1807553 - [meta] Biometric authentication for private mode

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(Firefox for Android :: Privacy, enhancement)

Description

[Chris Peterson [:cpeterson]]

From github: https://github.com/mozilla-mobile/fenix/issues/5387.

We should consider adding biometric authentication for private mode. This would help us with Focus parity.

┆Issue is synchronized with this Jira Task

Change performed by the Move to Bugzilla add-on.

Comment 1

[[:user729569]]

Why limit this to just private mode?

On my Android phone, in Firefox, in non private mode,
I am logged in to all kinds of websites.

To ruin my life, all someone needs to do is:

• snatch my phone while it is unlocked
• keep it unlocked by touching the screen every few seconds
• run away with it to a secret hideout

The thief now has access to all of my browsers 🍪
and can use any website they want authenticated as me.

After adding a biometrics option, this could still happen if the browser
is left open, but this can be resolved by adding an optional timeout.

Comment 3

[[:user729569]]

:Gela Please consider my comment above, the biometric authentication is a necessary feature for ALL of Firefox mobile, not just private mode. In fact, private mode could do without this feature because cookies are discarded at the end of the browsing session.

Comment 4

[[:user729569]]

:Gela At the moment I use Samsung Secure Folder with biometric authentication to protect my browser cookies.

Comment 5

[[:user729569]]

:Gela And by the way, I've implemented this feature before in an Android app, it literally takes about 10 minutes, I don't know why something as important as this has taken so long.

Comment 8

[:Gela]

Moving forward please add follow up tickets to the phase 2 meta. This one will be closed soon as soon as QA is done.

Phase 2 meta: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1971378