Re: Help! Thunderbird lost my passwords
On 04.08.2021 05:03, Douglas McGarrett
wrote:
On 7/19/21 1:15 AM, Alexander V.
Makartsev wrote:
I installed tbird 78.12.0 (64-bit)
and it can't find my email passwords. I have browsed
signons.sqlite
and the passwords seem to be there in the middle of the
db. I have tried to install a prior version of tbird but
dpkg has thwarted those efforts so far! Any other ideas
suggestions would be appreciated!
Many TIA!
Dennis
If you didn't setup "Master Password" in ThunderBird, you can
try "Mail PassView" utility from NirSoft. [1]
It works with WINE.
If password database files were not corrupted somehow, it will
show stored accounts and passwords from TB profile.
[1] https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/mailpv.html
I recently downloaded and installed T/B after having lost the use
of it a couple of months ago when it refused
to recognize my password or any new one. Now it is working, and I
hope it continues. At any rate, I did not see
anything about a Master Password. What is it, and where is it, and
should I need it?
--doug
I've never had any issues with T/B, but I've seen complains from
other people multiple times about password-related problems.
Which could be explained by not so smooth automatic migration from
old password storage database format to a new one.
I usually delay updates installation for T/B and other
business-critical software by a few weeks or so, and that could be
the reason I've avoided said issues so far.
Passwords and account information in T/B (and other Mozilla
software?) are stored in an reversible-encrypted state by default.
So, for an example, if T/B profile and password DB files were stolen
by malware they could be decrypted effortlessly using forensic
utilities, like "Mail PassView".
A "Master password" feature protects password DB files by adding
additional layer of encryption, which could be decrypted only if you
use a master password.
So, in the same scenario I've described above, even if badguys will
steal a profile files with password DB files, they won't be able to
decrypt them easily without master password and will have to use
time-consuming "bruteforce" techniques to get it.
The only inconvenience of master password feature, once you enable
it, you will have to enter it each time you launch a T/B session and
every time you will want to see saved passwords in plain text.
The ordinary EMail functions, like sending and receiving, won't be
affected by it.
--
With kindest regards, Alexander.
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