https://blog.mozilla.org/services/2014/02/07/a-better-firefo...
The new system is still end-to-end-encrypted, though...
The system is still end-to-end encrypted, if you reset your password it will also reset the storage (by definition).
Does that mean you lose your history when you change your password? Or just that you need to use the new password to access (old and new) data?
Completely false: they can if they want to. All they have to do is serve a new login page to you which transmits your password as well as the derived key. They control the login page, they control the JavaScript which derives the key. They can do it at any time, invisibly.
This is different from trusting them to make a trustworthy browser, because you download the browser once, while you may download the login page and associated JavaScript every time you login. They could target you, or all of their users, just once, or for a limited amount of time; unless you inspect the HTML & JavaScript source every single time you use your Firefox account you cannot be certain that they aren't being evil.
Firefox Sync is unacceptable for password — or any other private data — storage. This is a pity, since the old protocol was very suitable.
It wasn't, because I've managed to lose my history with it. I very much prefer my history to be synchronized to a server I cannot lose.
If your objection is not about cloud storage, then your objection isn't about the protocol, but its implementation (e.g. usage of HTML/Javascript): https://github.com/mozilla/fxa-auth-server/wiki/onepw-protoc...
> you download the browser once
That's not true. Modern browsers are set to upgrade automatically in the background, without notifying the user.
If you're paranoid, you can self-host your own Sync server, but then if you don't trust the vendor of your browser, then you've got bigger problems and I hope you're compiling your own binaries.
My browser isn't; I use the Debian Firefox package and update it on my schedule.
> If you're paranoid, you can self-host your own Sync server
Only if you host it locally; if you host it at a VPS/dedicated-system provider then you're trusting that provider never to break into your system.
It's bad social hygiene to develop systems which are breakable.
The problem with that is that if the auth server is on a machine you don't have complete control over (e.g. one hosted by a dedicated-system or VPS provider) then you are trusting that provider to never break into your machine; you are also trusting that machine never to be broken into via some remote exploit.
That's far too much trust for a system hosting sensitive data like passwords. The only secure thing is to deploy a system with as little trust as possible.
The great thing about the self-hosted sync server is, the storage and auth components are separated, and the storage one just stores encrypted blobs.
If you want you can trust Mozilla with the authentication part while storing everything where you prefer, but if you're worried about a javascript change set up an auth server locally, create an account in it and copy it on every device you own: since it stores only account details which doesn't change, you don't have to worry about replication.
Didn't they drop it like 9months ago and moved to Firefox Sync?