1827410 - Security devices not detected inside flatpak after initial scan

Status: NEW

(Core :: DOM: Web Authentication, defect, P3)

Description

[msirringhaus]

If we are running in flatpak, security devices (e.g. Yubikeys) are only usable, if they are plugged in before we need to use them. Discovering them (via udev-monitor), while a FIDO-request is already ongoing (i.e. already showing "You can connect one now"), does not work.

This is a generic flatpak-issue which also happens despite using --devices=all-permissions. Chromium-flatpak has the same problem. See also:

https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/issues/961
and
https://github.com/flatpak/xdg-desktop-portal/issues/227

Possible workaround, to avoid confusion:
If we are running in flatpak, show an additional dialog that prompts the user to plug in their device before we start scanning the device tree.
This probably also needs a user-interaction, otherwise we won't know, when the device has been plugged in.
Or maybe we can hijack the Anonymize-prompt for this.

Comment 1

[msirringhaus]

Long-term solution may involve:
https://github.com/flatpak/xdg-desktop-portal/issues/989
or
https://github.com/AlfioEmanueleFresta/xdg-credentials-portal (See also: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1530370#c36)