All extensions disabled due to expiration of intermediate signing cert

Update: We have rolled out a partial fix for this issue. We generated a new intermediate certificate with the same name/key but an updated validity window and pushed it out to users via Normandy (this should be most users). Users who have Normandy on should see their add-ons start working over the next few hours. We are continuing to work on packaging up the new certificate for users who have Normandy disabled.

I've been through all of Firefox `about:config` a few times in the past, fixing preferences to, e.g., try to disable umpteen different services that leak info or create potential vulnerabilities gratuitously, but this is the first I recall hearing of Normandy.

Apparently I missed `app.normandy.enabled`, because I think I would've remembered a name with connotations of a bloody massive surprise attack.

Incidentally, `app.normandy.enabled` defaults to `true` in the `firefox-esr` Debian Stable package. Which seems wrong for an ESR.

For personal use (not development), I run 3 browsers (for features/configurations and an extra bit of compartmentalization): Tor Browser for most things, Firefox ESR with privacy tweaks for the small number of things that require login, and Chromium without much privacy tweaks for the rare occasion that a crucial site refuses to work with my TB or FF setup.

Today's crucial cert administration oops, plus learning of yet another very questionable remote capability/vector, plus the questionable preferences-changing being enabled even for ESR... is making me even less comfortable with the Web browser standards "big moat" barrier to entry situation.

I know Mozilla has some very forthright people, but I'd really like to see a conspicuous and pervasive focus on privacy&security, throughout the organization, which, at this point, would shake up a lot of things. Then, with the high ground established unambiguously, I'd like to see actively reversing some of the past surveillance&brochure tendencies in some standards. And also see some more creative approaches to what a browser can be, despite a hostile and exploitive environment. Or maybe Brave turns out to be a better vehicle for that, but I still want to believe in Mozilla.

I too use Debian's Firefox ESR. I noticed the "Allow Firefox to install and run studies" option in Privacy & Security Preferences a long time ago. It was unchecked and greyed out (i.e., unclickable), and a label below it says "Data reporting is disabled for this build configuration", so I gave it no further thought. This morning I woke up and launched Firefox, noticed this headline, and then noticed my extensions were still running. I looked in about:config and lo and behold, app.normandy.enabled=default [true]. I'll be filing a bug with debian to disable this in the build configuration.

Edit: There are some questions about whether Normandy is really enabled in Debian Firefox ESR even if the about:config setting defaults to true. I've filed a bug report, and I'm sure once a Debian maintainer has a chance to look at it we'll find out the answer.

https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=928433

Edit2: It should go without saying, but please do not spam this bug report with "me too" and its ilk.

> noticed my extensions were still running.

Reportedly, Firefox only checks the date once per day, so if it hasn’t yet checked for you today, this will be the result.

> I looked in about:config and lo and behold, app.normandy.enabled=default [true].

I would assume that the config setting only has any effect if the feature is available in the build. Which it isn’t in Debian.

that would be good news, how can I verify that the Normandy feature isn't available in the Debian build?

Has Mozilla provided instructions to manually fix the issue? if so where? (XORcat was helpful to provide a solution, but I refuse to apply it if it doesn't come from Mozilla itself...)