Passwords stored by Firefox

[Tim]

Allegedly, on or about 15 February 2015, Timothy Murphy sent:
> I was rather surprised to find that I could read the passwords
> stored by Mozilla/Firefox (Preferences=>Security).
> I always assumed they were encrypted in some way.
> Pure ignorance, I guess.

If someone has unfettered access to your computer, the point is moot.

If they can read your files, locally or remotely, only very high grade
encryption is going to help you, and the depth required is probably
going to be restrictive to you in some annoying ways.

If they can walk up and use your computer, even that's not going to help
you (your initial log-in process will have unlocked many things to "just
work" as you use the GUI).  You really need to lock the session, or log
out.

I'm of the opposite vein.  I really appreciate being able to view
passwords stored on my computer.  There are so many different things
that require logon credentials that I cannot remember all of them all of
the time.  And I hate those blanked off password gadgets that obscure
what you type in, so you can't see any typos.  Even the type your new
password in twice, into two separate gadgets, don't prevent you from
making a typo that you find out about much later on, and then spend
hours trying out all the possible typos you might have made to crack
your own password.

-- 
[tim at localhost ~]$ uname -rsvp
Linux 3.9.10-100.fc17.x86_64 #1 SMP Sun Jul 14 01:31:27 UTC 2013 x86_64

All mail to my mailbox is automatically deleted, there is no point
trying to privately email me, I will only read messages posted to the
public lists.

George Orwell's '1984' was supposed to be a warning against tyranny, not
a set of instructions for supposedly democratic governments.

ZNQR LBH YBBX