[Mozilla Enterprise] (no subject)

Robert Marcano robert at marcanoonline.com
Wed Aug 21 15:33:17 UTC 2019


On 8/20/19 1:31 PM, Mike Kaply wrote:
> We have a new ExtensionSettings policy that will allow you to enable 
> extensions by ID.

Thanks for this change, but I think this will allow someone to create an 
extension with using an internally developed id, ask Mozilla to sign it, 
and then use it on managed machines?

I still think whitelisting signer hashes is a good idea.

Note: Just as a reference of other tools that do this, the defunct Java 
Web Start technology has this to allow whitelisting applications 
https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/guides/deploy/deployment_rules.html#CIHEFCEC

> 
> this will be in the next ESR update and Firefox 69 (It was in 68 but had 
> some bugs so I didn't release it)
> 
> Mike
> 
> On Tue, Aug 20, 2019 at 12:24 PM Robert Marcano 
> <robert at marcanoonline.com <mailto:robert at marcanoonline.com>> wrote:
> 
>     On 8/19/19 12:31 PM, Mike Kaply wrote:
>      > The Firefox ESR has always supported turning off extension
>     signing so
>      > you can install local extensions.
> 
>     I wish it wasn't an on or off switch, but more a list of allowed
>     certificates (hashes?), and be able to disable Mozilla's certificates
>     That way you can allow your users to use approved internal extensions
>     without giving them the privilege to usa any Mozilla approved ones or
>     install random XPIs without signatures
> 
>      >
>      > Mike
>      >
>      > On Sun, Aug 18, 2019 at 10:58 AM Paul Kosinski via Enterprise
>      > <enterprise at mozilla.org <mailto:enterprise at mozilla.org>
>     <mailto:enterprise at mozilla.org <mailto:enterprise at mozilla.org>>> wrote:
>      >
>      >     As a long-time Firefox user, I went to ESR because I prefer
>     stability to
>      >     new features, and I especially don't like gratuitous changes
>     to the User
>      >     Interface. The move to Tabs on Top was ugly: I think Google
>     started it
>      >     so that users would view the Web (and hence Google) as their
>     computing
>      >     environment, rather than Windows et al. But at least Classic
>     Theme
>      >     Restorer could fix that.
>      >
>      >     The move to Quantum killed much of the ability to make
>     Firefox look the
>      >     way the user wanted and was used to. This has meant that
>     users had to
>      >     learn the new interface rather than doing useful work (sort
>     of like
>      >     The Microsoft Office "Ribbon" debacle). And the modern fad of
>     replacing
>      >     text-labeled icons with pure icons means that no one can know
>     for sure
>      >     what they mean, no matter what language they speak. (Plus,
>     "hovering"
>      >     over the icon to get the tool-tip wastes more time.) Not all
>     users have
>      >     to make do with tiny smartphone screens which don't have the
>     space for
>      >     labeled icons.
>      >
>      >     The move to Quantum also required some really critical
>     add-ons, such as
>      >     NoScript, to be totally reimplemented, and made many other
>     add-ons
>      >     (such as Classic Theme Restore) apparently impossible. In the
>     case of
>      >     NoScript, there may have been a period where the overall
>     security of
>      >     using Firefox suffered in spite of the more secure internal
>     structure
>      >     of Quantum.
>      >
>      >     And speaking of security, although the idea of requiring
>     add-ons to be
>      >     signed by Mozilla (only!) may be good for the consumer
>     versions of
>      >     Firefox, it is totally inappropriate for the *Enterprise* version
>      >     (ESR). It means that any organization that wants add-ons that
>     *need* to
>      >     be kept private can't use Firefox at all. The notion that
>     they could
>      >     use a local build or an unofficial build (daily etc.) could
>     mean that
>      >     they are violating some other corporate or government regulation
>      >     concerning what software they are allowed to use. And how
>     would one
>      >     even *find* the daily etc. build that is essentially
>     identical to the
>      >     release build?
>      >
>      >     Since ESR is for enterprise use, surely it should be possible
>     to allow
>      >     enterprise-private add-ons to be loaded in ESR if their
>     *hash* is signed
>      >     by Mozilla. (Mozilla should not be in the business of trying
>     to protect
>      >     enterprises from software they themselves write.) In other
>     words, an
