How to Secure Mozilla Firefox

Mozilla’s Firefox browser is a popular alternative to Window’s Internet Explorer as it is free, in addition to running on multiple platforms. Firefox is also very popular due to its lightweight nature and the multitude of extensions that it has to add functionality and enhance the browsing experience.

Firefox has the ability to regulate a great amount of dynamic website functionality. Additionally, the browser automatically disables a number of technologies to facilitate security. The add-ons can also be enabled and disabled at will from the extension manager, depending on the user’s preferences.

The pop-up blocker is one of the best in any web browser, as it gets the job done without being intrusive or impeding user experience in any way.

However there is one particular disadvantage when working with Firefox, and that is the lack of security detail. With Internet Explorer, there were security zones some of which had a list of accepted or trusted sites, or conversely a list of known malicious websites. It was possible to define an overall security system, and specify which websites were exceptions to these rules. This increased the user’s control over security, and therefore tighter security could be used without the inconvenience of encountering security stops when browsing known safe sites.

The easiest way to secure the web browser without getting into the minute details of programming is through the Options window,

located under the Tools menu button. Advanced users can type in about:config in the address bar to bring up the list of values that can be modified. It is a very detailed view, and requires expert knowledge and handling.

As mentioned earlier, the security settings are somewhat similar to the ones in Internet Explorer. The tabs are similarly marked, with a few differences here and there.

Sometimes it is quite possible to overlook small options that would make the system more secure just because they are not obvious options. On the Main tab, there is a checkbox for enabling user acceptance when saving files. If this feature is enabled, the web browser will confirm with the user before saving any file. With this feature, no website can save any software onto the system in question without the user’s knowledge and permission, effectively stopping websites from surreptitiously saving anything on the system.