Recurring Unauthorized Scripts/Disable automatic Update

[CowboysFan]

I have a 2-part question which I need help with, and considering I'm a novice, please bear with me and be patient.

My first question deals with the No Script URL/webpage loading whenever I open my browser. I read previously that in order to preclude this I would have to disable the "automatic update" option which I did. However, I have since reset my No Scripts and also deselected the "automatic update" option but the page still opens whenever I open my browser. If anyone knows of a solution, please let me know.

My second and more important question deals with a recurring website showing up in my white list automatically whenever I open my browser. The offender is Hulu.com along with its companion Huluim.com. I have never authorized them permanently nor would I ever do that for any websites including my own online store. That being said, is there a way to revoke them permanently?

IMPORTANT NOTE for No Script. I've noticed that under the "options" window you provide the user to enter a URL to allow scripts. My suggestion and highly recommendation is to implement an equal option for the user to enter a URL and "Block" them. As it stands now the only options you offer is 1) Allow, 2) Remove selected site (here should be an option to deny or block as well, and 3) Revoke temporary permission. Again, it would seem that any options to protect one's privacy is temporary, Moreover, If I know of sites that I would "never" provide permission to load or use scripts, I'd like the option to block them permanently.

Thank you for you help,

CowboysFan

[barbaz]

No Script URL/webpage loading whenever I open my browser

Well, the option for that is in NoScript Options > Notifications, but something seems wrong so I'm not sure un-checking that is the best solution.
There are a lot of forum topics about this issue, but I'm not able to find them through search...
See if anything in this post, or Standard Diagnostic, helps?

My second and more important question deals with a recurring website showing up in my white list automatically whenever I open my browser. The offender is Hulu.com along with its companion Huluim.com. I have never authorized them permanently nor would I ever do that for any websites including my own online store.

Do you have "Temporarily allow top-level sites by default" checked? Or again, is your prefs.js not saving?
Are other settings being saved for your next browser restart?

IMPORTANT NOTE for No Script. I've noticed that under the "options" window you provide the user to enter a URL to allow scripts. My suggestion and highly recommendation is to implement an equal option for the user to enter a URL and "Block" them.

It's blocked by default, why do you think you need this?

If I know of sites that I would "never" provide permission to load or use scripts, I'd like the option to block them permanently.

When you see them, go to NoScript menu > Untrusted > Mark [site] as Untrusted

[cowboysfan]

No Script URL/webpage loading whenever I open my browser

Well, the option for that is in NoScript Options > Notifications, but something seems wrong so I'm not sure un-checking that is the best solution.
There are a lot of forum topics about this issue, but I'm not able to find them through search...
See if anything in this post, or Standard Diagnostic, helps?

My second and more important question deals with a recurring website showing up in my white list automatically whenever I open my browser. The offender is Hulu.com along with its companion Huluim.com. I have never authorized them permanently nor would I ever do that for any websites including my own online store.

Do you have "Temporarily allow top-level sites by default" checked? Or again, is your prefs.js not saving?
Are other settings being saved for your next browser restart?

No I don't have the "temporarily allow top-level sites" checked. As for the prefs.js not saving, I'm not sure but if I had to guess it's not because I haven't made any changes to ns before the hulu miraculously appeared and keeps recurring.

IMPORTANT NOTE for No Script. I've noticed that under the "options" window you provide the user to enter a URL to allow scripts. My suggestion and highly recommendation is to implement an equal option for the user to enter a URL and "Block" them.

It's blocked by default, why do you think you need this?

If I know of sites that I would "never" provide permission to load or use scripts, I'd like the option to block them permanently.

When you see them, go to NoScript menu > Untrusted > Mark [site] as Untrusted

Thanks for this recommendation, but I've done that previously and it worked. However, and recently Hulu figured out a way to reoccur on my ns and when it does, the option to "revoke temporary permission" is no longer available to choose. My only option is to "remove selected sites" with the revoke option somehow being disabled.

Any thoughts?


