:

uMatrix isn't bad as a replacemeent for NoScript, but I prefer uBlock Origin set to Advanced User mode.
Cookie AutoDelete replaces Self Destructing Cookies quite well.
As yet no replacement for Down Them All.
No replacement for Better Privacy, although as Linux user I can get rid of LSOs with BleachBit.

A bit of a disappointment so far.

[Bernix]

Hi,
thank you. Is there way to see you are in private tab? It seems to me impossible. I can open new window in private mode, but dont see any difference (purple mask) on start, but then nothing when I open any link. Nor in right click on bookmark there is nothing about open in private tab It is really weird behavior.
I used Cookie auto delete prior this 57 release, so glad it is compatible.

EDIT: Have you tested privacy badger?

[TreeTops]

An update to NoScript for Firefox 57 is on the way. Supposed to be released today. Hold off updating FF till NoScript is ready.

Edited post to say that it did not arrive when stated but they have a blurb on their website that says they are working on it.

[Bernix]

Any idea about private browsing? Incognito this tab = same problem. I don't see the result. If tab is in private mode or not... Is there way to check it? BTW what is it good for incognito this tab, when already opened... Not fan of it. Uninstalled as soon as possible.

Edit: if functionality of uMatrix is as noscript functionality is, than it is really good extension. Good graphics interface, simple etc. But if no script will be available soon, I change it. Of course.

[AllisOne]

Some info here:
https://arewewebextensionsyet.com/
and here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TFcEXMcKrwoIAECIVyBU0GPoSmRqZ7A0VBvqeKYVSww/edit#gid=0

I used NoScript a few years ago (so it might have changed), but it was breaking too many websites, so I started using YesScript (now a webext version is called YesScript2) to turn off scripts only on specific sites.

[Bernix]

Has something changed? Read permission of each addons. Read clipboard, read everything... Access your history of all browsers... it is neverending list.
I think this is Webext means
Hope in soon to see flash got and downloadhelper, but of course its permission will be same or even worse.

Bernix

[Bernix]

An update to NoScript for Firefox 57 is on the way. Supposed to be released today. Hold off updating FF till NoScript is ready.

So it should be done already, it takes some time to be reviewed by mozilla team
Hope it will before firefox 58 release.
Bernix

[Bernix]

Video downloader professional <- name looks suspicious

malwarbytes detects it as PUP MSG legacy something... So why the hell webext when it is at least problematic.

Bernix

[locotus]

In the meanwhille, if you're as fond as I am to mine extensions you can stop Firefox from updating:
go to options, roll down to Firefox Updates and change the Firefox update behavior as you wish.

[jagabo]

you can stop Firefox from updating

Yes, I did that a few days ago when I read 57 was about to enter general release. I don't want to update until NoScript is available.

[Bernix]

Hi,
I know. I was unaware. So I have at least 32bit version intact. So I open it and disable automatic update, but it was late. It actualized itself and next time I running 32 bit version, it was updated...
uMatrix seems to do good job. In fact, it shows more things to block then noscript. But I was really upset with that download add ons, that is consider to be PUP.
Thank you for info anyway

Bernix

[Bernix]

Good news for Video download helper. New version is ready for 57

Bernix

[Bernix]

Hi DeJay,

No replacement for Better Privacy, although as Linux user I can get rid of LSOs with BleachBit.

Have found this Clear Flash Cookies
Maybe you can test it. It is compatible with FF 57. It should remove Local Shared Objects on exiting firefox.

[Bernix]

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/
On this site does work for you extension link here for anybody? Tried in edge also but with no success... Just white page. Even in get addon when I click on get more add ons on the bottom of the page same result. But when I search for addons it gives me a results. Don't know what is happening.
Actually this page https://addons.mozilla.org/
Is working now.

[DeJay]

Hi Bernix

I'm still on FF 56, just testing add-ons prior to updating, so I don't know about the private tabs.

No, I've neither used nor tested Privacy Badger.

Now I'm into uBlock Origin advanced mode I may not return to NoScript when it is updated. The main reason I prefer it to uMatrix is, it allows new pages to open with the bare minimum allowed, whereas in uMatrix you have to allow the page before it will open even though you just directed the browser there.

I'm currently testing Clear Flash Cookies. Reading up on it, it doesn't delete flash cookies on FF exit, but on re-start. It doesn't seem to work.

The https://addons.mozilla.org/ page is not working for me this morning.

[Bernix]

Hi DeJay,
thank you for invaluable information.
I think it is advantage, no weakness of uMatrix. It protects it this way from scripts. 1st-party things are allowed. When you enter page without protection of 3rd party scripts, it seems to me useless. Just my point of view.
Thank you again


[Attachment 43759 - Click to enlarge]

Bernix

[hello_hello]

Bernix, I don't know anything about uMatrix but I have to ask.... are there any rules for blocking scripts in your screenshot? Or does it work the other way around and you have to specifically enable them?

Thanks to this thread and No Script being annoying (I used it for a few days and disabled it) I thought I'd get around to working out how to block scripts with uBlockOrigin. I'm starting off only blocking third party scripts (and frames) to see how annoying that is before I get carried away.

[hello_hello]

I'm not sure there's any need to rush to upgrade Firefox. I'm running the Extended Support Release, version 45.9. I've stuck with that one because it allows you to install unsigned extensions.. Once you're running a particular ESR version, Forefox won't try to update you to a newer version, aside from point releases to fix bugs etc.

Support for ESR 45 ended a couple of months ago, but ESR 52 should allow you to keep using your old extensions and it's supported until June 2018.
You can find the ESR releases along with every previous version of Firefox here. https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/

Or replace Firefox with Pale Moon. It's not switching to the new extension system. Sometimes newer versions of extensions don't work, so you need to scroll through the list of old versions until you find the last one that does.

There's also a small list of add-ons here with suggestions for replacing some add-ons that don't work with PaleMoon, and another list of extensions that were forked for Pale Moon.
https://addons.palemoon.org/extensions/
https://addons.palemoon.org/incompatible/

UBlock Origin works with Pale Moon. I think I had to install a slightly older version of No-Script, but I'm about to remove it. I agree with DeJay regarding No Script. It takes too long to train it and every second site I visited broke. It reminded me of the bad old days when I ran a software firewall and had to train it eternally and forward ports etc.

The original version of Download Helper, before it was renamed Video Download Helper and made annoying, works with Pale Moon.

[Bernix]

Hi,
I am not an expert but I think it works same way as uBlock Origin. Just added to my rules "* 3rd-party script block" without quotes and tested on youtube.
It has allowed pictures from 3rd party allowed by default in my rules there is ** image allow so I deleted it and it works now for 3rd party images as well. So on youtube I can't see preview of videos now. But there is button to restore to default I hope And because youtube videos are on "3rd parties" servers like ggpht google or ytimg, so best way to do this is enabled it manually. So I clicked on non existing preview and it switched to video but it didn't start, but I was able to see chatting people etc.
Bernix

[Bernix]

And because pictures are (mostly harmless)viz post #22 I will restore settings and add just blocking of 3rd party script.


[Attachment 43766 - Click to enlarge]
I don't know what XHR and others means, but I like to I can block it separately.
Learning is necessarily. For common pages. Probably someone will do like in Add blocks some predefined presets (it is probably wrong predefined presets) sounds weird. But as I said. It looks same as uBlock Origin.
Bernix

[TreeTops]

Bernix...malware code can be hidden in photos using stenography. (may be misspelled) The malicious code or exploit is encoded inside the image’s pixels, which is then decoded using an HTML 5 Canvas element that allows for dynamic, scriptable rendering of images.

[Bernix]

Bernix...malware code can be hidden in photos using stenography. (may be misspelled) The malicious code or exploit is encoded inside the image’s pixels, which is then decoded using an HTML 5 Canvas element that allows for dynamic, scriptable rendering of images.

O.K. I know that virus or malicious code can be even in subtitles. I hope there is something that checking it on system base. To disable pictures makes web almost unusable.
I know that stenography can be used for sending coded messages etc.
But thank you for correction me in that.
Bernix

[hello_hello]

I think the blocking of third party images could be a bit annoying. In a forum such as this one it'd block any images uploaded to a hosting site for including in posts.

Plus I naively believe you should be able to download third party images, because if there's a vulnerability in a browser allowing malicious code in an image to run then it needs a security update immediately. I think Firefox 58 will ask permission before drawing those canvas images.

I'm not sure the code TreeTops referred to is all that evil, but it can help to identify your PC individually, along with a bunch of other data. It's quite amazing really. What would seem to be mostly insignificant data on it's own can be combined and used to identify you.

Try visiting "Am I Unique". It'll perform tests and collect some data to identify you. I let it identify me months ago. Then, when you return sometime in the future, you'll find out if it still knows who you are. I just ran the test again, but either the site's not functioning properly or enough changed for it not to be able to tell I'd been there previously Maybe I used Firefox rather than Pale Moon last time, and I've changed IP address since then.

https://amiunique.org/

[Bernix]

When talking about security
https://haveibeenpwned.com/
Interesting, i discovered it just few months ago.

[DeJay]

Hi Bernix

I just updated to FF57 on one computer. To answer your question about private browsing, when in a private window there is a purple dot with a mask icon in the top right hand corner. Also I notice a shield at the left hand end of the URL window when tracking has been attempted and if I click on it, it gives some info and settings. I also notice that uBlock Origin shows a lot less blocked requests on some pages in private mode, the random page I am looking at shows 13 non-private and 4 private.

[Bernix]

Hi DeJay,
when I open private window, I see the mask only on first tab. Then in next tab I see nothing. It can be, because I opened new windows as private, that all tabs should be in this window private. But it smells, because it doesn't show anything. So I am hopeless here.
Thank you again.

Bernix

[DeJay]

when I open private window, I see the mask only on first tab. Then in next tab I see nothing.

Then you have a problem. When I open a private window, the mask still shows however many tabs I open in that window.

[Bernix]

I will see. Maybe the problem is I have disabled history and more settings in FF. Will see. I just ask the question.

Bernix

[Bernix]

Can I set Firefox to always use Private Browsing?

Firefox is set to remember history by default but you can change this setting in your Firefox Privacy OptionsPreferences (click the Firefox menu , choose OptionsPreferences and select the PrivacyPrivacy & Security panel). When you change your History setting to Never remember history, this is equivalent to always being in Private Browsing mode. For more information, see Settings for privacy, browsing history and do-not-track.
Important: When Firefox is set to Never remember history you won't see a purple mask at the top of each window, even though you are effectively in Private Browsing mode. To restore normal browsing, go to your Privacy OptionsPreferences and set Firefox to Remember history.

maybe therefore

Bernix