Respawning Phantom Bookmark
Hi, recently I've been getting a recurring 'frequently visited site' link when I right-click the Firefox icon, in spite of the fact that I have Firefox set to 'never remember history'. If I delete the cache, it returns once I start browsing again. This is the link:
moz-extension://8c0aa021-d4a2-4d36-8a55-6e1123eaff66/_blank.html
When I first saw it appearing, I did some searches for moz-extension (including this site) and found that the moz-extensions are used by Firefox sometimes when a hotfix is needed in-between full updates. At the time I knew it 'was' in-between updates and I looked in 'add-ons' and saw the Mozilla-signed add-on. However, after the last full update, although the add-on was gone - the above link kept appearing as a frequently visited site.
I searched this site again with different criteria and happened to see an entry called, "Unremovable History Entry". It sounded very much like my problem except for the extension number/path. I was told my issue was different and directed to ask about my issue as a new question. Anyway - I also searched for the number in my entry and didn't find it on the computer. I also have Ghostery, and I've sent an email to their support, detailing the problem - but see below about their reply.
Thanks for your help
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All Replies (5)
Update - I tried browsing with Ghostery disabled, but after clearing the cache, the phantom link keeps returning anyway. After contacting Ghostery support, they said it wasn't an issue with their add-on.
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URLs in the form moz-extension:// random_identifier / address are associated with extensions that use the new WebExtensions programming model. Ghostery is such an extension, but I didn't find a _blank.html file in it.
If you right-click the address in History and Open in a New Tab, is there any visible content in the page that provides a clue as to its purpose? Considering that its name is _blank.html perhaps I shouldn't expect anything, even in the source (Ctrl+u to view). Not sure we can solve this mystery.
Hi - thanks for your reply. I had tried opening the link and it 'is' a blank page. I hadn't looked at the source though. Not much there as you expected - just a grey '1', nothing else. It does 'seem' to affect my access to, or at least the way certain pages are displayed, though. I saved my bookmarks, refreshed Firefox and browsed a few pages without any moz-extensions, but a new one appeared when I installed Ghostery, and it disappeared when I uninstalled it - so it does 'seem' to have to do with Ghostery or add-ons in general. What's changed is the moz extension. It's now:
moz-extension://54f5461f-4350-45ef-858e-a4f8ff012904/_blank.html
The same deal with the previous history entry - blank, and just a grey '1' on the source. However, if it's not malicious, I may have to decide whether to use Ghostery or not until there's another update to one or both.
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I don't think the blank page is a problem. If Ghostery is negatively affecting some sites you use, you can try using its tool icon to make exceptions.
OK - I'll see how it goes. Thanks for your suggestions.