BTW, I was shocked when I came here today and noticed that in order to post here the user is relegated to allowing Google Scripts for the captcha which sorta defeats the whole privacy thing in light of "google" being the biggest privacy violator and offender on the net. Bad choice ns....bad, bad, bad.

[barbaz]

As for the prefs.js not saving, I'm not sure but if I had to guess it's not because I haven't made any changes to ns before the hulu miraculously appeared and keeps recurring.

OK see what happens if you uncheck "Display the release notes on updates" in NoScript Options > Notifications then click OK.. does it actually stay un-checked after browser restart?
(if so, might want to check it again until you solve whatever is causing NS to think it's a fresh install each browser startup)

and recently Hulu figured out a way to reoccur on my ns and when it does, the option to "revoke temporary permission" is no longer available to choose. My only option is to "remove selected sites" with the revoke option somehow being disabled.

Any thoughts?

I suppose it could be another extension adding Hulu to your whitelist. Does disabling all extensions other than NoScript (Tools > Add-ons Manager) make this stop? If so, what extension is the culprit?
In case it's malware, anything unusual / out of place in Add-ons Manager or about:support?
Also, what if you manually edit about:config > noscript.untrusted as follows:
- If the entry added to your whitelist is a 2nd-level domain, like 'noscript.net', add the following 3 entries as follows:

• 1) noscript.net - in alphabetical order among the other only-domain entries
• 2) http://noscript.net - in alphabetical order among other entries beginning with http
• 3) https://noscript.net - in alphabetical order among other entries beginning with https

- If the entry is *more* than a 2nd-level-domain, like 'forums.informaction.com', only add the domain as you see it in alphabetical order among the other only-domain entries.

Examples only, replace with what you actually see.

BTW, I was shocked when I came here today and noticed that in order to post here the user is relegated to allowing Google Scripts for the captcha which sorta defeats the whole privacy thing in light of "google" being the biggest privacy violator and offender on the net. Bad choice ns....bad, bad, bad.

NoScript is a security tool, not a privacy tool...
Also, if you register you don't have to put up with the CAPTCHA each time and you don't see any google scripts on this board anymore.

[cowboysfan]

As for the prefs.js not saving, I'm not sure but if I had to guess it's not because I haven't made any changes to ns before the hulu miraculously appeared and keeps recurring.

OK see what happens if you uncheck "Display the release notes on updates" in NoScript Options > Notifications then click OK.. does it actually stay un-checked after browser restart?
(if so, might want to check it again until you solve whatever is causing NS to think it's a fresh install each browser startup)

and recently Hulu figured out a way to reoccur on my ns and when it does, the option to "revoke temporary permission" is no longer available to choose. My only option is to "remove selected sites" with the revoke option somehow being disabled.

Any thoughts?

I suppose it could be another extension adding Hulu to your whitelist. Does disabling all extensions other than NoScript (Tools > Add-ons Manager) make this stop? If so, what extension is the culprit?
In case it's malware, anything unusual / out of place in Add-ons Manager or about:support?
Also, what if you manually edit about:config > noscript.untrusted as follows:
- If the entry added to your whitelist is a 2nd-level domain, like 'noscript.net', add the following 3 entries as follows:

• 1) noscript.net - in alphabetical order among the other only-domain entries
• 2) http://noscript.net - in alphabetical order among other entries beginning with http
• 3) https://noscript.net - in alphabetical order among other entries beginning with https

- If the entry is *more* than a 2nd-level-domain, like 'forums.informaction.com', only add the domain as you see it in alphabetical order among the other only-domain entries.

Examples only, replace with what you actually see.

BTW, I was shocked when I came here today and noticed that in order to post here the user is relegated to allowing Google Scripts for the captcha which sorta defeats the whole privacy thing in light of "google" being the biggest privacy violator and offender on the net. Bad choice ns....bad, bad, bad.

NoScript is a security tool, not a privacy tool...
Also, if you register you don't have to put up with the CAPTCHA each time and you don't see any google scripts on this board anymore.

Hi Barbaz,

Thank you so much for your patients and recommendations, however I still haven't had any success.

