void-linux / void-linux/void-packages
pcscd - GnupG - HW-Smartcard dont work as expected
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Description
Hello,
I have the following problem (should I move this to "Void packages?":
GPG-Key on smartcard. worked in terminal. worked in thunderbird. but:
when I unplug the smartcard and replugin the thunderbird I cannot decrypt the message anymore (no PIN asking...)
if i run in terminal for example "gpg --list-packets ~/.gpg-wakeup.asc" (and i get a PIN-ask), then thunderbird works immediately decrypting messages. suprising: a "gpg --card-status" (as i suspected is enough) didnt work.
The problem is most likely due to the "initialization of the smart card service (pcscd)" and how it communicates with the gpg-agent.
experimentet with scdaemon.conf:
disable-ccid
and
pcsc-shared
no luck.
summary of the problem (maybe):
under GnuPG 2.4.9, a gpg --card status after a card change is not sufficient to initialize the hardware for external clients (such as thunderbird), whereas a call to gpg --list-packets with an encrypted file does.
(I switched from Debian to voidlinux and all worked before)
regards
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
Start by reproducing the smartcard reconnect failure in Thunderbird and compare gpg --card-status with gpg --list-packets ~/.gpg-wakeup.asc. Then inspect the interaction among pcscd, gpg-agent, and scdaemon.conf, including the tried disable-ccid and pcsc-shared settings. Done means identifying a Void Linux-specific cause or configuration change that lets Thunderbird decrypt after reinserting the card without the workaround.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- linux
- Domain
- cryptography, security
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Active
- Clarity
- Needs clarification
- Newbie friendliness
- 35/100