Draft: Bug_43229: Disable opening links before torbrowser is bootstrapped, preventing the app from entering a bad state

Merge Info

Related Issues

• #43229

Backporting

Timeline

• Immediate: patchset needed as soon as possible
• Next Minor Stable Release: patchset that needs to be verified in nightly before backport
• Eventually: patchset that needs to be verified in alpha before backport
• No Backport (preferred): patchset for the next major stable

(Optional) Justification

• Emergency security update: patchset fixes CVEs, 0-days, etc
• Censorship event: patchset enables censorship circumvention
• Critical bug-fix: patchset fixes a bug in core-functionality
• Consistency: patchset which would make development easier if it were in both the alpha and release branches; developer tools, build system changes, etc
• Sponsor required: patchset required for sponsor
• Localization: typos and other localization changes that should be also in the release branch
• Other: please explain

Merging

• Merge to tor-browser - !fixups to tor-browser-specific commits, new features, security backports
• Merge to base-browser - !fixups to base-browser-specific commits, new features to be shared with mullvad-browser, and security backports
  • NOTE: if your changeset includes patches to both base-browser and tor-browser please clearly label in the change description which commits should be cherry-picked to base-browser after merging

Issue Tracking

• Link resolved issues with appropriate Release Prep issue for changelog generation

Review

Request Reviewer

• Request review from an applications developer depending on modified system:
  • NOTE: if the MR modifies multiple areas, please /cc all the relevant reviewers (since gitlab only allows 1 reviewer)
  • accessibility : henry
  • android : clairehurst, dan
  • build system : boklm
  • extensions : ma1
  • firefox internals (XUL/JS/XPCOM) : jwilde, ma1
  • fonts : pierov
  • frontend (implementation) : henry
  • frontend (review) : donuts, richard
  • localization : henry, pierov
  • macOS : clairehurst, dan
  • nightly builds : boklm
  • rebases/release-prep : dan, ma1, pierov, richard
  • security : jwilde, ma1
  • signing : boklm, richard
  • updater : pierov
  • windows : jwilde, richard
  • misc/other : pierov, richard

Change Description

Added check that ensures the app is bootstrapped before opening links, preventing the app from entering a bad state (specifically a browser with the internet disabled and also can't be bootstraped without an app restart). This (should) also fix future buttons from opening links before being bootstrapped.

How Tested

Launch the app, but don't bootstrap. Go to settings and test that every button that would normally open a webpage, doesn't and shows a toast explaining what's going on instead. Known examples are "Donate to The Tor Project" (at the bottom of the normal settings page), the top 3 buttons in "About Tor Browser" (What's new in Tor Browser, Support, Licensing information), and "Find more extensions" in the Extensions page.