[tor-bugs] #4031 [Tor Client]: Firefox fails to find SOCKS proxy after tor is restarted through Vidalia

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#4031: Firefox fails to find SOCKS proxy after tor is restarted through Vidalia
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 Reporter:  rpw         |          Owner:  nickm   
     Type:  defect      |         Status:  assigned
 Priority:  normal      |      Milestone:          
Component:  Tor Client  |        Version:          
 Keywords:              |         Parent:          
   Points:              |   Actualpoints:          
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Comment(by arma):

 I think the clear correct fix is for Vidalia to remember what ports it
 learned from Tor's ports file (it has to remember them anyway to tell
 Firefox), and if it finds itself starting Tor again, say those ports to
 Tor on the commandline rather than saying auto. It will do exactly what we
 want.

 If Tor fails to bind to the ports, then you're in a position where the
 Firefox you've already launched cannot talk to the ports it must talk to.
 At that point you give up.

 Now, rransom had an interesting point which is "if Tor goes away, some
 other evil thing could bind those ports in the mean time and now Firefox
 is talking to the evil thing". I'm actually not so worried about that. I
 mean, maybe it's a problem, but it's been a problem for a long time. If we
 are worried about it, the answer is that either Vidalia or Torbutton
 should kill Firefox when Tor goes away. There would be some usability
 issues here.

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/4031#comment:12>
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