Bug#852398: chromium: option --enable-remote-extensions does work: extensions cannot be enabled nor be installed

[Andrea]

Package: chromium
Version: 56.0.2924.76-3
Followup-For: Bug #852398

Like other users, I am also very disappointed by this change of behaviour. The 
user is not warned in any way that his
extensions are not loaded by default anymore.
I had to hack into /usr/bin/chromium script to re-enable them. I don't think it 
is cool to expose users privacy or
changing user's experience with a simple upgrade.


-- System Information:
Debian Release: 9.0
  APT prefers unstable
  APT policy: (600, 'unstable')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Foreign Architectures: i386

Kernel: Linux 4.9.0-1-amd64 (SMP w/4 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)

Versions of packages chromium depends on:
ii  libasound2   1.1.3-4
ii  libatk1.0-0  2.22.0-1
ii  libavcodec57 7:3.2.2-2
ii  libavformat577:3.2.2-2
ii  libavutil55  7:3.2.2-2
ii  libc62.24-9
ii  libcairo21.14.8-1
ii  libcups2 2.2.1-8
ii  libdbus-1-3  1.10.14-1
ii  libevent-2.0-5   2.0.21-stable-2.1
ii  libexpat12.2.0-2
ii  libflac8 1.3.2-1
ii  libfontconfig1   2.11.0-6.7
ii  libfreetype6 2.6.3-3+b1
ii  libgcc1  1:6.3.0-6
ii  libgdk-pixbuf2.0-0   2.36.4-1
ii  libglib2.0-0 2.50.2-2
ii  libgtk2.0-0  2.24.31-2
ii  libharfbuzz0b1.4.2-1
ii  libicu57 57.1-5
ii  libjpeg62-turbo  1:1.5.1-2
ii  libminizip1  1.1-8
ii  libnspr4 2:4.12-6
ii  libnss3  2:3.26.2-1
ii  libpango-1.0-0   1.40.3-3
ii  libpangocairo-1.0-0  1.40.3-3
ii  libpng16-16  1.6.28-1
ii  libpulse010.0-1
ii  libre2-3 20170101+dfsg-1
ii  libsnappy1v5 1.1.4-1
ii  libstdc++6   6.3.0-6
ii  libvpx4  1.6.1-2
ii  libwebp6 0.5.2-1
ii  libwebpdemux20.5.2-1
ii  libx11-6 2:1.6.4-3
ii  libx11-xcb1  2:1.6.4-3
ii  libxcb1  1.12-1
ii  libxcomposite1   1:0.4.4-2
ii  libxcursor1  1:1.1.14-1+b1
ii  libxdamage1  1:1.1.4-2+b1
ii  libxext6 2:1.3.3-1
ii  libxfixes3   1:5.0.3-1
ii  libxi6   2:1.7.9-1
ii  libxml2  2.9.4+dfsg1-2.2
ii  libxrandr2   2:1.5.1-1
ii  libxrender1  1:0.9.10-1
ii  libxslt1.1   1.1.29-2
ii  libxss1  1:1.2.2-1
ii  libxtst6 2:1.2.3-1
ii  x11-utils7.7+3
ii  xdg-utils1.1.1-1
ii  zlib1g   1:1.2.8.dfsg-5

Versions of packages chromium recommends:
ii  fonts-liberation  1:1.07.4-2

Versions of packages chromium suggests:
pn  chromium-driver
pn  chromium-l10n  
pn  chromium-shell 
pn  chromium-widevine  

-- no debconf information

Bug#852398: chromium: option --enable-remote-extensions does work: extensions cannot be enabled nor be installed

[k_f]

The current behavior is really, really bad since it exposes users, who 
thought a little of their privacy by installing privacy extensions like 
privacy badger (EFF privacy extension), no-script, ad-blocker or other 
extensions like that to the websites and ad networks. Next time you do 
something like that please disable JavaScript and all other Plugins (no 
video loading)


Karl

Bug#852398: chromium: option --enable-remote-extensions does work: extensions cannot be enabled nor be installed

[Niels Elgaard Larsen]

På Mon, 6 Feb 2017 21:09:16 +0100
Michael Franzl  skrev:
> On Mon, 6 Feb 2017 11:27:55 +0100 Simon Ruderich 
 CHROMIUM_FLAGS='--enable-remote-extensions' chromium  
> 
> I put this into ~/.profile:
> 
> CHROMIUM_FLAGS='--enable-remote-extensions'
> 
> Confirmed working as a workaround.

Yeah, I now have.
 CHROMIUM_FLAGS='--enable-remote-extensions --disable-print-preview'
 
> I understand the security aspect, 

Me too. Great if we can avoid the Google store. But then we need
another source/repositry of essential extensions. Debian packages, a
local directory, github, or something else.

