why do I have to log in a lot?

[danll]

Strange. This seems to have started happening just recently. Firefox (I am on 103.0.2 and Monterey) has started asking me frequently to log in. Even though I haven't closed and reopened the program. Sort of as if my Firefox login just expires after a while. This is very annoying. No one else uses my machine, so there is no security issue here. How can I ensure that my login will stay valid?

[DanRaisch]

Is that happening with all sites or just specific sites?

[danll]

I don't think it is any particular site. I just start using Firefox,and it OFTEN asks me to log in. In the past, I used to have to log in once every few days, probably just when I relaunched Firefox. Why should the site make any difference?

[jscher2000]

Do you mean the Firefox Primary Password prompt comes up? (https://support.mozilla.org/kb/use-prim ... red-logins)

Usually you only need to enter that once per session, or when trying to view or copy a password on the passwords page. Seems a bit sketchy to see it more often than that.

But if you dismissed the dialog and therefore didn't unlock the password manager, then the next time you would see it would be when you open a page where Firefox recognizes that it can fill the login form, or the next time Firefox goes to Sync.

[danll]

Yes, Firefox is asking me for what I have to assume is my Primary Password. I give it, and all is well...for a while. I just got that request when I went to a site that wasn't asking for a login. Yes, this is sketchy. The question is what to do about it.

[danll]

OK, here's an interesting piece of information. Firefox just asked me for the password (when no website was asking for login). I said NO, and then I pulled down the three bars at upper right. I was logged in! So why in the world is it asking for my Primary Password when I'm already logged in??? I was thinking that somehow it was kicking me out, but no, that didn't happen.

[jscher2000]

I can't explain it. Could there be some trickery by an add-on?

[dickvl]

If you mean that you are logged in to Sync then this would be normal.
To login to Sync you normally only need to enter the PP once at the start of the session and once you have authenticated then login data stored in signedInUser.json is used.

You can try to set signon.debug temporarily to true on the about:config page and check the Browser Console (Ctrl+Shift+J) for login related messages if you get this dialog.
Do not forget to reset signon.debug to false once you are done testing.

Note that you get logged out of the software security device (about:logins) if you cancel a PP prompt.
You can check the current state in the Device Manager.
Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Certificates ->
Security Devices: Software Security Device: Log Out/Log In buttons in the right sidebar
You may have to zoom out the page to see this sidebar properly.

[danll]

Well, it's not normal because it never used to do this. By login to Sync, you mean my Firefox Primary Password? That's what it keeps asking me to enter (used to be called Master Password), many times in a given session.

[dickvl]

No, Sync uses the password for the Firefox Account website (accounts.firefox.com) and this password is normally stored in the Password Manager (hidden from about:logins).
The PP is is only used locally to encrypt the logins stored in logins.json in the profile folder and you need to enter the PP to unlock the logins and is never part of Sync (Sync encrypts its data using an encryption key derived from its password).
There are several reasons for Firefox to ask the the PP, one is to unlock the logins for Sync and another is when it detects that you have saved a password for a website in a tab.