All add-ons suddenly blocked for being unsigned
All of my add-ons were suddenly blocked and disabled while watching a video on Amazon's Prime Video service. When I go to the Add-Ons manager they are all listed under the Unsupported section. Clicking the More Information link for each takes me to https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/add-on-signing-in-firefox
Now, I can't vouch for each of the Add-Ons I've listed below, but I know that the HTTPS Everywhere add-on (2019.5.2.1) has a valid signature and has been working for months for me on the up to date version. All of the add-ons I have are still up on addons.mozilla.org, I just can't use them. Any attempt to download them from addons.mozilla.org results in a "Download failed. Please check your connection." error message:
AdBlocker Ultimate CanvasBlocker Google Search "View Image" Button Greasemonkey HTTPS Everywhere Privacy Badger
Chosen solution
Mozilla has rolled-out a fix for this. The fix will be automatically applied in the background within the next few hours, you don’t need to take active steps.
In order to be able to provide this fix on short notice, they are using the Studies system. You can check if you have studies enabled
- Go to [=] > Options > Privacy & Security.
- Make sure Allow Firefox to install and run studies is check marked.
I you had it disabled, you can disable studies again after your add-ons have been re-enabled.
They are working on a general fix that doesn't need to rely on this and will keep you updated.
Read this answer in context 👍 2All Replies (9)
I don't think forum volunteers yet know the cause or remedy for this problem. However, know that dozens of people are reporting the same thing in recent hours, so it may be due to a rolling update gone wrong.
It looks like, as was pointed out in a similar post (1257891), that this issue has been filed as a blocker on Bugzilla: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1548973
Yes, we've learned so much since 6pm Pacific!
It turns out that Firefox "verifies" extension signatures once every 24 hours, and when that was attempted after 12 midnight on May 4, 2019 (5pm Pacific on May 3rd), an expired certificate caused everything to fail.
In addition to possible updates in that bug, the Add-ons team should post official updates here (at some point):
Currently, the only workaround is to set your system clock back (for example, if your date is May 3, set to May 2; if your date is May 4, set to May 3). You might have to reinstall extensions after that, or maybe Firefox will detect the difference at your next shut down/restart. Changing the date may have other consequences, so I understand this option isn't ideal.
I saw something else on Reddit, but don't really know what it does: https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/bkhzjy/temp_fix_for_the_armagaddon_20_for_regular/ -- I need to figure out some way to test...
Chosen Solution
Mozilla has rolled-out a fix for this. The fix will be automatically applied in the background within the next few hours, you don’t need to take active steps.
In order to be able to provide this fix on short notice, they are using the Studies system. You can check if you have studies enabled
- Go to [=] > Options > Privacy & Security.
- Make sure Allow Firefox to install and run studies is check marked.
I you had it disabled, you can disable studies again after your add-ons have been re-enabled.
They are working on a general fix that doesn't need to rely on this and will keep you updated.
Hmmmm......I'm not sure what timezone the timestamps for the other posts are, but as of 0815 CDT on 04MAY2019 the study hasn't fixed the problem, despite being listed as an active study. Hopefully this can be fixed soon, as I rely very heavily on the Internet Download Manager Integration Module add-on for all of my downloads (even if Avast is determined to convince me that it is an unreputable add-on).
I do find it rather curious that the Add-On verification system broke so easily though...............almost seems like a breaker targeted Mozilla for some reason.
Hi Razmoudah, did "Enable" buttons appears on each extension? You might need to click those manually if the previous enabled state was not restored.
As of 1801 CDT on 04MAY2019 I am still getting the warning that they couldn't be verified and have been disabled for use in Firefox. I verified this morning that I had allowed Firefox to install and run studies, which I had. No, I don't have an enable button for any of my add-ons, including ones that have been updated within the last couple of months and were working yesterday morning.
Modified by Razmoudah
Hi Razmoudah, I think you are saying that you already got the studies related to this fix, or did they never show up on the about:studies page?
If you got the studies, check whether the certificate was added. That would be on the Options/Preferences page:
- Windows: "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Options
- Mac: "3-bar" menu button (or Firefox menu) > Preferences
- Linux: "3-bar" menu button (or Edit menu) > Preferences
- Any system: type or paste about:preferences into the address bar and press Enter/Return to load it
In the search box at the top of the page, type cert and Firefox should filter to the Certificates section. Then click the "View Certificates" button. Check the "Authorities" tab to see whether Mozilla is listed with the new certificate. You can compare the attached screenshot.
I had gotten the study, it showed as active, but the add-ons weren't working. I'm getting up to go back to work now and at this time (0320 on 05MAY2019) the add-ons are working. I'm not sure what got changed in the study in the past few hours, but now it seems to be working.