Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

preventing installation of plugins

  • 4 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 49 views
  • Last reply by cor-el

more options

I brought my father a new PC and three months later had to do a complete windows reset because he does not know how to browse the internet. He infected it with malware, causing software errors, and causing some Win 8 files to be corrupted where Blue Screens of Death started to appear. All but one malware was removed and the unremoveable one was one of those persistent ones that keep reinstalling itself as a browser plugin. What I need to know is how to prevent firefox from being able to download and install plugins. I setup a basic secondary account (a standard user user, no admin privileges), setup the windows 8.1 family filter and the internet security software's own family for two layers of protection, but I can not prevent firefox from downloading/installing new plugins. How do I make it impossible to add plugins unless permission is granted? The fact that firefox (I use 29.0.1) can potentially install plugins when the user account I setup blocks software installation is a security risk for me.

I brought my father a new PC and three months later had to do a complete windows reset because he does not know how to browse the internet. He infected it with malware, causing software errors, and causing some Win 8 files to be corrupted where Blue Screens of Death started to appear. All but one malware was removed and the unremoveable one was one of those persistent ones that keep reinstalling itself as a browser plugin. What I need to know is how to prevent firefox from being able to download and install plugins. I setup a basic secondary account (a standard user user, no admin privileges), setup the windows 8.1 family filter and the internet security software's own family for two layers of protection, but I can not prevent firefox from downloading/installing new plugins. How do I make it impossible to add plugins unless permission is granted? The fact that firefox (I use 29.0.1) can potentially install plugins when the user account I setup blocks software installation is a security risk for me.

All Replies (4)

more options

I also downloaded and installed software that sandboxes programs for another layer of defense.

more options

Chosen Solution

more options

Thank you, it worked!

more options

Note that the local-settings.js file is located in the defaults\pref folder where also the channel-prefs.js file is located to specify using mozilla.cfg.

See also: