Closed Bug 1662185 Opened 4 years ago Closed 3 years ago

Frequent prompt for primary / Master Password

Categories

(Thunderbird :: Security, defect)

Product:
Thunderbird
Component:
Security
Version:
Thunderbird 81
Type:
defect

Tracking

(Not tracked)

Status:
RESOLVED WORKSFORME

People

(Reporter: outsology, Unassigned)

References

Details

(Keywords: regression, regressionwindow-wanted, Whiteboard: [Mac: see bug 1685877])

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/84.0.4147.135 Safari/537.36

Steps to reproduce:

Every time I launch Thunderbird I am asked to input my master (primary) password even before the main window shows up. Only if I dismiss this prompt three times in a row I get to see the main window.

Actual results:

If I decide to type in my password on the first prompt, I also get to see the main window. But if, then, I select any of my mail folders, I am asked to input my password again.

Expected results:

I expect to see the main window before any prompts. I expect to enter my password only once.

Summary: Frequent prompt for Primary Password → Frequent prompt for TB Master Password

I am also seeing this with beta 81. I have hidden preference mail.password_protect_local_cache enabled.

Question to others, do you have mail.password_protect_local_cache enabled?

Flags: needinfo?(peacock)

perhaps this is also a duplicate of bug 1606711. But I am pretty certain I have NOT seen this continuously over the the last several months.

Thomas do you use primary password or know someone who does?

(In reply to Wayne Mery (:wsmwk) from comment #4)

perhaps this is also a duplicate of bug 1606711. But I am pretty certain I have NOT seen this continuously over the the last several months.

Thomas do you use primary password or know someone who does?

I have the exact same issue on TB Daily since last week.

Question to others, do you have mail.password_protect_local_cache enabled?

No, this is set to false.

Could we mark this bug as new?

I disabled mail.password_protect_local_cache
Nothing changed

Flags: needinfo?(peacock)
See Also: → 1663430

If you have a calendar configured that requires authentication, it's probably the same as bug 1664016

I found a workaround for me.

I set: offline.startup_state;3

Now it only asks one time at startup and starts offline. After the main window appears I click on the connection status symbol in the left down corner of the window to bring Thunderbird finally online...

Me be it helps until the bug itself is fixed.

(In reply to Kai Engert (:KaiE:) from comment #7)

If you have a calendar configured that requires authentication, it's probably the same as bug 1664016

This reminds me that it has gotten worse since the return of Calendar. Before that Thunderbird asked for the master password not as many times. The folder that contains my Thunderbird profile was created 3 years ago. I would gladly try a reset, but then I have like 50 email accounts. How do I turn off Calendar completely?

I no longer reproduce the issue with Daily of today, 2020-09-15.

Thanks for all the info. If you are still having trouble, please post your results with 82 beta and 78.3.0 due out later this week.

So far the latest 81 beta and 78.3.0 have tested well for Windows.
Mac however seems to still have issues - bug 1664016 comment 24

Flags: needinfo?(peacock)
Flags: needinfo?(nabor.gilgalad)
Summary: Frequent prompt for TB Master Password → Frequent prompt for primary / Master Password
Component: Mail Window Front End → Security

Testing 78.3.0-final on a Mac running macOS 10.15.7
The double master password prompt is still present.
Calendar is in use.

This is what happens:

Start Thunderbird.

Before any window appears the password dialog is shown. You wait or you start typing. It doesn't matter. Your input does not enter this password dialog.

Now, the email inbox list is shown in the background.

A second password window appears, and a second password dialog is shown. After a while it gets an input prompt. Now you see two password dialog windows on the screen.

You type your password into the second window. Type OK. The window appears again. You type your pasword into the window. Type OK. It disappears.

The first password window is still lingering around. You click Cancel and it disappears.

Now you can start working.

