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Android Firefox Security IT

NoScript For Android Devices Released 107

Posted by Soulskill from the temporarily-allow-dept-line dept.
Trailrunner7 writes "The new version of NoScript, the popular browser add-on that blocks JavaScript and other embedded objects from running on Web pages, is out in alpha form. It can now run on Android-based smartphones, giving users protection against script-based attacks on their mobile devices. The release of NoScript Anywhere includes a variety of new features, but it's the support for Firefox Mobile that is the big attraction. The add-on for Android devices is meant to mimic the desktop version, giving users the ability to set permissions for each individual site and use a default policy for restricting content. NoScript also now includes an anti-clickjacking feature and an anti-XSS filter designed to protect users from cross-site scripting attacks. The new version also works on Maemo-based phones and tablets."
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NoScript For Android Devices Released More

NoScript For Android Devices Released

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  • With FF devs alienating their user base on the desktop side, the mobile version might have a chance to stick around if extensions don't break the same way.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by eepok ( 545733 )

      Wait... how are they alienating me?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by PRMan ( 959735 )
      The mobile version of Firefox is by far the least usable browser on my Android tablet. I prefer the built-in browser and even Dolphin to FF, which makes it impossible to go to Home, Favorites or anywhere else except by clicking a link. It's minimalism gone mad.

    • Funny you are writing that in response to an extension which had deliberately and silently killed other extensions.

      http://adblockplus.org/blog/attention-noscript-users [adblockplus.org]

      Don't depend on the author of NoScript to play nice. He's not one of the good guys.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by JBMcB ( 73720 )

        He fixed the problem and apologized. Nobody is perfect. NoScript is awesome.

  • Old News (Score:4, Informative)

    by nman64 ( 912054 ) * on Monday October 17, 2011 @02:57PM (#37743250) Homepage

    While excellent news, this is old news. Note that the current release is alpha 9. These alphas have been around for months.

    I have enjoyed using Firefox on my G2, and while the NoScript alphas do work, they definitely do not provide the same experience as their desktop counterpart. I'm hoping that by the time NSA reaches stable releases, it provides more of the ease-of-use and feature set I am used to on the desktop. Still, if you're using an Android handset supported by Firefox, I strongly recommend giving this a try. Adblock Plus is available, too!

  • Great - just wish you didn't need Firefox Mobile for it. Last time I tried it, it was HORRIBLE. Have they fixed it?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by steveg ( 55825 )

      It's not horrible on my Bionic. That would be a step up.

      It freezes immediately. Can't even scroll around on the page. I've installed it a couple of times, hoping that the problem was a bad version, or corrupted, or something, but it just doesn't work here.

      Despite my growing dissatisfaction with the desktop version, I still use it as my primary browser (mainly because I'm not thrilled with any of their competition either.) I was hoping that the constraints on a mobile device would moderate the Firefox de

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by admdrew ( 782761 )
      Yes - I did also originally hate the older Firefox for Android, but the newer incarnations work very well, as long as you've got a semi-decent phone. Some of the older Android phones may be bogged down a little, but anything recent should work well. I have an HTC G2, and am pleased with the speed of the application, and haven't used the Android browser for months. Same goes for tablets - any of the newer/faster tablets run Firefox very well.
      • I have had rather the opposite experience. I have a G2 as well, but mine is running Cyanogenmod 7 (one of the nightly builds, something like 220), and is overclocked to 1.5GHz (dynamic, on-demand governor). Despite that, even running at a straight 1.5GHz with no governor, all the latest builds still run slow as hell. And it's not CM, as my buddy has a G2 that is completely stock, not even rooted, and he gets the same performance. That goes for both the stable and the beta versions. I have yet to try th

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by admdrew ( 782761 )
          Ahh, that sucks... I, too, have cm7 (not a nightly, just the most recent stable), no overclocking, but have very decent performance.

    • The problem seems limited to the Android version, which misbehaves on my Nook Color. However, on my N900 the only limiting factor seems to be the lack of RAM and if not for that it would probably replace the built in browser completely.

  • NoScript is about all that is holding me to FireFox. I would much prefer to use Chrome or Safari, but neither support NoScript.

    • At the very least if your not running...

      stumbleupon,
      adblock plus
      greasemonkey

      then your missing out, I don't use very many, but I've found crazy ones like image referrer spoofers and of course ol trusty firebug and that mini forest of tools.

      I use IE when I don't use firefox, it's slow as hell, but google needs to stop marketing chrome as optional software with other installers for me to ever seriously try it. Don't own a Mac either, so that makes it easy.

      I'm curious though, and if a Linux user can chime in t

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by ewieling ( 90662 )
      Have you looked at NoScripts for chrome?
      http://optimalcycling.com/other-projects/notscripts/

  • Too bad it can't work system-wide... (Score:4, Informative)

    by isaac ( 2852 ) on Monday October 17, 2011 @02:58PM (#37743276)

    My single biggest beef with Android (at least the Sense-flavored version that I have to use due to ActiveSync policies) is that there's no reliable way to disable HTML email and remote element loading. As a result, I'm continually guessing from subjects and senders whether or not a given message is safe to open.