Ok, please bear with me again as I try to explain what happened. By your recommendations I disabled all of my extensions, restarted my computer after doing a quick scan with IOBit Malware bites and Hulu.com still showed up. Also, just FYI, as a privacy advocate I am very diligent with my privacy and barely allow any extensions or plug-ins on my computer while I"m surfing the net..ie.... shockwave, java script, silverlight and so on. In fact, I only allow java and shockwave while visiting sites like Youtube per session, so they're not always open and running. I"m also very vigilant with running at least 4 anti-virus/malware programs daily so I would be surprised if I have malware.

That being said, I tried to follow your instructions to manually enter the URLs you mentioned but couldn't find the about: configure option on ns. I took several screenshots to share so that you can see what's going on with my scripts and to better guide me but there's no option for attachments separate from a URL. This is also something ns can change or implement. I'm also still under the belief that besides a "revoke permission" option being available an option to permanently block scripts by URL should be implemented in the event a novice user like myself somehow may be mistakenly allowed an unwanted URL.

At any rate, I also made sure that "Base 2nd level Domains (noscript.net)" is unchecked so I'm at a loss. If you can walk me through where I can find the "about:config" option I would appreciate it because I want

Thanks again,

Cowboysfan

[barbaz]

Please don't quote an entire post in one big block if it's long (like mine was). It makes it awkward for people replying to you to quote your post.

By your recommendations I disabled all of my extensions, restarted my computer

No need to restart computer, just restart the browser, *leave all extensions except NS disabled*, remove hulu, then restart the browser again...

I would be surprised if I have malware.

Me too, especially after hearing how you maintain your system, and also since hulu.com isn't the sort of site I'd expect to turn up like that with a malware infection...

That being said, I tried to follow your instructions to manually enter the URLs you mentioned but couldn't find the about: configure option on ns.

OK based on that one statement, now I'm going to advise you, before touching about:config at all:
1) Completely shut down Fx
2) Find your profile folder
3) Back up that entire folder to an external disk, then remove the external disk from your system
Now that you've done that...

No, you literally type 'about:config' (without quotes) in your *browser's* address bar and hit Enter. You should be presented with a warning saying that you may void your warranty. Go ahead and promise to be careful, and then in the filter bar, type 'noscript.' (again, without quotes). You now should have a list of entries mostly 'noscript.[whatever]' on the left, column saying 'default' or 'user set', column 'Type' saying boolean integer or string, and a column of values for the named settings listed on the left.
To modify a pref, double-click it.

I took several screenshots to share so that you can see what's going on with my scripts and to better guide me but there's no option for attachments separate from a URL.

What is the URL you used?
If you can view the images directly from the server, you can choose to have your screenshots display directly in a post using img tags rather than linking to it, if you prefer.

I'm also still under the belief that besides a "revoke permission" option being available an option to permanently block scripts by URL should be implemented in the event a novice user like myself somehow may be mistakenly allowed an unwanted URL.

NoScript menu > Untrusted

[cowboysfan]

Hi Barbs,

I finally got around to resuming the recurring scripts issues with your recommendation(s) to delete the existing profile.

Well, I did copy the profile to an SD card then deleted the Mozilla/Fx profile, but I lost all of my extensions, add-ons, bookmarks and my samfind tool bar with my additional favorite bookmarks. I tried to reinstate them but for some reason I can't. After I thought about it I should've exported the favorites and bookmarks as an html if I am correct? That being said, is there anyway I can reinstate or recover my bookmarks?

BTW, your recommendation did in fact resolve the unauthorized recurring issue with Hulu.com and Huluim.com showing up in my scripts.

Thanks for your patience and I look forward to your next reply and recommendation on how to restore my bookmarks etc....


Cowboysfan.

[barbaz]

Hi Barbs,

I finally got around to resuming the recurring scripts issues with your recommendation(s) to delete the existing profile.

Erm, where did I recommend to blow away your entire profile? Can you please quote the part where you think I suggested that?
I mean, yeah that might get it but seems a bit of an overreaction no?