Same flow as for frido, only addition, you can hit cancel on all subsequent dialogs after sending any one off - given the password entered was correct, which can add to the confusion.
TB: 78.3.1
macOS: 10.14.6

As an FYI, just updated to 78.3.1 on macOS 10.4.6 and it still has the same problem, no change that I could see.

82.0b2 shows prompt only once. So far so good.

Flags: needinfo?(peacock)

TB 78.3.2 same behaviour - multiple password dialog windows (macOS 10.15.7)

TB 82.0.b2 same behaviour - multiple password dialog windows (macOS 10.15.7)

TB 78.4.0 same behaviour - multiple password dialog windows (macOS 10.15.7)

Interestingly, both 78.3.3 and 78.4.0 fixed it for me, only one password prompt now. macOS 10.15.7

Same for me, only one prompt now on 82.0b3 (I had been getting prompted 3 times previously)

OK, it is one prompt now (78.3.3, 78.4.0 or 82 beta). But on my screen the master password window is drawn three times, not every time at exactly the same position, and only after having drawn it three times, the cursor appears. Maybe my computer is just too slow and i am not supposed to see this...

But you are right, after typing the password and dismissing the dialog with OK there is no two other dialog windows underneath anymore that have to be closed manually. Not sure if we should consider this fixed, though.

I see two, but that could just be that they're redrawn fast enough I can't see the third. I agree, there's only one prompt to respond to, but it is kind of visually disconcerting.

I've not seen this on recent Daily builds (84.0a1). One prompt, one box, no redrawing.

10.15.7

It got somewhat better for me as well:

  • 3 prompts, where the first one appears and directly disappears before the second one loads,
  • entering pw in second prompt
  • cancel the third prompt with esc

So down to one small additional interaction :)

For my this works well know. I currently use Version 78.4.0.
I can't confirm the the prompt is rendered multiple times.
It's shown once and after input of password the Main Window is shown and everything works as expected.

Flags: needinfo?(nabor.gilgalad)

Brian, Ignat, fridok,

Is this now better for you?

Flags: needinfo?(outsology)
Flags: needinfo?(mail)
Flags: needinfo?(blmatthews)

It works for me now as well. I'm using 78.11.0, but it's worked for a few versions.

Flags: needinfo?(blmatthews)

For me nothing has changed yet. On the Mac with MacOS (Catalina or Big Sur, no difference) and Thunderbird 78.11.0 the prompt is shown two or three times, then I can enter the password. What irritates me is that the window showing the inbox (list of mails) is shown first, then the password dialog comes on top. That means even if I do not enter the correct password, I can see the list of mails (not new ones but the ones that are already there). On Windows there is only the password dialog first and only if I enter the password correctly the Thunderbird window and therefore any information concerning mails is shown. That is how it should be.

I check mails of three mail accounts in Thunderbird and use the calendar.

For me nothing has changed yet. On the Mac

On the Mac, this is expected, along the lines of bug 1685877

See Also: → 1685877

Ignat already indicted it's good in comment 15. So let's close this.
Again, Mac users should see bug 1685877

Status: UNCONFIRMED → RESOLVED
Closed: 3 years ago
Flags: needinfo?(outsology)
Flags: needinfo?(mail)
Resolution: --- → WORKSFORME
Whiteboard: [Mac: see bug 1685877]

This is back in 102. When I start Thunderbird, it shows the Master Password sheet then quickly removes it, then shows it again and leaves it up. I enter my master password, it removes the sheet, then displays a third one. That seems to be enough as it doesn't prompt me again and can access my accounts. I tried multiple times, typing very carefully, so while it's possible I mistyped my password the first time I initially launched 102, not on every subsequent attempt.

Running on macOS Mojave 10.14.6. This hasn't occurred since at least 78.11.0 (as I note above).

(In reply to Brian L. Matthews from comment #30)

This is back in 102.
Running on macOS Mojave 10.14.6. This hasn't occurred since at least 78.11.0 (as I note above).

As the comment immediately above yours says, Mac users should see bug 1685877

You need to log in before you can comment on or make changes to this bug.