Encryption: Update/clarify what admins can see
Nobody has claimed this yet.
- Dominant language
- JavaScript
- Stars
- 23
- Forks
- 15
- Avg merge
- 1d 17h
- Merged PRs (30d)
- 11
Description
⚠️ This issue respects the following points: ⚠️
- This is a bug, not a question or a configuration/webserver/proxy issue.
- This issue is not already reported on Github OR Nextcloud Community Forum (I've searched it).
- Nextcloud Server is up to date. See Maintenance and Release Schedule for supported versions.
- I agree to follow Nextcloud's Code of Conduct.
Bug description
I have two server-side encrypted Nextcloud instances, one with master key and one with user keys.
The one with master key enabled says : "Your home storage is encrypted using server-side-encryption ↗ with a master key. It means that administrators can access your files, but not read their content."
If I'm not mistaken, that's not true as I'm able to decrypt files without any known user password with this setup.
Steps to reproduce
- Enable server-side encryption with default module and settings (master key encryption)
- As a user go to Personal Settings->Privacy
- Read information about encryption
Expected behavior
The text should read something like this:
"Your home storage is encrypted using server-side-encryption ↗ with a master key. It means that although your files are encrypted, system administrators can access your files and read their content."
Nextcloud Server version
31
Operating system
Debian/Ubuntu
PHP engine version
PHP 8.4
Web server
None
Database engine version
None
Is this bug present after an update or on a fresh install?
None
Are you using the Nextcloud Server Encryption module?
None
What user-backends are you using?
- Default user-backend (database)
- LDAP/ Active Directory
- SSO - SAML
- Other
Configuration report
List of activated Apps
Nextcloud Signing status
Nextcloud Logs
Additional info
No response
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
The affected text appears under Personal Settings → Privacy in the privacy center; start by locating the encryption message in the repository. Update it to accurately explain that administrators with a master key can access and read users’ files, then verify the revised wording in that view.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- javascript
- Domain
- content, frontend
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 2/5
- Estimated time
- 1-3 hours
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 45/100