Firefox browser security
Firefox browser security
Mozilla Firefox is one of the most popular browsers, both for its speed and its focus on privacy and security. But did you know that Firefox's security and privacy can be increased significantly beyond its default settings?
We've prepared a few steps for you that will make using Firefox safer and more private. The instructions were created for Firefox version 130, but they should also work in the future, on newer versions of the browser.
We've divided each tip into two levels, depending on how many potential compatibility issues the setting may cause. If your goal is to browse the Internet carefree without any technical problems, we recommend that you aim for level 1. However, if you don't mind the occasional compatibility issue, level 2 will help you achieve a much higher level of security and privacy.
Switching Enhanced Tracking Protection to Strict (Level 1)
Extended Tracking Protection in Firefox provides protection against both tracking cookies and scripts. When you install the browser, Enhanced Tracking Protection is in standard mode, where it blocks tracking based primarily on lists of known trackers. Switching it to strict mode activates Total Cookie Protection, which stores cookies from each website in a separate, isolated "folder". This makes it much more difficult for people to track your online activities. The strict level also prevents the previous page you visited from being published to other websites via the HTTP Referer header.
You can activate the strict level as follows: Firefox menu in the upper right corner → Settings → Privacy & Security → Enhanced Tracking Protection → Switch to "Strict".
Disabling HTTP (Level 1)
The HTTPS protocol is an encrypted version of the HTTP protocol. The HTTPS protocol protects your privacy by encrypting the communication between your web browser and a remote server, so no one can see the content of your communication along the way or modify it. This means that data such as passwords or credit card numbers are protected from attackers on the same Wi-Fi network or on the other side of the world.
Firefox allows you to disable unencrypted communication, even for third-party domains. This makes extensions such as HTTPS Everywhere redundant and therefore unnecessary.
You can activate HTTPS Only mode as follows: Firefox menu in the upper right corner → Settings → Privacy and security → Mode "HTTPS Only" → switch to: "Enable HTTPS Only mode in all windows".
Installing the ad blocker add-on (level 1)
The uBlock Origin add-on blocks ads and unwanted elements on websites. It also complements Advanced Tracking Protection by blocking additional tracking elements. It protects you from potentially harmful ads. It is a non-commercial, community project with a good reputation, whose security and functionality is verified and controlled directly by Mozilla.
You can install the uBlock Origin add-on at the following link: https://addons.mozilla.org/sk/firefox/addon/ublock-origin/.
After installing the add-on, we also recommend enabling it in private windows as follows: Firefox browser menu in the upper right corner → Settings → Extensions and themes in the lower left corner → click on the uBlock Origin inscription → Enable in private windows → switch to "Enable".
Change your default search engine to Startpage.com (Level 2)
Startpage.com is an internet search engine originating from the Netherlands, which prides itself on its strict privacy policies for its users. Unlike search engines such as Google or Bing, Startpage.com does not store your queries, does not record your IP address and does not use any tracking cookies.
A big advantage of the Startpage.com search engine compared to, for example, DuckDuckGo is the fact that its search results are taken from the Google search engine. This way, you get relevant and accurate results, but not at the expense of your privacy.
You can install the Startpage search engine at the following link: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/startpage-private-search/.
You can activate it as the default search engine as follows: Firefox browser menu in the upper right corner → Settings → Search → Default search engine → switch to "Startpage.com".
Blocking attempts to fingerprint your browser (Level 2)
Another way to track your online activities is to create a unique browser fingerprint. Marketing companies can create a unique fingerprint based on factors such as the number of processor cores, installed fonts, time zone, supported languages, and keyboard layout. This fingerprint remains the same even in private browsing mode or after changing your IP address, making it an ideal tool for tracking.
Firefox supports advanced protections against such techniques, implemented under a setting called Resist Fingerprinting. Resist Fingerprinting attempts to change as many of your browser's unique features as possible so that you "get lost in the crowd" for websites. However, Resist Fingerprinting can cause significant compatibility issues on some sites, and is therefore not suitable for everyone.
You can activate the Resist Fingerprinting feature as follows: type "about:config" in the address bar and press enter → press "I understand the risk and want to continue" → in the search bar in the about:config menu type "privacy.resistFingerprinting" → double-tap to switch privacy.resistFingerprinting to „true“.