Thread: Help Firefox

  1. #1
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    Help Firefox

    Hallo,
    I often use Firefox, a great browser, and sometimes go to Tools - Options - Safety - saved password to read and erase the passwords for the sites that I visit.
    Do you know if there is a way to shorten this path, maybe insert something in the toolbar to speed up this task?
    Thank you

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  2. #2
    C++ Witch laserlight's Avatar
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    As in you do not want to save passwords? That option should be right there with the option to erase saved passwords (and it is Security, not Safety).
    Quote Originally Posted by Bjarne Stroustrup (2000-10-14)
    I get maybe two dozen requests for help with some sort of programming or design problem every day. Most have more sense than to send me hundreds of lines of code. If they do, I ask them to find the smallest example that exhibits the problem and send me that. Mostly, they then find the error themselves. "Finding the smallest program that demonstrates the error" is a powerful debugging tool.
    Look up a C++ Reference and learn How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

  3. #3
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    yes, but I will get there faster ...
    thanks the same.
    Bye

  4. #4
    and the hat of int overfl Salem's Avatar
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    Choose not to save them at all.
    It just promotes lazyness and forgetfulness.
    If you dance barefoot on the broken glass of undefined behaviour, you've got to expect the occasional cut.
    If at first you don't succeed, try writing your phone number on the exam paper.

  5. #5
    spurious conceit MK27's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Salem View Post
    Choose not to save them at all.
    It just promotes lazyness and forgetfulness.
    Yes, I need to waste my mind trying to remember the 20 or so passwords I have for web forums.

    Here's a note: USE SEPARATE AND UNIQUE PASSWORDS EVERYWHERE -- unless you have one password for a bunch of "equally" unimportant sites. Recently, perlmonks.org got hacked and their (stupidly unencrypted) password database got stolen. The hackers posted to the web, and both they and the people at perlmonks confirmed some users evidently were using the same password everywhere, including some perl-world heavyweights who were using their password on project sites (which may or may not have then been hacked). This was such a situation CPAN locked a bunch of people out when user passwords turned out to be identical for the same users from perlmonks.

    You'd think programmers with important public projects would have more brains to start with.

    ps. I would say looking for a shortcut thru 3 mouse clicks is really, really lazy
    Last edited by MK27; 08-09-2009 at 09:54 AM.
    C programming resources:
    GNU C Function and Macro Index -- glibc reference manual
    The C Book -- nice online learner guide
    Current ISO draft standard
    CCAN -- new CPAN like open source library repository
    3 (different) GNU debugger tutorials: #1 -- #2 -- #3
    cpwiki -- our wiki on sourceforge

  6. #6
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
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    It's an interesting problem indeed.

    The proliferation of websites requiring registration -- sometimes completely unnecessary, just because everyone does it -- presents a serious problem to users: One password per website and a personal management nightmare, or one or two passwords everywhere and the risk of having your accounts hacked everywhere?

    There's some interesting attempts at this already. OpenID offers a centralized approach. A sort of Identity Card that can be used anywhere were the protocol is adopted. Microsoft and Google use this. Microsoft by turning their own LiveID into an OpenID provider, and Google directly through their federated login API.

    This allows other websites and services to be created that reuse user registration data. However this does bring the problem of data security.

    I still find that data is best protected if we are the ones doing it. So, using something like KeePass for password generation and storage followed by a secure form filler to your browser (I use RoboForm, but there's free alternatives like Sxipper) gives me the most control over my security, allows me to use impossible to remember passwords, and use one password per website.
    Last edited by Mario F.; 08-09-2009 at 10:51 AM.
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  7. #7
    Registered User VirtualAce's Avatar
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    As Mario states the password/user name stuff has gotten way out of hand and it's impossible to remember them all. A password database program is almost a must-have now for any user. To make matters worse often the password is associated with an email that cannot be changed so if that email is no longer valid you will have to call the company in question to reset your password.
    Last edited by VirtualAce; 08-09-2009 at 10:59 AM.

