Master password clarification: Mac vs. iOS vs. Dropbox
I am trying to figure out whether everything is working for me as it is supposed to:
- I set up 1Password on my Mac, syncing it to Dropbox
- I can use 1PasswordAnywhere using the master password from my Mac
- I then set up 1Password on my iPhone, syncing to Dropbox, and upon first use I need to enter the master password from my Mac
- If I then change the master password on my iPhone, the master password on the Mac does not change, but I now need to use the new iPhone password for 1PasswordAnywhere. So now I have two passwords, now for iPhone and 1PasswordAnywhere, the other for the Mac
- If I change the master password on the Mac, the 1PasswordAnywhere master password changes as well, but not the iOS master password.
So, if I am understanding correctly, it seems I can have a separate master password between my Mac and iPhone, and the 1PasswordAnywhere master password will be the most recently set password from either device?
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Depending on the version of each program used, master password changes should propagate over Dropbox to all devices that sync with it. The reason I say depending on the versions is that until recently master password changes weren't but they altered it to fit in more with how people thought it would work. You'll probably get somebody from Agilebits asking for information soon enough to help you out :-)
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Hi @alkalifly,
As @littlebobbytables suggests, I'd love to know the version numbers of 1Password that you are currently using, as well as the version numbers of your operating systems for all computers and devices running 1Password.
I've also got a few basic things that we want to check regarding Dropbox first, before we get into the more serious troubleshooting:
- Please ensure that Dropbox is installed and running on your computer
- Check that you are logged in with the same account on all computers and devices
- Confirm that Dropbox sync is selected in 1Password > Preferences > Sync on your Mac
- Confirm that Dropbox is selected in Settings > Sync on your iOS device (and that all devices are pointing at the same keychain)
If all of those items check out, let's run a test and see where things are getting tripped up:
- Create a test entry on your Mac ("Test, Mac") and add some data
- Create a test entry on each of your iOS devices ("Test, iPhone/iPad") and add some data
- Does "Test for Mac" show up on either of your iOS devices?
- Does "Test for iPhone" and/or "Test for iPad" show up on your Mac?
- Log in to the Dropbox website and click on the 1Password.html file inside your 1Password.agilekeychain folder
- Enter your Master Password
- Do either or any of your test entries show up in your database here?
Please let me know the results of this little experiment - once we have a better idea of where things are going sideways, we should be able to get this straightened out simply for you :)
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Hi @Megan (and @littlebobbytables),
Thank you for your assistance. I am using:
1Password for iOS Version 4.5.3
1Password for Mac Version 4.4.1 (441008)And I definitely have Dropbox installed and running on my computer, logged in with the same account that I use on my iPhone, and syncing set up as instructed for both, so syncing of data has been working flawlessly for me.
I did run the test you suggested in order to confirm that syncing works:
-The test entry from my Mac shows up on my iPhone
-The test entry from my iPhone shows up on my Mac
-Both test entries show up in the 1password.html file in DropboxSo that is all working as it should. I also tested to confirm that
-Changing the master password on my Mac DOES change the master password for the 1password.html file in Dropbox, but DOES NOT change the master password on my iPhone
-Changing the master password on my iPhone DOES change the master password for the 1password.html file in Dropbox, but DOES NOT change the master password on my MacI hope this helps!
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Thanks for the followup testing and results, @alkalifly.
I've filed a report for this issue of Master Password changes not syncing across devices and we'll let you know if there's any further information about it.
internal reference number: CSI-5
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I am experiencing the same problem. I have 1Password 4.4.1 running on a MacBook Air (OS X 10.9.4). It is sync'ed via Dropbox to my iPhone 4 (iOS 7.1.2) running 1Password for iOS 4.5.3. I When I changed the Master Password on my Mac and made sure Dropbox synced to my iPhone, I can open the vault on my iPhone with my OLD master password, not the new one.
And when I add a new login on my Mac, I can access it on my iPhone using the old master password. Similarly, when I add a login on my iPhone, it appears on my Mac with no problem.
Opening 1PasswordAnywhere (1Password.html) requires my NEW master password and sees all the new logins from both the Mac and the iPhone.
How is this even POSSIBLE? If the vault is encrypted, it's encrypted, right? So certainly a NEW record should be encrypted with a NEW master password, even if the old ones aren't. And if the iPhone has the OLD master password, I would expect it to be encrypted in such a way that it can't be read on the Mac using the new master password. Or can a vault be encrypted/decrypted by multiple passwords (e,g. an OLD and a NEW)? If so, then that would explain some things, but is not expected.
Also, if there's a facility for multiple passwords that can be used to open a single vault, that seems to lead to the possibility for a "backdoor" password that could also be used to read my vault. Does 1Password put a backdoor password on vaults? I don't mean to be alarmist, but I would like a clear "yes" or "no" answer to this question. Given all the security breaches and spying you read about every day in the news, this is very important to me and I'm sure the community as a whole. Even if just old master passwords can open a vault, that would still seem to be a problem.
Thanks for any help clearing up these mysteries.
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There is an excellent post here (in the lounge forum) explaining about re-encryption when you change your master password. That whole thread is interesting.
Stephen
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@Stephen_C Thank you very much for the link to the thread about what really goes on with master passwords and the encryption key. It does explain how the things we are seeing can happen.
It does not explain why they are happening in this particular case -- especially if the program has been updated recently to avoid any confusion after a master password change. Even after letting things sit for 10 hours, my iPhone can still open the vault with my old master password and see new records. So it appears that individual items are getting synced, just not the master password-encrypted encryption key itself.
I second the suggestion in that thread for adding some command or option in the program to update both the master password and the underlying encryption key. I understand that this may be messy internally, but it's even messier if you leave it to the user to do it manually.
Finally, I would like to see some statement from AgileBits saying "We do not add any sort of backdoor password or key to 1Password vaults." If this has been stated elsewhere on the site, a link would be great.
As a website developer and general computer evangelist, I wholeheartedly recommend 1Password to everyone using a computer or smartphone. I want to know that my trust in the program is merited.
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Finally, I would like to see some statement from AgileBits saying "We do not add any sort of backdoor password or key to 1Password vaults." If this has been stated elsewhere on the site, a link would be great.
There is a blog post here about 1Password and the crypto wars which may be of interest.
Stephen
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Thanks again, Stephen. Now I remember reading the 1Password and The Crypto Wars blog post when it came out last year and it was as reassuring as it could be. I really appreciate Jeff's straightforward, honest tone in the write-up.
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Hi Larry,
I'm so glad that @Stephen_C was able to point you to some of Jeff's blog posts. Jeff too will be pleased to hear that you appreciated his words. If you have any further questions on this matter, or any other, please do let us know. It's important to us that you do feel your trust in 1Password is justified and well-placed. :)
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This is STILL happening to me on the latest Mac and iOS versions synced via Dropbox.
- Changed the password on Mac and waited for the Dropbox client to sync successfully.
- Logged in to iOS app with the old password and Dropbox synced successfully.
- Terminated the iOS app and relaunched it but it still accepts the old password.
Nothing short of deleting and reinstalling the iOS app made it recognise the new password.
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Hi @kathampy
Thanks for sharing your experience here! We're currently investigating this issue, and I'll be sure to pass your feedback along.
ref: CSI-5
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