nextcloud / nextcloud/server

Invalid private key for encryption app. Please update your private key password in your personal settings to recover access to your encrypted files

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1. to develop 25-feedback bug feature: encryption (server-side) needs info needs review pending documentation
Dominant language
PHP
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Description

[!TIP]
This issue can have multiple potential causes.

  • Please see this comment which contains a write-up/overview to help identify your situation.

Steps to reproduce
  1. enable Default encryption module
  2. logout and login again (as recommend)
  3. go to Security settings to change password
Expected behaviour

Default encrytion module should be enable and work without problems. No clue why changing password is necessary.

Actual behaviour

At login an error message pops up saying: "Invalid private key for encryption app. Please update your private key password in your personal settings to recover access to your encrypted files"

Trying to change the password is not possible, because an old password that could be entered never has been set. This even holds true for fresh accounts that are set up after enabling Default encryption module.

See discussion here: https://help.nextcloud.com/t/invalid-private-key-for-encryption-app-please-update-your-private-key-password-in-your-personal-settings-to-recover-access-to-your-encrypted-files/27108/13

Server configuration

Operating system:

Web server:
shared hoster
Database:
mysql 5.6.34
PHP version:
5.6
Nextcloud version: (see Nextcloud admin page)
13.0.0
Updated from an older Nextcloud/ownCloud or fresh install:
from 12.0.5
Where did you install Nextcloud from:
updater
Signing status:

Signing status
Login as admin user into your Nextcloud and access 
http://example.com/index.php/settings/integrity/failed 
paste the results here.

"No errors have been found."

</details>

**List of activated apps:**
<details>
<summary>App list</summary>
 Activity
2.6.1

AppOrder
0.4.1

Audio Player
2.2.5

Auditing / Logging
1.3.0

Brute-force settings
1.0.3

Calendar
1.6.0

Collaborative tags
1.3.0

Comments
1.3.0

Contacts
2.1.0

Default encryption module
2.0.0

Deleted files
1.3.0

External storage support
1.4.1

Federation
1.3.0

File sharing
1.5.0

First run wizard
2.2.1

Gallery
18.0.0

Log Reader
2.0.0

Mail
0.7.10

Monitoring
1.3.0

Nextcloud announcements
1.2.0

Notifications
2.1.2

Password policy
1.3.0

PDF viewer
1.2.0

Share by mail
1.3.0

Talk
3.1.0

Tasks
0.9.6

Text editor
2.5.1

Theming
1.4.1

Update notification
1.3.0

Usage survey
1.1.0

Versions
1.6.0

Video player
1.2.0

If you have access to your command line run e.g.:
sudo -u www-data php occ app:list
from within your Nextcloud installation folder

Nextcloud configuration:

Config report
If you have access to your command line run e.g.:
sudo -u www-data php occ config:list system
from within your Nextcloud installation folder

or 

Insert your config.php content here. 
Make sure to remove all sensitive content such as passwords. (e.g. database password, passwordsalt, secret, smtp password, …)

<?php
$CONFIG = array (
  'instanceid' => '',
  'passwordsalt' => '',
  'secret' => '',
  'trusted_domains' => 
  array (
    0 => 'nextcloud.domain-name.de',
    1 => 'owncloud.domain-name.de',
  ),
  'datadirectory' => '/home/webpages/provider-name/user-name/nextcloud/data',
  'overwrite.cli.url' => 'https://nextcloud.domain-name.de',
  'dbtype' => 'mysql',
  'version' => '13.0.0.14',
  'dbname' => 'db_abc_1',
  'dbhost' => 'user-name.provider-name-db.de',
  'dbtableprefix' => 'oc_',
  'dbuser' => 'USERxyc',
  'dbpassword' => '',
  'logtimezone' => 'UTC',
  'installed' => true,
  'maintenance' => false,
  'theme' => '',
  'loglevel' => 2,
  'mail_domain' => 'domain-name.de',
  'mail_from_address' => 'mail',
  'mail_smtpmode' => 'smtp',
  'mail_smtpauth' => 1,
  'mail_smtpsecure' => 'ssl',
  'mail_smtpport' => '465',
  'mail_smtphost' => 'mail.provider-name.de',
  'mail_smtpname' => 'mail@domain-name.de',
  'mail_smtppassword' => '',
  'mail_smtpauthtype' => 'PLAIN',
  'updater.release.channel' => 'stable',
);

</details>

**Are you using external storage, if yes which one:** local/smb/sftp/...

3x WebDAV
1 x Unknown: googledrive -> does not work anymore

**Are you using encryption:** yes/no
no
**Are you using an external user-backend, if yes which one:** LDAP/ActiveDirectory/Webdav/...
no
#### LDAP configuration (delete this part if not used)
<details>
<summary>LDAP config</summary>

With access to your command line run e.g.:
sudo -u www-data php occ ldap:show-config
from within your Nextcloud installation folder

Without access to your command line download the data/owncloud.db to your local
computer or access your SQL server remotely and run the select query:
SELECT * FROM oc_appconfig WHERE appid = 'user_ldap';

Eventually replace sensitive data as the name/IP-address of your LDAP server or groups.

</details>

### Client configuration
**Browser:**
Firefox 56
**Operating system:**
Linux
### Logs
#### Web server error log
<details>
<summary>Web server error log</summary>

Insert your webserver log here

</details>

#### Nextcloud log (data/nextcloud.log)
<details>
<summary>Nextcloud log</summary>

Insert your Nextcloud log here

</details>

#### Browser log
<details>
<summary>Browser log</summary>

Insert your browser log here, this could for example include:

a) The javascript console log
b) The network log
c) ...

</details>

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

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 with the Default encryption module login error and the personal settings flow described in the reproduction steps. Read the linked overview comment and the issue discussion to determine which of the multiple reported causes is in scope. Done would require an agreed root cause and a verified recovery path for affected accounts, including fresh accounts without a previously set password.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
php
Domain
backend, security
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
20/100

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