    Google and/or HTC developers really should know better. At least I have a decent browser-only solution now, but I'd prefer something integrated with the base system's webkit (assuming that's what's being used to render HTML in the mail client as well as in the lousy default browser.)

    -Isaac

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by Hatta ( 162192 )

      I'd really like to see a NoScript like system worked into an HTTP proxy. Privoxy can replace Adblock, we need something like that for NoScript. That way it wouldn't matter what browser you use.

      • Privoxy can replace Adblock, we need something like that for NoScript.

        We have it already. It's called.... Privoxy. Surprise!

        In addition to blocking images, it can also block, say, .js files, and also has a regex filter system, which allows you to filter out absolutely any text you want. A global substitution of "script" for "s-c-r-i-p-t" will quite effectively strip all javascript from all pages, and can be selectively turned off. The interface just isn't as friendly.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by jc79 ( 1683494 )

      K9 Mail is a good, free/libre mail client for android that can use ActiveSync. By default, it does not load remote elements in HTML mail. It's in the Android market, cost free.

  • Should those nouns be plural?

  • I have a Nexus One. For whatever reason, Adobe Flash has no "move to SD card" option on my phone. Maybe on all Android phones.

    Because of that, and because every time they rev it they bloat it another megabyte, it now consumes 14 MB out of the 256 MB available in onboard NVRAM. Which means I'm done installing new things until I either buy a new phone or choose to give up other apps. Which I've already had to do twice to accept Adobe Flash updates. Which means I'm down to apps I really didn't want to del

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by syousef ( 465911 )

      I have a Nexus One. For whatever reason, Adobe Flash has no "move to SD card" option on my phone. Maybe on all Android phones.

      If your phone is rooted and you have a backup you could try integrating the update to the ROM with Titanium Backup.

      I used this on Acer Liquid Metal. If I go to a flash site it's still reporting 10.3, but the player settings for 11 work and Youtube works. That does not mean it will work on your phone, or that I won't have problems down the line with mine. Use at your own risk.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by JackAxe ( 689361 )
      Your comment kind of baffles me. It doesn't seem to add up, as you're complaining about something that is completely optional. So if you really wan't no-script, then you're probably in the same camp that doesn't want Flash --- as JavaScript is required just to embed Flash.

      And for reference, Flash 11 takes up 12.83 MB on my Nexus One when I look under manage apps. But going by Astro Manager, it states that the plug-in for 11 is only 4.47 MB in memory. My backed up version of 10.1 is 4.23 MB. So Flash

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by AdamJS ( 2466928 )
      More along the lines of "fuck Android" in general for not supporting the moving of any and all apps to the SD card. This is a matter of user freedom.

  • Sorry, but based on Mozilla's track record of resource-intensive products, and how long they've struggled to compact Firefox down onto a mobile device, I can't see how there's a lot of advantage to using this on one. One of the biggest advantages would be preventing Javascript execution to conserve battery life, but when you're doing this inside Firefox itself you're not really getting ahead. And you're still using more resources just having the add-on, because Firefox add-ons are in fact Javascript thems

    • I'm not a particular fan of noscript but greasemonkey however is a different story and it works on Firefox on android. that seals it for me but ymmv.
  • is that the download is forced via the Android Market... my table doesn't have Android market... it has AppsLib... when I try and go via the android market, I get a snotty message about there being no android phones associated with this account (my gmail account is shown)... OF COURSE THERE ARE NO ANDROID PHONES ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACCOUNT... it's a fsking tablet... not a phone... and my manufacturer has been stupid and not put Android Market on it...
    • You can change your build.prop file, if you want to, and make the market think your tablet is a phone. it can enable the market.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

      is that the download is forced via the Android Market... my table doesn't have Android market... it has AppsLib... when I try and go via the android market, I get a snotty message about there being no android phones associated with this account (my gmail account is shown)... OF COURSE THERE ARE NO ANDROID PHONES ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACCOUNT... it's a fsking tablet... not a phone... and my manufacturer has been stupid and not put Android Market on it...

      Your problem was you bought a cheapass tablet running AOS

  • Full disc encryption to keep the dick cops out of my phone with their Cellebrite cell phone extraction device.

    Then I'll worry about malware from scripts on web pages.

    http://www.npr.org/2011/04/21/135610182/aclu-upset-over-cell-phone-extraction-device [npr.org]

    • Good security is about proper risk assessment. Unless you live a wildly criminal life and/or never surf the web on your phone, your chances of being stopped by the police and having your phone copied is minuscule compared to browsing to a malicious or compromised web site. Don't spend so much time worrying about ebola that you don't get your flu shot.

  • Someone thought that releasing Firefox on a mobile phone was a good idea.
  • Root-agnostic adblock. All the current versions are completely inept.
  • Has anyone actually tried installing this add-on? I figured I'd give it a shot but it just downloads the XPI file and FF mobile won't open them - the 'open' button has no associated action. I've looked around to see why FF would do such a foolish thing but no solutions, only aggravations. Anyone else in the same boat?

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