Hi all,
First of all, I am new to Linux and OpenSUSE, please forgive me for my lack of knowledge.
I installed an addon on Firefox, which i am not completely sure it is safe.
(Name of the addon is Ivacy, you can google it, it’s to use a VPN)
Anyway, i thought that maybe that addon could install a keylogger or something. So I uninstalled it, and then I thought, what if it infected firefox? (I know i am paranoid)
So i uninstalled firefox by using Yast, then reinstalled it, and my previous addons and history were still there. For me it means that uninstalling by Yast does not remove all traces of Firefox.
Please do you have a way to remove all traces of Firefox?
As i told you previously, I’m new to Linux, do you think that there is a risk for my PC when I install Firefox addons?
Thanks in advance,
Shorinji
You need to remove your Firefox profile which is in $HOME/.mozilla/firefox. That will remove all addons.
Anytime you install software you are trusting the author. This is no different for firefox addons.
Hi,
Thank you for your help. It seems to have worked.
My questions about the risk was more, can a Firefox addon infect other parts software than Firefox or not?
In principle a Firefox addon can only affect Firefox, but that in itself can be serious, e.g. sending your private info elsewhere. I’m sure that the vast majority of Firefox addon authors are people of good principles, but as always, form your own judgement.
Hi,
Actually the Ivacy service is not free, i paid for it, so i think they are serious, but as I am paranoid, i just had that doubt.
Anyway thank you for your help.
Good day to you.
Just because they ask for money does not mean you can trust them. Ever here of a little outfit called Microsoft??? 
They seem to be having a “little” problem with a serious IE hole at the moment. lol!
Unless you were logged in as root, and running firefox as root, then an addon can only affect your own files. The worst it could do to other software would be to change your personal configuration settings for that software (and that is very unlikely).
On 02/03/2011 12:36 AM, Shorinji wrote:
> I am new to Linux and OpenSUSE … I am paranoid
it is always good to be cautious–i say as i look over my shoulder 
but, compared to what you used before openSUSE, you CAN relax a
little…there are NO known virus that infects Linux, there may be,
but i have never every heard of a “key logger” successfully installed
into a user system…
i have been using Linux since about '98, and exclusively since about
'02 and i have never run any anti-virus software and i’ve never had a
virus infection…
that is NOT to say i do not take security precautions–i certainly do,
these are some of the things i do:
-
neither my user id nor password can be found in any dictionary known
to me…both are rather strong with both lower and upper case letters,
numbers and puncutation/special characters… -
i have a different and much stronger root password
-
i have an on machine firewall and a router based firewall
-
the router’s admin name and password are both strong
-
and other stuff…like i never use any root launched application to
connect to distant/internet computers
but, i am so relaxed i might fall asleep while typinzzzzzzzzzzzz
–
DenverD
CAVEAT: http://is.gd/bpoMD
[NNTP posted w/openSUSE 11.3, KDE4.5.5, Thunderbird3.0.11, nVidia
173.14.28 3D, Athlon 64 3000+]
“It is far easier to read, understand and follow the instructions than
to undo the problems caused by not.” DD 23 Jan 11
While attempting to resolve my own Firefox issues (catastrophic, something is causing application freeze, early suspicion is add-on conflicts when FF upgrades), I came across this older but still highly relevant thread and found myself absolutely in disagreement with the answers whether a FF add-on could affect more on the machine than just FF.
The answer should be a resounding YES!
First, the answer has to be answered by the understanding that problems caused by software fall first into two categories… Intended and Unintended. The first is what Ken refers to… Authors who must identify themselves and must maintain a good reputation won’t intentionally create malware. But, software can also have unintended consequences, too. My current theory on my own FF issues(alas, as I’m writing this I just determined the problem is elsewhere) is that the extensions have created their own conflicts. There are other types of unintended consequences as well… Dev tools for example are extremely powerful and can open new exploit vectors.
Also, in general there is a current trend to make browsers more powerful to support the new generation of Web Applications, applications that don’t have to be installed on your machine. Instead the code is delivered as part of or initiated by a web page.
This makes even the traditionally sandboxed web browser a more powerful tool, but also a potential source of problems.
Now, on to trying something else to solve my FF problem…
IMO,
TSU