GNU bug report logs - #65316
29.1.50; EPA can falsely report "wrong passphrase" when decryption fails

Previous Next

Full log

Message #8 received at 65316 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Jens Schmidt <jschmidt4gnu <at> vodafonemail.de>
To: 65316 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: 29.1.50; EPA can falsely report "wrong passphrase" when
 decryption fails
Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2023 21:49:07 +0200

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Package: epa.el
Tags: patch

Repro Case:

# prepare a public-key-encrypted file test.gpg in cwd

# make pinentry executable non-executable
sudo chmod a-x /usr/bin/pinentry

emacs -Q

C-x C-f test.gpg RET

=> Wrong passphrase: No secret key

Where Emacs 27 would report in a separate *Error* buffer:

----------------------------------------
Error while decrypting with "/usr/bin/gpg":

gpg: encrypted with 3072-bit RSA key, ID D0EB77D91C0802D6, created 2022-12-03
      "test-key"
gpg: public key decryption failed: No pinentry
gpg: decryption failed: No secret key
----------------------------------------

The root cause is in function `epa--wrong-password-p', defined as
follows:

----------------------------------------
(defun epa--wrong-password-p (context)
  (let ((error-string (epg-context-error-output context)))
    (and (string-match
          "decryption failed: \\(Bad session key\\|No secret key\\)"
          error-string)
         (match-string 1 error-string))))
----------------------------------------

It should not search for "No secret key" but rather for "Bad
passphrase".  "No secret key" just means that there is no secret key
available to decrypt the file, "Bad passphrase" means that no secret
keys can be used because of a wrong passphrase.

I collected a couple of non-bad-passphrase error messages from GnuPG
decryption failures, all done with:

  [emacs-29]$ gpg --version
  gpg (GnuPG) 2.2.27
  libgcrypt 1.8.8

----------------------------------------
# public key, chmod a-x /usr/bin/pinentry
gpg: encrypted with 3072-bit RSA key, ID D0EB77D91C0802D6, created 2022-12-03
      "test-key"
gpg: public key decryption failed: No pinentry
gpg: decryption failed: No secret key

# symmetric, chmod a-x /usr/bin/pinentry
gpg: AES256.CFB encrypted data
gpg: problem with the agent: No pinentry
gpg: encrypted with 1 passphrase
gpg: decryption failed: No secret key

# public key, 0744 empty GnuPG home directory
gpg: WARNING: unsafe permissions on homedir '/home/jschmidt/work/emacs-29/xxx'
gpg: encrypted with RSA key, ID D0EB77D91C0802D6
gpg: decryption failed: No secret key

# public key, 0400 empty GnuPG home directory
gpg: failed to create temporary file '/home/jschmidt/work/emacs-29/xxx/.#lk0x00005571263a1230.sappc2.4974': Permission denied
gpg: keyblock resource '/home/jschmidt/work/emacs-29/xxx/pubring.kbx': Permission denied
gpg: encrypted with RSA key, ID D0EB77D91C0802D6
gpg: decryption failed: No secret key

# public key, 0700 empty GnuPG home directory
gpg: encrypted with RSA key, ID D0EB77D91C0802D6
gpg: decryption failed: No secret key
----------------------------------------

And here the real bad-passphrase messages:

----------------------------------------
# symmetric, bad passphrase entered
gpg: AES256.CFB encrypted data
gpg: encrypted with 1 passphrase
gpg: decryption failed: Bad session key

# public key, bad passphrase entered
gpg: encrypted with 3072-bit RSA key, ID D0EB77D91C0802D6, created 2022-12-03
      "test-key"
gpg: public key decryption failed: Bad passphrase
gpg: decryption failed: No secret key
----------------------------------------

Patch attached.

[0001-Avoid-false-wrong-passphrase-messages-in-EPA.patch (text/x-patch, attachment)]

Previous Next

GNU bug tracking system
Copyright (C) 1999 Darren O. Benham, 1997,2003 nCipher Corporation Ltd, 1994-97 Ian Jackson.