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If you are a serious browser/user of the web, you know Mozilla Firefox\r\nis tops when it comes to remaining secure. But even Firefox is not perfect.\r\nThere are always ways to improve the already outstanding security in the open\r\nsource browser with add-ons. The Firefox add-on library is massive and includes\r\nnearly any additional feature you could want. Included in the library is an\r\never-growing number of security add-ons. For those that do not want to wade\r\nthrough the tide of installable features, I have brought together five of my\r\nfavorite security add-ons for Firefox. With these five added features, you\r\nshould find that Firefox will meet your highest security standards (within\r\nreason of course).
Each of these add-ons are free and can be found (and\r\ninstalled) from Firefox’s add-ons manager.
NoScript\r\nSecurity Suite is one of the best ways to prevent JavaScript, Java, Flash,\r\nSilverlight, and other executable content from running within non-trusted\r\ndomains. With this add-on you can dictate the domains which are allowed to run\r\nexecutable content. This add-on goes a long way to prevent cross-site scripting\r\nattacks, cross-zone DNS rebinding, router hacking, and Clickjacking. Domains\r\ncan be blocked permanently or on a temporary basis (Figure A).
Credit: Image by Jack\r\nWallen for TechRepublic
NoScript can whitelist\r\nor blacklist a domain for easy configuration and control. Once installed, you\r\nwill also find a number of ads get caught up in the blocking \u2013 making your browsing\r\nfaster and more secure. NoScript has plenty of options available, ranging from\r\nthe simple to complex (Figure B).
Credit: Image by Jack\r\nWallen for TechRepublic
LastPass\r\nPassword Manager is for anyone who needs to be able to keep the only kind\r\nof truly secure passwords \u2013 those you cannot remember. For that type of\r\npassword, you need a password manager. But why bother installing yet another\r\ntool to have to open from your Dash, Start Menu, or Tiles? Instead, add\r\nLastPass Password Manager and gain access to that ever-burgeoning list of\r\npasswords. You do have to create an account with LastPass. During the setup of\r\nLastPass, you set up your account (make sure you use a strong password here \u2013 Figure\r\nC) and disable Firefox’s insecure password manager.
Credit: Image by Jack\r\nWallen for TechRepublic
During the setup of\r\nLastPass, you can even set up a profile which will be used when filling in\r\nforms (Figure D) \u2013 which is much more secure than having the browser\r\nretain your form information.
Credit: Image by Jack\r\nWallen for TechRepublic
HTTPS Everywhere\r\nis a means to force your browser to use HTTPS with all sites that support\r\nsecure HTTP. Some users don’t realize the difference between HTTP and HTTPS;\r\nincluding this extension on your end-users browser will ensure you do not have\r\nto concern yourself with educating them on the difference or how to point their\r\nbrowsers to the secure version of a site. You will notice the included link\r\ndoes not direct to the Firefox Extension page, but to the www.eff.org page. This was due to a Firefox\r\npolicy. Hopefully the extension will find its way back to the Extension page\r\nsoon. Upon reboot (after installation), you will be prompted to opt into the\r\nSSL Observatory (Figure E).
Credit: Image by Jack\r\nWallen for TechRepublic
Once installed, you will find a menu to the right of the\r\naddress bar, where you can gain quick access to the HTTPS Everywhere features.\r\nOne of the more important features is the Enable/Disable Rules (Figure F).
You can enable/disable HTTPS Everywhere for all included\r\nsites in the Rules window.
Credit: Image by Jack\r\nWallen for TechRepublic
AdBlock\r\nPlus is one of the first add-ons you should include with Firefox. If you\r\nfind advertising slows down your browsing, it’s possible that reduction in\r\nspeed is caused by advertising. Or, if you’re trying to find that tool to\r\ninstall, but get confused by the Download buttons created by advertisements, it’s\r\ntime to take control. To curtail this behavior, install AdBlock Plus. With this\r\nadd-on you can blacklist and whitelist specific advertisers. This, of course,\r\nis a tricky proposition, as many of the sites you visit are able to offer you\r\nfree content thanks to the ads on the site. So take that into consideration\r\nwhen you begin blacklisting sites. It is also possible to block known malware\r\ndomains (Figure G).
Credit: Image by Jack\r\nWallen for TechRepublic
From within the add-on\r\npreferences, you can easily add filter subscriptions (Figure H).
Credit: Image by Jack\r\nWallen for TechRepublic
Disconnect\r\nprevents tracking by 2,000+ third-party sites. With this easy add-on you can\r\nstop ad trackers, social widgets, and most other tracking tools before they\r\nload. This will not only speed up your browsing, it will also effectively\r\nprevent those endless attempts at tracking everything you do on the web. As you\r\nuse your “Disconnected” browser, you will get immediate feedback on\r\nwhat is trying to track you (Figure I).
Credit: Image by Jack\r\nWallen for TechRepublic
After visiting a single page (clicked from within Facebook),\r\nDisconnect caught 20 attempts at tracking and sped up the page load by 6% (Figure\r\nJ).
If you’re looking to gain an edge on security within your\r\nFirefox browser, add one or more of these add-ons and see if you’re not happier\r\nwith the level of gained security. Each of these offers a unique addition to\r\nthe open source browser, extending the capabilities and security to a more\r\nacceptable level.
Credit: Image by Jack\r\nWallen for TechRepublic
Jack Wallen is an award-winning writer for TechRepublic, The New Stack, and Linux New Media. He's covered a variety of topics for over twenty years and is an avid promoter of open source. For more news about Jack Wallen, visit his website jackwallen.com.
