Make Firefox flag secure web pages in Ubuntu and Mint
- TAGS:Firefox, HTTPS, Linux, Mint, SSL, Ubuntu
- IT TOPICS:Applications, Cybercrime & Hacking, Internet, Linux & Unix
In my last posting I described an update to the Firefox userChrome.css file that makes it display secure HTTPS web pages with a green address bar. The idea being, to make HTTPS pages more obvious and thus, hopefully, we can train ourselves to only enter sensitive information on green web pages. Â
The last posting only addressed Windows, the modification needed in Linux is a bit different.
UBUNTU 8.10
In Ubuntu 8.10, navigate to the folder where the userChrome.css file belongs by starting in the Places menu, then clicking on "Home Folder" at the top. Then click on "View" on the menu bar and turn on the checkbox to "Show Hidden Files". Scroll down to the .mozilla folder and double-click on it, then double-click on the "firefox" folder. There should be a folder named xxxxxxxx.default where the Xs represent eight random characters. Double-click on this folder, then double-click on the "chrome" folder.Â
The path to the folder is illustrated below.Â
If there is a userChrome.css file (unlikely), then double-click on it to open the file in the gedit text editor. If there is a file called userChrome-example.css (very likely), then copy it and rename the copy to userChrome.css.
Modify this file by adding the two lines below. Note that this modification is similar to, but not exactly the same as, the Windows modification.
{ background-color: #D0F2C4 !important; }
Save the userChrome.css file and, if Firefox is running, restart it.
LINUX MINT 6
After fellow Computerworld blogger Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols recommended the Mint distro, I gave it a try.
Mint users can start with the desktop icon for their home directory. In my case it was called "Michaels Home". Then, as with Ubuntu, you need to click on the View menu option and show hidden files. There should be a ".mozilla" folder which contains a "firefox" folder.
At this point I was confronted with something I hadn't seen before despite making this change on many computers. There were two profile folders, both following the standard "xxxxxxxx.default" naming convention. I opted for the one with the most recent date and that worked.
Finally, navigate down to the "chrome" folder. Everything about modifying the userChrome.css file in Ubuntu applies equally to Mint.
If you need a secure web page to verify the zap with try
https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2
While you're at it, you can check your firewall. Mint users may find theirs is disabled by default.
Update February 22, 2009: The color in the specification above was initially wrong (it was a light yellow). This has been corrected, the correct light green color is #D0F2C4.
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