Well, I did copy the profile to an SD card

Good, grab that backup, and...

I lost all of my extensions, add-ons, bookmarks and my samfind tool bar with my additional favorite bookmarks.

...shut down Fx, then *copy* back places.sqlite and localstore.rdf (or is it called something like xulstore.json now? Just in case, copy that too if it's there) to the new profile. Your bookmarks and toolbar settings should be back.
Before re-starting Fx copy the extensions directory too if you want all your add-ons back, but I suspect if you do that and confirm the installation of all your add-ons, there's a good chance the issue will return... (if it does, you KNOW it's an add-on being naughty causing that issue)
At least this will give you a good chance to make sure you know about all the add-ons you had.


Make sure *not* to modify your profile backup at all! because keeping the backup allows you to 1) recover and fix the old profile if you care to, 2) (if the issue does in fact return) blow away your profile again and re-copy the data you care about, re-installing addons manually, to make double sure what you've got is clean, or 3) grab other data from the old profile as you find you need it.

[cowboysfan]

Hi Barbs,

Clearly I misunderstood your instructions by deleting my Fx profile. Remember my very first statement when seeking help that I am a novice and requested patience because I'm not computer savvy.

Nevertheless, I will try to follow your recent recommendations as best as I can understand being that as confusing they are to someone like me who is very new to this whole concept. Once I complete your recommendations I will give you and update.

Thanks again for your help,

Cowboysfan.

[cowboysfan]

UPDATE:

Barbs,

Something went completely wrong. I followed your last instructions to copy the places and localstore to the new profile and it didn't work. So, I did a system restore just to see if that would resolve my bookmarks, favorites and samfind issue then approach the Hulu.com/Huluim.com issue from scratch and now I can't get Fx to open. I keep getting an error message that says "can't open XPCOM."

I also did a windows diagnostic for my network connections which it couldn't fix, so I'm using IE which I am not a fan of.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Cowboysfan

[Thrawn]

Any suggestions?

Delete and re-install Firefox?

[cowboysfan]

UPDATE: Jan 27th

Hi Barbaz,

Whew.... the restore worked partially but apparently for whatever reason the "XPCOM" file was missing which happens either for a reinstall or update. So, rather than looking for the missing dll file to make the XPCOM work, I reinstalled Fx over the existing one after the restore and wallah it worked. This also addresses "Thrawn's" recommendation to delete and reinstall.

Oh, just FYI. I did an internet search for this issue using IE and found that one person (for whatever reason) got the XPCOM to work when he added Fx to his "startup" folder. Just thought you'd like to know this.

So after everything was said and done with regards to recovering my bookmarks, favorites and samfind I'm back to square one with the recurring Hulu.com/Huluim.com problem. Therefore, I am still open for other recommendations from "Barbaz" to resolve this problem.

Thanks for your help,

Cowboysfan

[barbaz]

So after everything was said and done with regards to recovering my bookmarks, favorites and samfind I'm back to square one with the recurring Hulu.com/Huluim.com problem.

What, exactly, did you copy from your profile backup (or otherwise restore) into the profile used by the browser, between when you didn't have the issue and when you started seeing the issue again?

[cowboyfan]

Hi Barbaz,

That is a good question and I haven't done anything. Actually, the restore point that I used was from December, so I have no idea what happened prior to that which allowed the recurring Hulu issue. I don't ever recall (and would never give any site) Hulu permanent permission to allow scripts. That being said, I still at a loss how to fix this and would love a solution so that I don't have remove it daily whenever I open my browser.

[barbaz]

OK I don't know whether any of the profile would have gotten restored with a System Restore (I don't personally use Windows), so please repeat the clean profile tests I suggested above with a new clean profile, keeping track of what you're doing, so that you can isolate the culprit this time.
(You do *not* need to touch your Firefox install for this. *Only* the profile folder...
And again, make sure Fx is *not* running when you manually copy things to and from a profile.)

EDIT Oh.. I should be asking, what extensions do you have? (Tools > Add-ons Manager)