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#librewolf

2 posts2 participants0 posts today

How do security-aware people feel about downloading and installing web browsers from "the Internet"? For example, for FreeBSD there is Pale Moon, but there is no port/package for it. On Linux, at least some distros don't have LibreWolf. So, you have to go and download these from their respective websites. (Well, on Linux I could maybe use DistroBox if I could find a LibreWolf package in another distro.)

I'm sure bad actors could manage to hide malicious code in packages that you get via your OS/distro repos as well, but it feels a little bit more secure when someone from the OS/distro has gone through the trouble of creating and releasing a package via their own package system.

Basically, how can I trust a tool I download from the Internet with quite sensitive data?

Am I just being naive? Should I *always* run all web browsers inside jails or use flatpaks etc so they can't access files in my $HOME dir etc?

Arch Linux AUR malware alert ⚠️: 3 packages (`librewolf-fix-bin`, `firefox-patch-bin`, `zen-browser-patched-bin`) were found with a Remote Access Trojan. 🛑
They’re now removed—uninstall if affected and check for compromise. 🔍

Malware came via a GitHub script. AUR is powerful but unvetted—inspect packages carefully. ⚠️

linuxiac.com/malware-discovere

Malware Discovered in Arch Linux AUR Packages
Linuxiac · Malware Discovered in Arch Linux AUR PackagesArch Linux deletes three browser-related AUR packages infected with a Remote Access Trojan, urges users to uninstall and check systems for compromise.

Another cool thing about switching to browser #LibreWolf is that YouTube ads are no more. Pft! Gone.
No more animated digestive tracts, erectile dysfunction cures, political propaganda, or that weird old codger posing as Colonel Grandpa Doctor selling various modern snake oil remedies.
I hope it lasts. ☺️

Continued thread

The #Firefox based #browsers all did really poorly. #LibreWolf fails the #SpeeDOMeter tests with a score of "Infinity" which is odd, and it throws an error in 3.1 which I have never seen before. The best thing I can say about them is that #Floorp is now faster than #Microsoft #Edge, and FF is now benching at speeds that Chrome first got last year in SpeeDOMeter, and in 2022 for JetStream. Of course some credit is probably due to Windows updates.

Replied in thread

@zash

If you're looking for a Firefox fork, #LibreWolf is quite close to regular firefox. There's only a few thing I've had to do to tweak it:

  • Disable resist fingerprinting (breaks a lot of stuff)
  • Re-enable firefox sync

From memory, that's about it.

If #Debian manages to keep AI crap out of firefox for another couple years, kudos to them! <3

:BoostOK:
Wie kann ich denn einer Extension in #librewolf oder #firefox sagen, dass sie erneut nach Permissions fragen soll?

#keepassxc-browser fragte nach neuen Permissions; ich habe versucht herauszufinden, wozu sie dienen soll. Jetzt möchte ich diese Permission erteilen, aber das Notification-dings vom Browser ist natürlich zu&weg.

Mir fällt nur ein, die Extension zu entlöschen und neu zu installieren: fällt dir was Besseres ein?

Replied in thread

@jwildeboer totally agree. I would add "and please don't choose substack for that blog post". Why? Because I can't save the article using the web browser's "Save Page As..." feature (#Librewolf).

Substack thwarts this saving, being jerks.