This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Firefox not remembering smart card choices

  • 4 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 31 views
  • Last reply by jnojr

more options

When I visit a CAC-enabled site and it prompts me to select a certificate, there's a box for "Remember this decision", which is checked. But it does not remember the decision, and I get prompted each time I visit!

This is with Firefox 45.6.0 as installed by RHEL7

When I visit a CAC-enabled site and it prompts me to select a certificate, there's a box for "Remember this decision", which is checked. But it does not remember the decision, and I get prompted each time I visit! This is with Firefox 45.6.0 as installed by RHEL7

All Replies (4)

more options

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-to-fix-preferences-wont-save

Note: Some software, like Advanced SystemCare with Surfing Protection, can protect files in the Firefox profile folder against changes. If you have such software then check the settings or uninstall this software.

more options

Thanks, but none of that helped. My Firefox is about as fresh and basic as you can get, no user.js, no third-party plugins. Everything else it remembers just fine. It's only smart card selections that aren't being saved between sessions.

more options

Start Firefox in Safe Mode to check if one of the extensions ("3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Extensions) or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem.

  • Switch to the DEFAULT theme: "3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Appearance
  • Do NOT click the "Refresh Firefox" button on the Safe Mode start window

Try to rename the cert8.db file (cert8.db.old) and delete the cert_override.txt file in the Firefox profile folder to remove intermediate certificates and exceptions that Firefox has stored.

If that has helped to solve the problem then you can remove the renamed cert8.db.old file.

Firefox will automatically store intermediate certificates that servers send in the Certificate Manager for future use.

If this hadn't helped then try to rename the secmode.db file as well.

You can use this button to go to the current Firefox profile folder:

more options

I do not have any add-ons, and am using the default appearance.

Moving the cert8.db just breaks PKI.

Other than adding certificates and libcackey.so to read my smart card, this is all out-of-the-box.