[tor-bugs] #15279 [Tor Browser]: uMatrix & uBlock to Replace NoScript (and they're awesome)

Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki blackhole at torproject.org
Mon Mar 16 03:54:08 UTC 2015


#15279: uMatrix & uBlock to Replace NoScript (and they're awesome)
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 Reporter:  johnakabean                          |          Owner:  tbb-
     Type:  enhancement                          |  team
 Priority:  major                                |         Status:  new
Component:  Tor Browser                          |      Milestone:
 Keywords:  Tor Browser, uMatrix, HTTP           |        Version:
  Switchboard, noscript, replace noscript,       |  Actual Points:
  upgrade noscript                               |         Points:
Parent ID:                                       |
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 I always slightly hated noscript because if I wanted to add a site
 exception to enable ONLY javascript, I was forced to risk allowing, for
 example, cross-site scripting or XHR for that site along with any others
 that I wanted to keep blocked.

 If I wanted to allow ONLY a function of a 3rd party site required to make
 the 1st party site run, I had to allow unlimited access to the 3rd party
 site instead of just what I wanted.

 Of course, I could go into noscript preferences and disable "block
 javascript" but that was GLOBAL and a pain to have to go back in settings
 to re-enable before browsing another site. Worse, it would be a risk if
 the current site threw a 3rd-party popup while I had the Global
 temporarily off...... you get the idea!

 The makers of NoScript, in parallel, have been developing'' '''HTTP
 Switchboard''''' for a long time''.'' It is the exact same as NoScript but
 extremely better, allowing FULL flexibility. You can set, per Site, each
 domain's ability to manipulate the site in EITHER OR ALL categories of
 cookie(s), css, images, plugins, scripts, XHR, and "others".

 This means if I go to yahoo.com, I can allow, either by default or
 individual site basis, yahoo.com to ONLY push images, css, and images.
 Then I can allow ONLY any subdomain required for certain functionality to
 ONLY run those elements needed for that functionality.

 If I need to allow a third party, it's all the same and, unless I choose
 to make that exception global, that 3rd party domain's element will ONLY
 be allowed on THAT site!

 If I want to allow a certain domain's element on ALL sites, by default,
 that's an option '''__but, unlike noscript, I don't have to allow a global
 exception just to get a local exception for that one site's
 functionality__'''.

 They have now went even further to make ''__'''uBlock'''__'' and
 __'''''uMatrix'''''__, two addons that work together. The only difference
 between uMatrix and HTTP Switchboard is they took the checkbox on the
 option pages of HTTP Switchboard, to allow all 1st party elements, and put
 it on the main switchboard/matrix, allowing specific elements on ALL first
 party sites by default instead of having to either allow ALL elements on
 first party sites OR manually selecting on each new 1st party domain
 visited (see pictures).

 uBlock, along with either uMatrix or Http Switchboard, are even better now
 by having auto-updating malicious (uMatrix) and privacy lists (uBlock),__
 with the ability to add custom ones to block scripts/xhr on sites that
 would leak the ip, track you, or be malicious! __ If I choose to unblock
 an entire subdomain instead of specific elements on that 1st/3rd party
 (sub)domain, they will still block portions of those domains appearing on
 the self-updating block lists, unless I go further to override that.

 === The BEST PART OF ALL: I've worried about extensions I've installed and
 what sites they can connect to; with uMatrix, you can choose to have a
 separate set of permissions to apply to the extensions. Finally, I can
 restrict extensions that shouldn't connect to anywhere to not being able
 to :) This is the ONLY and FIRST noscript-like element manager, afaik,
 that can do this! You can use uMatrix to block uMatrix itself from getting
 blocklist updates, as I've accidentally done :) ===
 == The abilities to customize what to SAFELY allow and what to keep
 blocked, no matter what domain or what site, are ENDLESS; this will really
 help people use Tor more safely! PLEASE TAKE NOSCRIPT TO THE 21st CENTURY
 BY REPLACING IT WITH UMATRIX AND UBLOCK! ==

--
Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/15279>
Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki <https://trac.torproject.org/>
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