Blog | G5 Cyber Security

Avast & Firefox Passwords: How to Stop Avast Reading Your Saved Passwords

G5 Cyber Security

TL;DR

Avast AV used to be able to read your saved passwords in Firefox. This is a privacy risk. Here’s how to stop it, and check if it’s still happening.

Solution Guide

  1. Understand the Problem: Avast (and some other antivirus programs) had a feature that could access your saved Firefox passwords. This happened because of how Avast integrated with Firefox’s password manager, and wasn’t always clear to users.
  2. Check if Avast is Still Accessing Passwords:
    • Open Firefox.
    • Type about:config in the address bar and press Enter. You’ll see a warning page – click “Accept the Risk and Continue”.
    • In the search box, type signon.protectedData.
    • If the value is set to true, your passwords are encrypted and protected by Firefox. This is good! If it’s false, Avast might be able to access them (though this is less common now with newer versions).
  3. Disable the Avast Web Shield Password Protection Feature:
    • Open your Avast Antivirus program.
    • Go to Protection > Web Shield.
    • Click on Settings (the cogwheel icon).
    • Scroll down to the section called Exclusions or Exceptions.
    • Add Firefox as an exclusion. The exact method varies depending on your Avast version, but you’ll typically add the Firefox executable file path. This is usually something like: C:Program FilesMozilla Firefoxfirefox.exe (or similar).
    • Some versions of Avast have a specific setting called ‘Password Protection’. If you see this, disable it directly.
  4. Disable the Avast Browser Security Extension in Firefox:
    • Open Firefox.
    • Click on the menu button (three horizontal lines) and go to Add-ons and themes.
    • Go to Extensions.
    • Find any Avast extensions (like ‘Avast Online Security’ or similar).
    • Disable these extensions by clicking the toggle switch.
  5. Reset Firefox Passwords (Optional, but Recommended): If you’re concerned that your passwords may have been compromised, it’s a good idea to reset them.
    • Open Firefox.
    • Type about:logins in the address bar and press Enter.
    • You can delete all saved logins by clicking the three dots menu > ‘Remove All Logins’. Be aware this will remove *all* your passwords, so you’ll need to remember them or use a password manager.
  6. Keep Avast and Firefox Updated: Regularly update both programs to ensure you have the latest security patches.
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