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Do you store your passwords using Firefox?

Friday, 8 February 2008, 15:42 | Firefox, How-To, Technology, Tips, Tricks, Tutorials, web | 21 Comments | Read 229 Times
by Vaibhav Pandey

Often when we enter our User Id and password detail to the website of our choice while browsing using Firefox, a modal dialog pops up asking us whether we would like Firefox to remember the username/password for that site.

Often, many people i know use this feature of Firefox without understanding the pain points associated with it. Let me show you how easy it is for anyone accessing your firefox to actually gain access to your Username and Password combinations.

Firefox Password

In order to reveal the username and password combinations stored by you in Firefox follow the below mentioned steps:

Menu

  • Click on Tools -> Options using the drop down menu.
  • Click on Security tab within the menu shown
  • Click on the tab called Show Passwords.

Firefox Pass
  • A pop up called Remember Passwords opens up.
  • Click on the button ‘Show Passwords’ to reveal all the saved passwords.

Show Passwords
  • Click on Hide Passwords to hide the passwords again.

So now you know, next time you go for a coffee break, ensure that you locked up your computer from the prying eyes of others.

So whats the best way to protect yourself from this?

Always have a Master Password Set for your Firefox Installation. This can be set by traversing through Tools –> Options –> Security.

Update: In order to view passwords stored in Internet Explorer, you can use a Utility provided by Nirsoft Internet Explorer Password Show Utility.

Also read: Blogging: 7 essential Firefox add-ons

How-To: Set multiple homepages in Firefox.

My list of 5 best Firefox Extensions

Create a firefox search plugin: Tutorial

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  • Aruna

    Amazing…..very helpful !

  • Sailen

    Useful stuff .. I was not aware of this .

  • deepika

    this one is really helpful. i never knew abt this.

  • Sangeeta Mittal

    Surprising stuff …………………

  • david coxon

    Strangely i just found this out myself (and blogged about it on my blog). I work in an art gallery with a number of public access macs and there are a surprising number of users that have saved their usernames and password, not only in firefox but also explorer, flock and safari. Of course the problem of revealing your username and password in clear text in this way only effects firefox, but it is worth remembering that no matter what browser you have remembered your username and password on , if someone has access to it, they have access to all your stuff. And what is worse is they can probably change your password, and evectively lock you out. So no matter what browser you use ALWAYS lock your computer when you co for coffee, if other people can access it.

  • http://opengiga.wordpress.com OPENGIGA TECH

    one thing, if you manage your password on that way, you can secure yourself… you can use “master password”. thus, when someone tried to see your password on that way (given above) you need to press your master password ..otherwise you can’t see any password or username

    i don’t like this features. anytime time hacker can attack your pc and they can get all of your account pass and username…

    thanks

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  • http://www.innoland.it innovatel

    I DO NOT store my password for default in any browser … I think a password is secret only in my mind.

    Some programs store password but they have a master password to show the other. Why firefox don’t do that?

  • http://www.randallpauljenkins.com/blog Randall Jenkins

    Which is why Apple once again does is better.

  • http://abritdifferent.wordpress.com Siobhan the Brit

    This is why I never use that function. Good pointer for people not in the know.

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  • kabster

    OPENGIGA TECH, is correct. If you use a combo of nimbers and letters for a master password in FireFox they cant just see them.

  • http://ibastudent.wordpress.com John

    @innovatel
    It does do that, it’s called a master password

    @Randall Jenkins
    Ya, except Safari is incompatible with a ton of sites, which makes it pretty useless

  • http://www.masterofthejinn.com Irving

    Excellent thing to know. Thank you :)

  • http://www.fschulte-ladbeck.com frankschulteladbeck

    I wanted to add my thanks. I have not stored my passwords on Firefox, but this gives one pause about thinking that one program may be safer than another.

  • http://commonknowledge.wordpress.com/ johnrobert

    Thank you, that is helpful. I’ve been wanting to know more about how to find and clear passwords from the browser. Now I just need to go find the equivalent process for Explorer.

  • http://technofriends.wordpress.com Vaibhav Pandey–>Technofriends Team

    Thanks John for going through the post and adding your comment. For explorer you can use the utility provided by Nirsoft. Follow the link http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/internet_explorer_password.html for further details.
    Cheers

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  • xmido

    the main reason why i use opera

  • This Tells All…………..

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