> but this setting really should be
> added as a package configuration option, and the user explicitly
> queried IMO.
> 
> Michael
> 

Bug#852398: chromium: option --enable-remote-extensions does work: extensions cannot be enabled nor be installed

[Michael Franzl]

On Mon, 6 Feb 2017 11:27:55 +0100 Simon Ruderich  wrote:
> Setting the option in a environment variables seems to work as
> workaround for me:
> 
> CHROMIUM_FLAGS='--enable-remote-extensions' chromium

I put this into ~/.profile:

CHROMIUM_FLAGS='--enable-remote-extensions'

Confirmed working as a workaround.

I understand the security aspect, but this setting really should be
added as a package configuration option, and the user explicitly queried
IMO.

Michael

Bug#852398: chromium: option --enable-remote-extensions does work: extensions cannot be enabled nor be installed

[Simon Ruderich]

severity 852398 important
thanks

Package: chromium
Version: 56.0.2924.76-3
Followup-For: Bug #852398

Hello,

Setting the option in a environment variables seems to work as
workaround for me:

CHROMIUM_FLAGS='--enable-remote-extensions' chromium

However I urge you to change the default back to allow
remote-extensions by default for stretch as this will break
chromium by default for _all_ users!

Regards
Simon
-- 
+ privacy is necessary
+ using gnupg http://gnupg.org
+ public key id: 0x92FEFDB7E44C32F9


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Bug#852398: chromium: option --enable-remote-extensions does work: extensions cannot be enabled nor be installed

[Ara Keary]

Package: chromium
Version: 55.0.2883.75-6
Severity: normal

Dear maintainers,

remote extensions are disabled now by default

I understand that official chrome extensions such as Adblock Plus (or similar
ones) and non-official extensions can be enabled and can be installed only if
the
  --enable-remote-extensions
command line option is used when launching chromium.

However, this behaviour is not observed: whether this command-line option is
used or not, no extension (official nor non-official) can be enabled nor can be
installed.

Besides, also irrespective of this option, annoying extensions such as
"Chromium PDF Viewer" cannot be disabled.

Is this the normal behaviour?

Browsing without Adblock Plus can be unsafe if one wants to keep one's mind
sound in the short term;)


Best,

Ara




-- System Information:
Debian Release: 9.0
  APT prefers unstable
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable'), (500, 'testing'), (500, 'stable'), (1, 
'experimental')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Foreign Architectures: i386

Kernel: Linux 4.9.0-1-amd64 (SMP w/8 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)

Versions of packages chromium depends on:
ii  libasound2   1.1.3-2
ii  libatk1.0-0  2.22.0-1
ii  libavcodec57 10:3.0-dmo4
ii  libavformat5710:3.0-dmo4
ii  libavutil55  10:3.0-dmo4
ii  libc62.24-9
ii  libcairo21.14.8-1
ii  libcups2 2.2.1-6
ii  libdbus-1-3  1.10.14-1
ii  libevent-2.0-5   2.0.21-stable-2.1
ii  libexpat12.2.0-2
ii  libflac8 1.3.2-1
ii  libfontconfig1   2.11.0-6.7
ii  libfreetype6 2.6.3-3+b1
ii  libgcc1  1:6.3.0-4
ii  libgdk-pixbuf2.0-0   2.36.4-1
ii  libglib2.0-0 2.50.2-2
ii  libgtk2.0-0  2.24.31-1
ii  libharfbuzz0b1.2.7-1+b1
ii  libicu57 57.1-5
ii  libjpeg62-turbo  1:1.5.1-2
pn  libminizip1  
ii  libnspr4 2:4.12-6
ii  libnss3  2:3.26.2-1
ii  libpango-1.0-0   1.40.3-3
ii  libpangocairo-1.0-0  1.40.3-3
ii  libpng16-16  1.6.28-1
ii  libpulse010.0-1
ii  libre2-3 20170101+dfsg-1
ii  libsnappy1v5 1.1.3-3
ii  libstdc++6   6.3.0-4
ii  libvpx4  1.6.1-2
ii  libwebp6 0.5.2-1
ii  libwebpdemux20.5.2-1
ii  libx11-6 2:1.6.4-2
ii  libx11-xcb1  2:1.6.4-2
ii  libxcb1  1.12-1
ii  libxcomposite1   1:0.4.4-2
ii  libxcursor1  1:1.1.14-1+b1
ii  libxdamage1  1:1.1.4-2+b1
ii  libxext6 2:1.3.3-1
ii  libxfixes3   1:5.0.3-1
ii  libxi6   2:1.7.8-2
ii  libxml2  2.9.4+dfsg1-2.2
ii  libxrandr2   2:1.5.1-1
ii  libxrender1  1:0.9.10-1
ii  libxslt1.1   1.1.29-2
ii  libxss1  1:1.2.2-1
ii  libxtst6 2:1.2.3-1
ii  x11-utils7.7+3
ii  xdg-utils1.1.1-1
ii  zlib1g   1:1.2.8.dfsg-4

Versions of packages chromium recommends:
ii  fonts-liberation  1:1.07.4-2

Versions of packages chromium suggests:
pn  chromium-driver
ii  chromium-l10n  55.0.2883.75-6
pn  chromium-shell 
pn  chromium-widevine  

-- no debconf information