[PLUG] Firefox safe mode...

[Scott Garman]

Michael Robinson wrote:
> I want safe mode to be closed to the average person.  If one must enter
> a password to get into safe mode, that will work.  Changing the source
> code of firefox is an extreme option that will make it harder to upgrade
> when new releases come out.  Is there any standard way to protect
> against safe mode abuse?  Procon Latte is a popular plugin I suspect,
> but what's the point of it if anyone behind it can pop into safe mode
> and remove it?  I am surprised that the author of Procon Latte hasn't
> addressed the safe mode abuse issue.  Ideally, the developers who are
> going to release the next version of firefox should address the safe
> mode abuse issue.

Safe mode exists for a good reason - to prevent Firefox from becoming 
totally borked by third-party extension code. So while in your 
particular situation it poses a security risk, I guarantee if it were 
disabled by default, a far greater percentage of the user base would be 
inconvenienced. It's a trade-off.

Procon Latte is likely a good solution for users who do not have the 
technical know-how or motivation to try running Firefox in safe mode. 
Content filters are best deployed at the network level, e.g. as a 
firewall service. Otherwise you're constantly playing a cat and mouse 
game with other applications the user could install or run to circumvent 
the content filtering - including by using things such as bootable CDs 
or USB drives.

Scott

-- 
Scott Garman
sgarman at zenlinux dot com