Many programs can 'phone home' checking for updates. This could be from an add-on.

Start Firefox in Safe Mode {web Link} by holding down the <Shift>
(Mac=Options) key, and then starting Firefox. Is the problem still there?

See also:

• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Firefox+makes+unrequested+connections

My description of the problem was somewhat inaccurate. Actually, the attempt Firefox makes to connect to www02.coconet.com on port 8080, occurs not on startup, but when the first "New Tab" is opened. It seems to be part of the changes introduced recently into the look and feel of the "New Tab".

Blocking the connection for the session doesn't appear to break anything, and I'm tempted to just block the connection permanently and forget about it. But what on earth is it doing? Is this a connection that spies on all my Firefox browsing, or what? I've searched the entire mozilla.org domain (using the "site:" notation in Google search), but find not a single reference to it. Odd.

The document mentioned above by cor-el, Firefox+makes+unrequested+connections, is quite extensive and looked like it would be helpful. There are some outgoing connections made in connection with "New Tab" which can be turned off in "about:config" but it turns out that both of them are making connections to the https://tiles.services.mozilla.com domain, which is fine with me, and has nothing to do with coconet.com .

This is a longshot here.

Did this start happening after you visited a site full of popups and adverts. cause the link looks like something that would appear in a hosts file. I'm not going to scare you, but it could be some sort of adware as it only connects on "new tab" opening.

If this is the case, then you can either check for adware/ spyware. (easier said than done) Or add the link to your hosts file (not sure if macs have one, its a file that redirects the links within this file to your own IP so that it will never try to connect)

https://www.bing.com/search?q=coconet.com&pc=MOZI

www.coconet.com Internet service provider offering dialup, dedicated network circuits, ISDN and web hosting. Rates, links to local weather, tide charts and real estate sales.

coconet remove https://www.bing.com/search?q=coconet+remove&qs=n&form=QBRE&pq=coconet+remove&sc=7-14&sp=-1&sk=&cvid=61451AAE41B34CF3AE90E6986CBD994E

By default, Firefox prepares 15 tiles for the new tab page. If Firefox was not able to capture a thumbnail image for a page in one of those tiles, it may try to do so in the background when you open the new tab page, and that might be causing the request.

If you zoom out on the new tab page (hold down Command and tap -) until you see 15 placeholders, do any refer to a site but show a blank image? Those are potential culprits for this problem. You can block them from the new tab page by clicking the X icon on each individual unwanted thumbnail.

If the connection is caused by background retrieval, that should get rid of it.

Note that directory tiles that Firefox shows on the about:newtab page are saved in the directoryLinks.json file in the parent location of the disk cache. If you want to remove the sponsored directory links on the about:newtab page then use these steps: You can set the browser.newtabpage.directory.source pref to an empty string on the about:config page.

• browser.newtabpage.directory.source = <empty>
• browser.newtabpage.directory.ping = <empty>

You can delete the directoryLinks.json file in the parent location of the disk cache to remove the currently stored directory links.

• delete directoryLinks.json

See the about:cache page for the location of the disk cache and go one level up.

jscher2000 said

By default, Firefox prepares 15 tiles for the new tab page. If Firefox was not able to capture a thumbnail image for a page in one of those tiles, it may try to do so in the background when you open the new tab page, and that might be causing the request. If you zoom out on the new tab page (hold down Command and tap -) until you see 15 placeholders, do any refer to a site but show a blank image?

This solves the problem. Indeed, the hidden 13th tile on the new tab page was a thumbnail-less coconet.com. Nothing sinister here after all, but you can't be too careful. Thanks for all the suggestions. This is a very encouraging first use of Mozilla support.