Firefox did update last Tuesday, and then a new release was issued yesterday or today to fix a bug, so version 125 is normal right now.

What you are describing can occur if your cookies were cleared. When you complete multi-factor authentication, a site sets an extra cookie proving you did that so you don't need to keep doing it. This is what sites mean about not recognizing your device -- the cookie is gone.

There are many reasons your cookies might get cleared, ranging from using private windows or setting Firefox to clear them when it closes, to privacy/cleanup add-ons (check their features) or external cleaning software (like CCleaner or Advanced SystemCare).

As a starting point, did you notice any other changes after the update? For example, your toolbar customizations or personal settings were lost? Did Firefox mention needing to create a new profile, or performing a Refresh/Tune-up/Reset?

Thanks for the detailed response. Full disclosure, I don't speak browser, and have only a vague idea of the role cookies play. I f I read between your lines and add a bit of guessing...could it be that the new "125" contained a virulent cookie-cleaning component whose permission I had given to "124" to be active? So...I need to find and defeat this cookie-cleaning? I've used Firefox for many years and have never had a problem like this. Strangely, I'm experiencing the exact same phenomenon on my iPhone 13, so it may be not at all related to Firefox. What problem could possibly cause the same problem on both a PC and an iPhone? Thanks.

Well, it's possible your Windows and iOS Firefoxes share some settings, but that would be a bit odd.

As a starting point, cookies are bits of text that websites ask browsers to save and return to them with every request. This is how you can be known to a website as a specific user or account holder among the millions of people requesting things from the site.

Is your Firefox still retaining browsing history normally, you can see the URLs you visited yesterday if you check the History sidebar (Ctrl+H) or Library window (Ctrl+Shift+H)?

Yes, the History sidebar appears. But case in point...I have to log in every time I respond to you. Here's what my bank is showing me:

Insufficient Permissions

You do not have the permission(s) required to access this page.

Yet, in the upper right my full name appears in print, so it certainly recognizes me.

Let's review a couple of settings. On the Setting page, Privacy & Security panel:

• For Enhanced Tracking Protection, if you don't have the Standard level, try Standard.
• In the Cookies and Site Data section, make sure the box for "Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed" is not checked

I appreciate your sticking with this. Both of your suggestions were already as requested. This morning I'm reaching out to the IT guys at my bank. As an aside that may also help, this problem began not only coincidently with the installation of Firefox 125, it also coincides with my going crazy over the fact that my boot-up, default web site has, for 3 months now, popped up a blocking screen demanding that I remove my ad blocker software, which I did in hopes of remedying this many months ago. Didn't stop the blocking. So out of exasperation I attacked without sufficient knowledge anything to do with out-of-site setups, including cookies. I've now disarmed all cookie cleaning functions.

Information update: A call to my bank's headquarters resulted in their admission that they're "having issues" and will communicate with me when their website is resolved. so...not my/Firefox's fault. That said, that doesn't explain why photos.google, my.yahoo or youtube.com no longer recognizes me when I land on their page that I've bookmarked....unless...they all in the past week doubled down on security measures. Thanks for your help. At this point I can't rate this question as resolved.