"Verify web browser code signature" disabled. Is there a better way?

jayca

I have recently disabled the "Verify web browser code signature" on my Windows PC, because every time I launched Chrome and attempted to access the 1Password extension, it'd forward me to a page that said it was looking for the 1Password helper. It wouldn't have any problems finding said helper, but it was rather aggravating to have that happen every time I tried using the 1Password extension after launching Chrome. Once it finds it, I'm able to access my vault and such for that session alone. So, I read in another forum 1Password forum that disabling "Verify web browser code signature" would rectify the issue, and for the most part, it does; it's only happened a handful of times since disabling the feature. My only worry is that, in doing so, I'm compromising my own security. So, my question is: Are you working on a patch or fix that would allow me to have the "Verify web browser code signature" feature enabled, while also squashing whatever bug that causes the extension to look for the 1Password helper after launching Chrome?

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1Password Version: 4.6.0.584
Extension Version: 4.4.2.90
OS Version: Windows 8.1 64-bit
Sync Type: Dropbox
Referrer: kb:disable-browser-validation

AGAlumB

@jayca: No. We cannot 'patch' this, as that would mean ignoring the fact that your browser can't be validated. This is a security feature, because we really don't want 1Password sending your data to an unknown entity (and you shouldn't either!) There are a few reasons this could be happening, and unfortunately none are related to 1Password and all are a little bit creepy:

1. Other software you intentionally installed on your computer (security, firewall, proxy) is intercepting or blocking connections between 1Password and its extensions
2. Other software you inadvertently installed (malware) is intercepting or blocking connections
3. Your browser itself has been modified, such that it doesn't match it's own signature
4. Your browser itself is infected

Ultimately the hope is that it's #1, so if you have "security" software running on your computer that's where I'd start. Often you can simply make an exception to let 1Password talk to its own extension, although sometimes it isn't as simple as that. If you're still having trouble, please check out this guide to see if any of the tips here apply to your situation:

Troubleshooting communication issues between 1Password and the extension

And be sure to let us know what software you're using that might be (or is) causing the issue and we'll see what we can do to help you work around it. :)

jayca

That's understandable. I do have both Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2015 installed on my PC, so hopefully I don't have any malware/viruses on my computer, but I'll poke around a bit in both applications to see if either of them are blocking or intercepting connections between 1Password and its extensions. I should also point out that I, personally, didn't modify Chrome nor did I intentionally download a modified version of Chrome. I'll report back with any new findings. Thank you for your prompt and thorough response. :)

AGAlumB

I should also point out that I, personally, didn't modify Chrome nor did I intentionally download a modified version of Chrome.

@jayca: I'd be surprised if you did, but I wanted to be thorough. It's possible that a download could simply be corrupt as well.

I'll report back with any new findings. Thank you for your prompt and thorough response. :)

You're very welcome! It sounds like it's probably an AV configuration issue. I'm not aware of specific issues with Malwarebytes or Bitdefender, so it's likely that simply whitelisting 1Password and/or 127.0.0.1/localhost connections will do the trick, but I look forward to hearing back from you. :)

keg

The

"Chrome is connected but its code signature could not be verified.
Filling and other features are disabled until this issue is resolved."
Error message started coming today.
There should have been no changes to my Google Chrome browser since yesterday.

From the information in the "View Troubleshooting Guide", it seems
that this is some result of 1Password checking if Chrome has been hacked.
So I have re-downloaded and re-installed the latest Google Chrome.
Version 44.0.2403.130 m
and code signature message still comes.

I think the 1Password program updated to a new version yesterday.
Is this a problem with 1Password?

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1Password Version: 4.6.0.584
Extension Version: 4.4.2.90
OS Version: windows 10
Sync Type: Not Provided
Referrer: kb:invalid-code-signature-win

AGAlumB

I think the 1Password program updated to a new version yesterday. Is this a problem with 1Password?

@keg: No. I hope you don't mind, but I've merged your post into an existing thread. Please see my post above for a more complete explanation, but suffice to say that we really don't want 1Password sending your data to an unknown entity, so when something is preventing 1Password from validating your browser, it disables the extension as a security measure. Be sure to let me know if you have any questions! :)

jayca

@brenty: Thank you for your thorough approach to my inquiry. I checked to see if Windows Firewall closed/blocked any ports that 1Password requires to function properly. I allowed a few weeks to pass, observing if the amends that I made to Windows Firewall allowed the "Verify web code signature" option to be enabled. However, I was still running into the aforementioned problem, except a new problem arose: The 1Password extension would fail to find the 1Password helper the first few times. I started noticing this about a week or so ago. Today, I delved into Windows Firewall settings yet again, only to find that a few Inbound Rules for 1Password were disabled, so I went ahead and enabled them. I will update in a few days if this solves my issue. Thank you kindly for your assistance so far! :)

AGAlumB

@jayca: You're most welcome! I'm sorry to hear you're still having some issues, but this does sound promising. Thanks so much for the update! I'm interested to hear what the ultimate solution is in your case, in as much detail as possible, in case it helps others with a similar setup. :)

jayca

@brenty: Hello! It's been a lot longer than a few days, but I've decided to try and solve this once and for all. >_<

Recently, I've upgraded my PC to Windows 10 (making a restore point beforehand and resetting to factory settings, so as to keep the possible areas of conflict low), and promptly downloaded Google Chrome, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Home (Premium), 1Password and it's extension. I also reconfigured Windows Firewall, setting the Inbound Rules for 1Password to allow communication on both private and domain connections. I even went so far as to set an Outbound rule for 1Password with the same profile. Unfortunately, the issue persists.

Today, I tried to rule out Malwarebytes by temporarily disabling protection and trying to use the 1Password extension. Nada. My next bet would be Windows Defender. I'll definitely keep you updated. Thank you for your support thus far!

jayca

Well, that was quick. Windows Defender doesn't have any user-configurable settings -- I'll re-check Malwarebytes.

AGAlumB

@jayca: Thanks for following up! Perhaps the timing is good. I've been made aware of some strange behaviour in Windows 10 that may be affecting you. Please check the following:

• Windows Settings > Network & Internet > Ethernet, select the network adapter, enable "Find devices and content"
• Windows Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Advance Sharing Settings, enable "Turn on network discovery"

Strangely, these settings seem to change during the upgrade process, and also changing one does not (necessarily) change the other. They both need to be on. Very confusing. Let me know what you find!