Firefox is a very popular browser for Windows and Linux alike. If you are using Firefox on a shared computer, then the obvious question comes to mind what of other people change your Firefox settings. There are many solutions to this problem like using different user accounts in Windows, using a portable Firefox version or much simpler – just use the Public Fox browser extension. The Public Fox browser extension locks down your Firefox settings, downloads and bookmarks from unauthenticated modifications.
You can install the Public Fox add-on from the Mozilla add-ons website. The installation of this add-on requires you to restart the web browser and it can be used immediately after the restart. After the restart, you will not see any new menu or icon in the Firefox browser. The settings and options for the Public Fox can only be accessed from the add-on settings page that you can open by typing about:addons in the location bar.
In the Public Fox settings, you can lock downloads, add-ons, bookmarks, history, Firefox options, toolbar customization and more. You can also block URLs by adding a URL in the blacklist. You can specify file extensions that you do not want to be downloaded. This way you can prevent people from downloading software that can harm your computer. You can lock down all these options by supplying a lock password. After Firefox is locked, if someone tries to access any of the locked features it would ask for an authentication password.
So if you want to quickly lock down your Firefox browser against that attack of your kids or a nosy friend, then you can make use of the Public Fox extension. It is a very nice way to prevent the Firefox settings, bookmarks and other features from being altered by other people. It can also block the blacklisted websites for other users.
You can download and install the Public Fox add-on from https://addons.mozilla.org/.