[tbb-bugs] #21606 [Applications/Tor Browser]: UI/UX/security. Per-site security settings in Tor Browser.

[Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki]

#21606: UI/UX/security. Per-site security settings in Tor Browser.
-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------
     Reporter:  jonathanfemideer     |      Owner:  tbb-team
         Type:  defect               |     Status:  new
     Priority:  Medium               |  Milestone:
    Component:  Applications/Tor     |    Version:
  Browser                            |   Keywords:  tbb-torbutton, tbb-
     Severity:  Normal               |  security-slider, tbb-usability
Actual Points:                       |  Parent ID:  #21065
       Points:                       |   Reviewer:
      Sponsor:                       |
-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------
 Related: #20843 #21065.

 **There should be a way for the user to keep the security level at High
 for all sites except for a few specific sites, and to set the latter to
 Medium.**

 In Tor Browser 6.5, this does not seem to be possible. In particular,
 there does not seem to be a way to choose per-site security settings.

 In a ideal world, users would be able to use the "High" setting, and this
 would *just work* on all sites. (Onion > Security Settings > High.)

 However, some websites (e.g. some bug trackers and some webmail clients)
 are built in a way that requires the user to execute some JavaScript. For
 such websites and webmail clients, the only two options seem to be:

 1. Change the ''browser'' security settings (Onion > Security Settings >
 Medium).

 2. Click NoScript icon > "Temporarily allow all this page".

 These both have disadvantages. Respectively:

 1. If the user subsequently opens a new tab to visit a different website,
 this will now only be at the Medium security setting instead of the High
 setting, even if this latter website would work fine with the High
 setting. So the user's security gets reduced on the new site,
 unnecessarily. Alternatively, if the user is keeping one or more tabs open
 for the first site, while using other tabs to browse other sites that are
 less trusted or don't require the Medium setting, then the user has to
 keep adjusting the browser security level each time they want to interact
 with the first site in one of those tabs. TL;DR: switching tabs shouldn't
 require changing security settings to make the contents of those tabs
 function.

 2. "Temporarily allow all this page" seems to be less secure than the
 Medium security setting. A user might trust a website (or ''need'' to use
 it) just enough to be willing to reduce the security level to Medium in
 order to make it function, but no lower than that. "Temporarily allow all
 this page" seems to be more like reducing the security level for that site
 to Low.

 So, to reiterate, there should be a way for the user to keep the security
 level at High for all sites except for a few specific sites, and to set
 the latter to Medium.

 N.B. I have not yet encountered any websites that require the security
 level to be set to Low, but perhaps such websites do exist. If so, then
 please consider my question to extend to allowing a per-site setting of
 Low for those websites.

 (Original discussion: https://lists.torproject.org/pipermail/tor-
 talk/2017-March/042982.html )

--
Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/21606>
Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki <https://trac.torproject.org/>
The Tor Project: anonymity online