keybase / keybase/client

pinentry doesn't allow pasting password

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#2,688 6 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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Go
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Description

On Linux, you use pinentry to collect the password. pinentry does not allow pasting from the copy-paste buffer.

I believe this is for security; the hope is that you never store the password in plain-text anywhere.

However, that's overly restrictive for me. I'd prefer to use a stronger password than I can possibly memorise, protected using full-disk encryption and 2FA. It would be far more convenient for me if you allowed me to paste my password, perhaps accompanied by a warning.

This may already be possible with pinentry and I just don't know how to configure it. Alternatively, this may be impossible with pinentry and you should consider allowing alternate programs to collect the passphrase.

Contributor guide

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by examining the Linux pinentry integration and how alternate passphrase-collection programs are selected. Determine whether paste support can be configured safely or whether a supported alternate program is needed; done means the issue has a documented configuration or an implemented, tested way to paste passwords.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
linux
Domain
authentication, security
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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