1736922 - Only ask for primary password when pinned tab is actually used after session restore

Status: NEW

(Toolkit :: Password Manager, defect, P3)

Description

[Phillip Sz]

Firefox should only ask for the primary password when its actually needed. This is the case when "normal" tabs are restored, but not with pinned tabs, where it asks for the primary password on startup every time even though the pinned tab is never used. This results in the annoying behaviour that every time the browser is started Firefox will ask for the primary password, when a pinned tab needs the credentials, even if the tab actually is never used.

How to reproduce:

1. Set Firefox to restore tabs and set a primary password
2. Save credentials for a website, where you need to login again after every time you close the browser (the page should automatically log you out)
3. Pin a tab with that website and open a new tab
4. Close and reopen Firefox and it will ask for the primary password, even though the page that need it is not displayed

It is not clear for the user why the password needs to be entered. I would suggest to handle pinned tabs in the same way normal tabs are, that the primary password is only asked for when in use.

Comment 1

[Sam Foster [:sfoster] (he/him)]

Just some background here: the distinction between pinned tabs and normal tabs is that on session restore, the pinned tabs actually load their documents. The assumption is that you will almost certainly be using them. So if that document has a login form on it, Firefox will see if it can autofill and to do that it needs your primary password to decrypt the login store.

I do see your point. I guess it depends on how people use pinned tabs and what their expectations are.

Comment 2

[Tim Giles [:tgiles]]

Hi there, thanks for filing this.

Just leaving some more context on this bug, here's what is causing the primary password prompt: we have a special condition when the primary password is set.

The primary reason we show this primary password prompt as soon as possible, is because there is a chance that this prompt will break tab strips when moving tabs around (Bug 1539091, Bug 1538460).