Firefox private browsing must be disabled.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-251563 | SRG-APP-000141 | FFOX-00-000019 | SV-251563r960963_rule | 2026-05-08 | 6 |
Description
Private browsing allows the user to browse the internet without recording their browsing history/activity. From a forensics perspective, this is unacceptable. Best practice requires that browser history is retained.
ℹ️ Check
Type "about:policies" in the browser window.
If "DisablePrivateBrowsing" is not displayed under Policy Name or the Policy Value is not "true", this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Windows group policy:
1. Open the group policy editor tool with "gpedit.msc".
2. Navigate to Policy Path: Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Mozilla\Firefox
Policy Name: Disable Private Browsing
Policy State: Enabled
macOS "plist" file:
Add the following:
<key>DisablePrivateBrowsing</key>
<true/>
Linux "policies.json" file:
Add the following in the policies section:
"DisablePrivateBrowsing": true