[tor-bugs] #29347 [Circumvention/meek]: Rewrite meek-http-helper as a WebExtension

[Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki]

#29347: Rewrite meek-http-helper as a WebExtension
--------------------------------+------------------------
 Reporter:  dcf                 |          Owner:  dcf
     Type:  enhancement         |         Status:  closed
 Priority:  Medium              |      Milestone:
Component:  Circumvention/meek  |        Version:
 Severity:  Normal              |     Resolution:  fixed
 Keywords:  webextension        |  Actual Points:
Parent ID:                      |         Points:
 Reviewer:                      |        Sponsor:
--------------------------------+------------------------
Changes (by dcf):

 * status:  merge_ready => closed
 * resolution:   => fixed


Comment:

 In tag [https://gitweb.torproject.org/pluggable-
 transports/meek.git/log/?h=0.34 0.34] I've merged the WebExtension and
 deleted the legacy XPCOM extension. I also rebased the tor-browser-build
 branch on top of tbb-9.0a4-build2 as
 [https://gitweb.torproject.org/user/dcf/tor-browser-build.git/log/?h=meek-
 webextension_2&id=cf500b9c37a70ea42b494760c80bd6974944f9c0 meek-
 webextension_2]. The tor-browser-build branch is just for possible future
 reference, as the decision in #29430 was to use uTLS for TLS camouflage
 rather than a browser helper.

 Two noteworthy points about the merge:
  * #28044 integrated Tor Launcher directly into the browser. This means
 that even the headless meek-http-helper browser includes a copy of Tor
 Launcher that (invisibly) tries to run a copy of tor. The additional copy
 of Tor Launcher quickly fails because it cannot run tor because of a port
 conflict. The meek-http-helper browser otherwise works for its purpose.
  * The extension uses [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla
 /Add-ons/WebExtensions/API/proxy/settings proxy.settings.set] to set
 `network.proxy.socks_remote_dns=false`, which is a workaround for one of
 Tor Browser's patches meant to prevent DNS leaks. In Firefox 67, the
 `proxy.settings.set` function will require special permission to work;
 specifically, it needs to have "Run in Private Windows" checked to work
 ''at all'' (not just in private windows). I've added
 [https://gitweb.torproject.org/pluggable-
 transports/meek.git/commit/?h=0.34&id=264bf24579caba974f330cb854680dcbb171879a
 a comment] explaining the situation. To use the extension with Firefox
 67+, it is likely that we will need to find a way to set the "Run in
 Private Windows" flag on the extension.

--
Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/29347#comment:21>
Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki <https://trac.torproject.org/>
The Tor Project: anonymity online