Firefox v43.0 Disables AVAST Online Security

[Cluster-Lizard2014]

Just updated Firefox to v43.0 and as some people have been warning for months they have done what they threatened to do and now any extensions or plugins that are unsigned will be disabled.

AVAST has had all this time to get their Online Security/WebRep extension verified for Firefox but with this update that appears not have been done, at least with the AVAST version I'm using.

Thankfully it is possible to override this particular example of Firefox's minor but increasingly annoying 'improvements' in the browser configuration settings but that is certainly not an ideal solution.

http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/add-on-signing-in-firefox?as=u

I'm going to complain on the Mozilla Firefox forum about this. What irony: blocking extensions from a well known and widely used AV like AVAST, designed to make browsing safer and all because Mozilla want to make browsing safer.   
   

[DavidR]

The AOS add-on should be signed, try uninstalling AOS and then reinstall it.

[Cluster-Lizard2014]

Thanks. I'll give it a go.

I did try restarting Firefox (again) as suggested in the other thread about this which I found had already been started but that certainly didn't work.

[Tangy]

You can try the following:

    type about:config in the browser's address bar then enter.
    Confirm you will be careful if the prompt appears.
    Search for xpinstall.signatures.required.
    Double-click the preference to set it to false.

See if that works.

[Cluster-Lizard2014]

That's what I'd already done but thanks.

The AVAST Firefox browser integration uninstall suggestion didn't work. What I mean is the uninstall worked fine, Firefox showed no AVAST extension being listed as an Addon on reboot. So I shut down Firefox again, used CCleaner to wipe history, cache etc and then re-installed the AVAST Firefox browser integration stuff.

No problems but on reboot no WebRep icon and when I went to Firefox Addons the same original message about it being unsigned.

BTW I am using AVAST v.8.0.1497.  I know its old but my ageing laptop didn't like the last AVAST program update I tried and I had a job getting it back to this, IMHO, more attractive, unobtrusive version. I don't want to go through that again if it can be avoided.

   

[DavidR]

I didn't have any problem with the AOS add-on in the FF 43.0 update, but I did have an issue with an old spell checking add-on that is no longer developed.

I went in and changed the xpinstall.signatures.required back to false and that resolves that.

I don't know exactly what you are seeing, my AOS add-on is just fine and the other spell check add-on whilst it is flagged Proceed with caution it is now accepted and is running.

[Cluster-Lizard2014]

If you turned xpinstall.signatures.required to false AOS/WebRep and anything else unsigned of course is going to display and work as normal. That is the problem: you have to switch off the new Firefox signed addon requirement to keep them working.

It would have been easier and safer is AVAST had simply ensured their addon signing was applied to all AVAST versions and not, as is apparently the case, just the most recent ones.

AOS/WebRep are safe addons signed or not. I don't intend to install new addons any time soon, and if I did I'd almost certainly look for ones which are signed correctly. So there is no problem.

But what would happen if, as Mozilla originally threatened, they made it mandatory to use sign addons?

The current option for "advanced users" to opt out is a good decision, the right thing to do and in the true spirit that Mozilla claim to want uphold about freedom choice and keeping Firefox as user customiseable as possible. But it isn't what they said were going to do and I have the feeling that it is going to be taken away eventually. 

[Tangy]

I think Avast have already done that.
Please read reply#13 here : https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=180490.0

I updated to FF43 and did not encounter any problems with any of the add ons I have installed including AOS ( Please see my signature ).
I have not set xpinstall.signatures.required to false.

Cheers

[Cluster-Lizard2014]

That thread was referred to earlier here and I made clear I had seen it and tried the suggestion there to uninstall the AVAST Firefox browser AOS/WebRep components and then reinstall them.

I did that earlier today and the 'silent update' to install the signed version of AOS for older versions mentioned in the thread doesn't seem to have been applied in my case.

[Rednose]

No idea if the AOS update for older Avast versions can be "forced" to solve this.
I will put this forward.

Greetz, Red.

[MartinZ]

That thread was referred to earlier here and I made clear I had seen it and tried the suggestion there to uninstall the AVAST Firefox browser AOS/WebRep components and then reinstall them.

I did that earlier today and the 'silent update' to install the signed version of AOS for older versions mentioned in the thread doesn't seem to have been applied in my case.

Hi,

we didn't send the silent update to the old V8 version, so it won't work in your case ;-(
In your case is best to uninstall the plugin, then go to my.avast.com and install the plugin offered there.

[REDACTED]

Hi, i would like to ask some help to my problem as with the Firefox update to version 43.0 not only my Avast Online Security disables but also my Premium Version of EasyPass Password Protected and that is definitely an issue that i want to be solved ASAP.
Any help please?
Thanks

[Cluster-Lizard2014]

That thread was referred to earlier here and I made clear I had seen it and tried the suggestion there to uninstall the AVAST Firefox browser AOS/WebRep components and then reinstall them.

I did that earlier today and the 'silent update' to install the signed version of AOS for older versions mentioned in the thread doesn't seem to have been applied in my case.

Hi,

we didn't send the silent update to the old V8 version, so it won't work in your case ;-(
In your case is best to uninstall the plugin, then go to my.avast.com and install the plugin offered there.

I suspected that is what is was as, belatedly, I've just found info explaining that older AVAST versions from 8.0.1497 (the version I'm using) back aren't being supported any more except for definition updates. Would have been helpful if I'd know this earlier but I do now.

I'll try this new suggestion and see what happens, thanks for the help.   

[DavidR]

If you turned xpinstall.signatures.required to false AOS/WebRep and anything else unsigned of course is going to display and work as normal. That is the problem: you have to switch off the new Firefox signed addon requirement to keep them working.
<snip>

AS I said I didn't have any problem with AOS in 43.0 before I made the change to xpinstall.signatures.required to false. I only did that to cater for another add-on my spell check add-on (Not AOS).

[MartinZ]

That thread was referred to earlier here and I made clear I had seen it and tried the suggestion there to uninstall the AVAST Firefox browser AOS/WebRep components and then reinstall them.

I did that earlier today and the 'silent update' to install the signed version of AOS for older versions mentioned in the thread doesn't seem to have been applied in my case.

Hi,

we didn't send the silent update to the old V8 version, so it won't work in your case ;-(
In your case is best to uninstall the plugin, then go to my.avast.com and install the plugin offered there.

I suspected that is what is was as, belatedly, I've just found info explaining that older AVAST versions from 8.0.1497 (the version I'm using) back aren't being supported any more except for definition updates. Would have been helpful if I'd know this earlier but I do now.

I'll try this new suggestion and see what happens, thanks for the help.

Or you can update Avast to latest version