Security

Since browsing the Internet has become more risky, Firefox offers various measures to make browsing safer. It automatically checks whether you are trying to access a site known to contain harmful software (malware) or a site known to steal sensitive data (phishing) and stops you from entering these sites. The Instant Web Site ID lets you easily check a site's legitimacy, and a password manager and the pop-up blocker offers additional security. With Private Browsing you can surf the Internet without Firefox recording any data on your computer.

Instant Web Site ID

Firefox allows you to check the identity of a Web page with a single glance. The color of the Web site's icon (also called favicon) in the location bar to the left of the address indicates which identity information is available and whether communication is encrypted or not:

Gray

The site does not provide any identity information and communication between Web server and browser is not encrypted. This is fine as long as you do not exchange sensitive information with this site. Most web sites will be gray.

Blue

This site is from a domain that has been verified by a certificate, so you can be sure that you are really connected to the very site it claims to be. Communication with a blue server is always encrypted.

Green

This site completely identifies itself by a certificate that ensures a site is owned by the person or organization it claims to be. This is especially important when exchanging very sensitive data (for example when doing money transactions over the Internet). In this case you can be sure to be on your bank's Web site when it sends complete identity information. Communication with a green server is always encrypted.

To view detailed identity information, click the Web site's icon in the location bar. In the opening pop-up click on More Information... to open the Page Info Window. Here, you can view the site's certificate and the encryption level, as well as information about stored passwords and cookies.

With the Permissions view you can set per-site permissions for image loading, pop-ups, cookies and installation permissions. The Media view lists all images, background graphics and embedded objects from a site and displays further information on each item together with a preview. It also lets you save each individual item.

Figure 14.4. The Firefox Page Info Window

The Firefox Page Info Window

Password Management

Each time you enter a username and a password on a Web site, Firefox offers to store this data. A new toolbar on top of the page opens, asking you whether you want Firefox to remember the password. If you accept by clicking Remember, the password will be stored on your hard disk in an encrypted format. The next time you access this site, Firefox will automatically fill in the login data.

To review or manage your passwords, open the password manager by clicking Edit+Preferences+Security+Saved Passwords.... The password manager opens with a list of sites and their corresponding usernames. By default, the passwords are not displayed. You can click on Show Passwords to display them. Delete single or all entries from the list using Remove or Remove All, respectively.

To protect your passwords from unauthorized access, you can set a master password that is required when managing or adding passwords. Open the Security tab on the Preferences dialog and check Use a Master Password.

Private Browsing

By default, Firefox keeps track of your browsing history by storing content and links of visited websites, cookies, downloads, passwords, search terms and formula data. Collecting and storing this data makes browsing faster and more convenient. However, when you use a public terminal or a friend's computer, for example, you might want to turn it off. In Private Browsing mode Firefox will not keep track of your browsing history nor will it cache the content of pages you have visited.

Enable the Private Browsing mode by either clicking Tools+Start Private Browsing or by pressing Ctrl+Shift+P. The current website and all open tabs will be replaced by the Private Browsing information screen. As long as you will browse in private mode, the string (Private Browsing) will be displayed in the window's title bar.

Disable Private Browsing by either clicking Tools+Stop Private Browsing or by pressing Ctrl+Shift+P. Your previous session will be restored.

To make Private Browsing the default mode, open the Privacy tab in the Preference window as described in Section 14.6.1, “Preferences”, set Firefox will: to Use custom settings for history and then choose Automatically start Firefox in a private browsing session.

[Warning]Bookmarks and Downloads

Downloads and bookmarks you made during Private Browsing mode will be kept.