Good Bear 1.0 Released: Firefox-Based Browser with Isolated Russian PKI Trust Container
Good Bear 1.0 has been released as a Firefox-based browser that isolates trust for the Russian PKI infrastructure. Built on Firefox 156.0, the browser ships only in Russian and provides two official distributions: a .deb package for Ubuntu 24.04 LTS amd64 and an installer for Windows x64.
The core feature is a dedicated container that uses Firefox’s native userContextId and OriginAttributes mechanisms. Ordinary HTTPS sites continue to use the standard Firefox trust store. When certificate validation fails, the browser may perform a narrow secondary check against a pinned Russian root. Successful validation causes the address to reopen inside the isolated container rather than continuing in the default context.
POST, PUT, and PATCH requests never replay automatically; the user must explicitly choose to open only the URL or return. Previously assigned addresses retain their container mapping, but the mapping never silently extends to subdomains. A dedicated transition page appears when a site previously viewed under standard trust now requires the Russian PKI chain.
The container boundary protects cookies, local storage, cache, HTTP authentication, client certificates, and connection reuse. Password storage and autofill are disabled inside the Russian PKI container. Sub-resources using the Russian chain are blocked from loading into ordinary pages, and ordinary pages opened inside the container remain isolated.
The interface displays two independent indicators: a permanent neutral container marker and a separate RU badge that appears only when the Russian PKI chain is active. A security information panel shows the hostname, end-entity certificate, issuer, root, and trust source, with a note that the root is permitted solely inside the container.
Settings include a toggle for Russian PKI support, a list of assigned addresses, and controls to remove individual mappings or clear the list. Disabling the feature removes all Russian PKI behavior and restores standard Firefox validation everywhere.
Good Bear 1.0 deliberately excludes GOST algorithms, global root import, automatic updates, and support for additional platforms. The project is distributed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 with publicly available patched sources, SBOM in CycloneDX format, and SHA-256 checksums. No affiliation is claimed with Mozilla, Russian government agencies, or any official certification body.
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