Password Protect Firefox
I have been using Firefox for quite sometime now, and have stored passwords for several websites like Google AdSense, Gmail, Yahoo and more on it, so the horror of someone else using Firefox on my computer chills me to no end, though I have a personal laptop which I do not share with anyone, you could be facing a potential problem, if you use a shared PC.
Firefox does have something called as profiles, however those too are not password protected, so is there a way to protect your personal information on Firefox? Yes there is, in the way of setting up a master password to protect your sensitive information or using a Firefox add-on to password protect your profile itself. We will look at both this solutions in this post.
Password Protecting Sensitive Information With Master Password
Firefox provides users with the ability to setup a master password to protect sensitive information such as stored passwords and more, to enable the master password, click on Tools and then click on Options from the menu.
In the options window, click on the security tab and check the box next to Use a master passwordoption.
A new window will popup asking you to enter a master password, enter the master password here, one which you can easily remember, but no one else can guess easily, we have a simple guide for creating strong passwords you can refer to.
Once you have created the master password, you will be promoted once before Firefox can enter stored passwords into websites.
Password Protect Firefox Profiles
The master password just protects sensitive information such as passwords, however if you are looking to protect your entire Firefox profile, a Firefox add-on called ProfilePassword for Firefox is what will help you.
Once you have installed the add-on, setup the passwords from the add-on options, the next time you start Firefox, you will be promoted to enter your profile password, before you can start using the browser.
Please note, smart users can easily bypass this add-on, so there are no guarantees whatsoever, however it is still better than nothing.
Download ProfilePassword for Firefox
Do you use any different protection for Firefox? Do let us know about them, we and the readers alike would love to hear your views on this.
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Author: Keith Dsouza
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mozilla firefox, password protect firefox
-download firefox portable from http://portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_portable.
-install it to say, d:\apps\firefoxportable.
-download zip.exe and unzip.exe from http://stahlworks.com/dev/index.php?tool=zipunzip.
-put them in d:\apps\firefoxportable dir.
-copy 2 vbs files to d:\apps\firefoxportable dir (see end of this text).
-Optional: make copy of your d:\apps\firefoxportable\data\profile dir, or rename it to d:\apps\firefoxportable\data\profile2
-optional (warning this will delete your profile settings!!!):
-rename or delete “data\profile” dir to data\profile2
or
-start firefox portable
“tools”\”clear private data”, select all, clear private data now.
-restart firefox
-login to your e-mail site. select “keep me signed in”.
-click on “never for this site” in mozilla.
-close firefox.
start “1_create_zip_backup.vbs”
enter password
there should be backup.zip file in d:\apps\firefoxportable.
Rename or delete Data\profile dir after you are done.
-to start firefox start “2_start___warning___will___delete___profile.vbs”
-you will be asked for password.
-after you close firefox, Data\profile dir will be deleted.
to keep changes in firefox unrem two lines in “2_start___warning___will___delete___profile.vbs”
q: how to have vbs script not delete profile upon exit?
a: terminate wscript process from task manager.
q: backup.zip is not created in d:\apps\firefoxportable?
a: do you have d:\apps\firefoxportable\data\profile? If not start firefoxportable.exe
a: did you type the same password twice?
1_create_zip_backup.vbs
—beginning of the file—
Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject(“WScript.Shell”)
Return = WshShell.Run(“cmd /K del /q backup.zip & exit”, 1, true)
Return = WshShell.Run(“cmd /K zip -r -e backup.zip Data\profile & exit”, 1, true)
Set WshShell = Nothing
—end of the file—
2_start___warning___will___delete___profile.vbs
—beginning of the file—
Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject(“WScript.Shell”)
Return = WshShell.Run(“cmd /K rd /s /q Data\profile & exit”, 1, true)
Return = WshShell.Run(“cmd /K unzip backup.zip & exit”, 1, true)
Return = WshShell.Run(“FirefoxPortable.exe “, 1, true)
rem unrem two lines below to have profile saved/rezipped after surfing.
rem Return = WshShell.Run(“cmd /K del /q backup.zip & exit”, 1, true)
rem Return = WshShell.Run(“cmd /K zip -r -e backup.zip Data\profile & exit”, 1, true)
Return = WshShell.Run(“cmd /K rd /s /q Data\profile & exit”, 1, true)
Set WshShell = Nothing
—end of the file—
Cool apps! Now, I don’t need to worry about my bookmarks and profile setup.
Guys use DiscoLock for this purpose, free and simple, download, that does not only password protect firefox but also chrome, internet explorer, and many important applications at just one click.
http://discobytes.com/?page_id=87
I’m using a free encryption utility, Rohos Mini Drive, to password protect my Firefox.