Mozilla / Firefox has passwords I didn't give them

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jmassengale
jmassengale
Community Member
edited November 2023 in Lounge

Please let me know if I should post this in a different category

PS: Since posting this, I've left a similar message at https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/products/mozilla-account - no response so far

I'm a Mac guy, but I'm writing a book on Word and I've been using Dell computers at Barnard College for that. I sign in each time, sign into accounts like Word and Dropbox on Firefox, and when I'm finished I sign out of the accounts and sign out of the computer, which erases all information.

About a week ago, I started saving passwords in the Firefox manager. When I signed in today, Mozilla showed at least 100 of my password accounts in a bar on the left, including alerts for my account at Adobe and the Adobe store.

I NEVER GAVE THEM MORE THAN 10 PASSWORDS. I never gave them my Adobe passwords. 1Password is not installed on the browser (the browser said so) or even the computer. What's going on??? Should I be worried about this?

The computers are managed by the Barnard College IT and the Columbia University IT.

thanks

1Password Version: NA
Extension Version: NA
OS Version: Don't Know
Browser: Mozilla

Comments

  • jmassengale
    jmassengale
    Community Member
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    No comments? Mozilla’s response has been crickets. The response from Columbia’s IT is the same. In the meantime, it is a complete mystery to me how Mozilla got those passwords.

  • Dave_1P
    Dave_1P
    edited November 2023
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    Hello @jmassengale! 👋

    I'm sorry that you're running into issues with passwords in Firefox. Can you clarify a little further about how the issue relates specifically to 1Password? Were these logins that you're seeing in Firefox ones that you had saved only in 1Password?

    It would be difficult for me to say what might have happened, since I don't have access to your device or knowledge about the actions performed on them, but I could offer a few guesses:

    1. If you're signing into your Mozilla account, then you might have saved those passwords to Firefox on another device (mobile or desktop) and then had them sync to your PC at the College.
    2. You might have "Save passwords automatically" turned on on one of your devices. So if you have 1Password installed on a device and you're using it to fill your credentials, "Save password automatically" would offer to save those passwords into the Firefox's built-in password manager and then sync them using your Mozilla account. You can learn more about saving logins here:

    Let me know if either of those options sound plausible.

    -Dave

  • jmassengale
    jmassengale
    Community Member
    edited November 2023
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    Thank you. There are a few reasons I brought this here. It's concerning, and Mozilla isn't responding. You are password experts, with a lot of knowledge about problems with passwords on the web. I did not give Mozilla most of the passwords. 1Password is not installed on the Barnard / Columbia computer I was using, and I don't know where else the passwords could have come from.

    Responding:

    • I don't believe I ever had a Firefox account until I set one up a few weeks ago, because I was tired of repeatedly looking up certain passwords on my phone and retyping them on the computer every day. I had the idea that Firefox was doing a good job of making their password manager secure.
    • Because I've had 1Password for many years, I NEVER intentionally save passwords in any browser. Whenever I see a request to do so, I decline.
    • For many years I've had Firefox set up on my own computers to clear all history and data every time I close the browser.

    So imagine my surprise when after a week or two of happily using the password manager, new passwords suddenly showed, along with the suggestion that my Adobe and Adobe store passwords were hacked several years ago. Some of the passwords haven't been used for five to ten years.

    I've changed my password and I require DUO verification, so I should have a secure account.

    I wish Mozilla would respond,

    John

    PS: Does 1Pass allow DUO verification?

  • Dave_1P
    Dave_1P
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    @jmassengale

    Thanks for the reply. It sounds like the passwords in Firefox are outdated and don't match your current passwords for the websites in question, am I understanding that correctly? Did you previously store those passwords in another browser? I'm wondering if perhaps they were automatically imported by Firefox from that other browser on one of your devices.

    Does 1Pass allow DUO verification?

    Duo is available for our business memberships. If you're using either an individual or family account then you can enable two-factor authentication using either a TOTP authenticator or a security key:

    -Dave

  • jmassengale
    jmassengale
    Community Member
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    Thank you, this thread has become long enough that’s hard for newcomers to follow, I think. Those possible explanation don’t apply to the situation, though. That’s why it makes me wonder what’s going on. Mozilla, might know, but they’re not saying.

  • Dave_1P
    Dave_1P
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    I recommend that you work with the IT team at your College and University. If you do end up solving the mystery then please let us know.

    And if you need any other information from the 1Password end of things then let me know and I would be happy to help further.

    -Dave