>      >     enterprise would just submit a hash of the add-on XPI to
>     Mozilla the
>      >     way they now can submit the whole XPI. Then if so configured
>     (e.g., via
>      >     about:config) the ESR version of Firefox would allow the
>     add-on to be
>      >     loaded iff its hash passed the signature test. To add to "public
>      >     safety", Firefox could display a caveat stating that the
>     add-on belongs
>      >     to XYZ Corp. and is in no way certified by Mozilla. Plus, of
>     course,
>      >     such hash-signed add-ons would never be hosted by Mozilla.
>      >
>      >
>      >
>      >
>      >
>      >     On Sat, 17 Aug 2019 00:54:28 +0000
>      >     Ramkrishna Reddy D S <ramkrishna.reddy.d.s at ericsson.com
>     <mailto:ramkrishna.reddy.d.s at ericsson.com>
>      >     <mailto:ramkrishna.reddy.d.s at ericsson.com
>     <mailto:ramkrishna.reddy.d.s at ericsson.com>>> wrote:
>      >
>      >      > Hi Mike,
>      >      >
>      >      > Less major updates would be good as it's hard for us to
>     manage.
>      >      >
>      >      > Regards,
>      >      > Ram
>      >      >
>      >      > Sent from Workspace ONE Boxer
>      >      >
>      >      > On 17-Aug-2019 12:16 AM, Mike Kaply <mkaply at mozilla.com
>     <mailto:mkaply at mozilla.com>
>      >     <mailto:mkaply at mozilla.com <mailto:mkaply at mozilla.com>>> wrote:
>      >      > I know this is generally considered a support list, but I
>     have a
>      >      > couple things I'd like to let you know about. Going
>     forward, if you'd
>      >      > like to continue to receive these kind of updates, you can
>     follow the
>      >      > instructions at the end of this email.
>      >      >
>      >      > Legacy Browser Support for Windows now
>      >      >
>      >   
>       available!<https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=0ab11a4d-5665120e-0ab15ad6-86a1150bc3ba-e41f2431dfb71a8b&q=1&u=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fmozilla%2Flegacy-browser-support%2Freleases%2Ftag%2Fv1.0>
>      >      >
>      >      > It is quite possible that you still require the use of
>     websites and
>      >      > apps running ActiveX, Java, or Silverlight that need a
>     legacy browser
>      >      > for it to work. You can now get Legacy Browser Support
>     which will
>      >      > allow you to easily switch between Firefox and your legacy
>     browser of
>      >      > choice. You can add websites to the policy and when your
>     users try to
>      >      > access the site via the URL bar or a link, it will open in
>     the legacy
>      >      > browser automatically. Legacy Browser Support requires a
>     native
>      >      > component installed via MSI as well as an extension.
>      >      >
>      >      > Share your thoughts on ESR Release Cadence
>      >      >
>      >      > We would love your feedback in our current cadence of Firefox
>      >      > Extended Support releases.
>      >      >
>      >      > Today, an ESR life cycle spans between 9 months to a year.
>     We would
>      >      > like to understand if a shorter life cycle, with more
>     releases each
>      >      > year, would help meet the needs of you and your organization.
>      >      >
>      >      > We believe faster cycles will allow more flexibility to
>     back port
>      >      > features and functionality to the ESR and will reduce
>     occurrence of
>      >      > web app compatibility issues that arise due to the ESR
>     being too
>      >      > outdated. While the ESR helps lower QA overhead through
>     less frequent
>      >      > updates, would a biannual release bring more benefits to
>     you? Please
>      >      > chime in on this feedback
>     form<https://forms.gle/jdwWYKQ3inqP3jwL9>.
>      >      >
>      >      > Want to receive enterprise news?
>      >      >
>      >      > This is our second note to you in the past few weeks and
>     we would
>      >      > like to share more news about our enterprise work as new
>     features and
>      >      > offerings are developed. If my recent emails have been
>     helpful, I’d
>      >      > love to have you complete this brief
>      >      >
>     form<https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/enterprise/signup/> to
>      >      > receive periodic news from our enterprise team.
>      >      >
>      >      > Thanks
>      >      > [https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif]
>      >      > Mike Kaply
>      >      > Technical Lead, Enterprise Firefox
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>      >
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