  8. #8
    spurious conceit MK27's Avatar
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    Oh come on. My "password database program" is not really a "personal management nightmare", it's a stupid text file:

    Code:
    cboard  user=mk27 pass=mysecret
    perlmonks user=halfcountplus pass=bubba
    perlmonks#ip2 user=satan pass=troll!
    One click in the filebrowser and a cut n' paste swoop is all it takes if I forget. Of course, I am not worried about anyone gaining physical access to my system.

    OpenID seems like a nice idea, except it then becomes a requirement and suffers from the "same password everywhere" problem which kind of renders the idea not so nice. Like, who cares how secure it is? The only reason it has to be so is because you only get one, kind of a silly viscous circle.

    The project sites I use have ssh keys, which work pretty well I guess since you don't have to remember anything. No doubt, however, there are people who use the same ssh key everywhere -- really irresponsible if you have privileged access to someone else's server.
    Last edited by MK27; 08-09-2009 at 11:56 AM.
    C programming resources:
    GNU C Function and Macro Index -- glibc reference manual
    The C Book -- nice online learner guide
    Current ISO draft standard
    CCAN -- new CPAN like open source library repository
    3 (different) GNU debugger tutorials: #1 -- #2 -- #3
    cpwiki -- our wiki on sourceforge

  9. #9
    One Level Below Beginner
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    I use Firefox as well.

    What is wrong with the old fashioned "Pencil and Paper" method of keeping passwords safe?

    The only danger is if someone broke into my house, steals my notebook, and runs amok on forums creating inane posts.


    To the original poster, CCleaner can do this, and scrub all of you other temporary files in one swoop (so I am told)

    Yes, I agree with:

    I would say looking for a shortcut thru 3 mouse clicks is really, really lazy
    That is indeed lazy, but do not allow my opinion from seeking or creating a solution to your dilemma.

  10. #10
    spurious conceit MK27's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Banned View Post
    What is wrong with the old fashioned "Pencil and Paper" method of keeping passwords safe?
    No, with that system you actually have to type something on the keyboard, and it is vulnerable to Vulcan mind-meld type attacks.

    Here's what I actually do: I have a little program to generate a random password 6-12 characters long. When I want a new one, I do this:

    mkpw -new cboard

    Those are stored encrypted in a text file. The only thing I have written down that isn't on the computer is a salt. When I need a password, I just use this command:

    mkpw cboard

    (there's an mkpw -list) which copies the appropriate password into the X clipboard. So now, I just go to the password entry and Paste. A string like this ******* appears in 100% of cases.

    So not even I know what my passwords are, they are all unique, and no one has to remember or even think about anything.
    Last edited by MK27; 08-10-2009 at 01:34 AM.
    C programming resources:
    GNU C Function and Macro Index -- glibc reference manual
    The C Book -- nice online learner guide
    Current ISO draft standard
    CCAN -- new CPAN like open source library repository
    3 (different) GNU debugger tutorials: #1 -- #2 -- #3
    cpwiki -- our wiki on sourceforge

  11. #11
    and the hat of copycat stevesmithx's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MK27 View Post
    No, with that system you actually have to type something on the keyboard, and it is vulnerable to Vulcan mind-meld type attacks.

    Here's what I actually do: I have a little program to generate a random password 6-12 characters long. When I want a new one, I do this:

    mkpw -new cboard

    Those are stored encrypted in a text file. The only thing I have written down that isn't on the computer is a salt. When I need a password, I just use this command:

    mkpw cboard

    (there's an mkpw -list) which copies the appropriate password into the X clipboard. So now, I just go to the password entry and Paste. A string like this ******* appears in 100% of cases.

    So not even I know what my passwords are, they are all unique, and no one has to remember or even think about anything.
    That's a very risky method relying on a single text file. What happens if it gets corrupt or you are somewhere else and wants to access your mail urgently but you don't have the secret text file? Disastrous.
    Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted
    - Albert Einstein.


    No programming language is perfect. There is not even a single best language; there are only languages well suited or perhaps poorly suited for particular purposes.
    - Herbert Mayer

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