Trouble with 1PasswordAnywhere using Firefox on Windows

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  • Passweird
    Passweird
    Community Member
    edited April 2014
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    I have confirmed absolutely, after many attempts at following the very straightforward instructions for utilizing 1Password Anywhere, that they do not work with my browser. Now that might be a problem or it might not. When I'm on my own notebook, I can use my cached Dropbox keychain. The problem arises after I have made a copy of it onto a flashdrive, and I try to open the copy. The encryptionKeys.js file has wrapped, and Firefox is unsuccessful at reading it. For whatever reason Dropbox is able to image the file without the wrapping. I think this presents an insurmountable problem for secure mobility. Unless I'm missing something. Windows 7, Firefox 28.0.

  • DBrown
    DBrown
    1Password Alumni
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    Hi, @Passweird‌. I'm not sure what you mean by "my cached Dropbox keychain": the copy of your .agilekeychain folder that's listed on the General tab of 1Password preferences?

    If so, what's the full path and filename shown there?

    If not, can you help me understand?

    Thanks!

  • Passweird
    Passweird
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    When using Dropbox for mobile security with 1Password, the 1Password.agilekeychain is stored locally in Windows at a location C:\Users[username]\Dropbox\1Password. (At installation Dropbox for Windows does not offer the option of installing for all users). Anyone with more than two or three passwords most likely will have no joy, when using Agile's instructions to copy that folder to a flash drive (in order to have a snapshot of security credentials for mobile use).

    When one attempts to open the html file, there is an error message (in my case, "A problem occurred when loading the "file:///F:/Documents/1Password.agilekeychain/data/default/encryptionKeys.js" file." followed after clicking "OK" by the usual representation of the decryption/login page. The browser cannot open the data however since the encryptionKeys.js has wrapped with newline escape chars (/).

    The familiar error popup window is presented: "Problem loading 1Password data file

    "A key data file could not be loaded and 1PasswordAnywhere cannot continue without it.

    "Please see this help guide for troubleshooting tips."

    When I click the link for "key data file" it opens encryptionKeys.js looking like:
    {"list":[{"data":"eNcrYPt3dBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4h
    /Bl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4h
    /Bl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4h
    /Bl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4h
    /Bl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4hBl4h","level":"SL3","iterations":10000}],"SL3":"[33-byteHash]","SL5":"[32-byteHash]"}

    Anyone using Windows, Dropbox, and with more than a very small password file would likely encounter this.

  • svondutch
    svondutch
    1Password Alumni
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    @Passweird‌ please take a look this answer from @DBrown.

  • Passweird
    Passweird
    Community Member
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    Yes, I see that AgileBits has previously said in effect that there is no mobile benefit to their software unless one wants to use both Dropbox and Safari; and it is the fault of modern browsers. They did not however seem to know why that is.

  • svondutch
    svondutch
    1Password Alumni
    edited April 2014
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    AgileBits has previously said in effect that there is no mobile benefit to their software

    We do have mobile apps for iOS (iPhone, iPad) and Android.

    unless one wants to use both Dropbox and Safari

    Dropbox OR Safari. 1PasswordAnywhere works in Chrome and Firefox in Dropbox, or in Safari without Dropbox.

    They did not however seem to know why that is

    Added security.

  • Passweird
    Passweird
    Community Member
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    @svondutch, I think I have proved that the software will only work in my own browser and not with any other (unless for example I happen to find a copy of Safari at a remote site) even if I have a current copy of my keyring on a portable drive. I neglected to mention the only workaround I have found which is to log into my Dropbox from another user's browser (or a portable version). "Klugey" but effective. Thanks.

  • DBrown
    DBrown
    1Password Alumni
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    @Passweird, we've tested to confirm that one can view one's 1Password data using any of the supported browsers, as long as it doesn't reside on a local drive. I'm not sure how we would go about telling the makers of Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, and Opera to change the way their software works. :(

    1PasswordAnywhere was designed to allow one to view one's data when one is away from any computer or mobile device that has 1Password installed. One of the many benefits of viewing the data on one's private dropbox.com web site is that it's always up to date—one doesn't have to worry about remembering to copy it to or from a removable drive or which copy has the latest data.

  • licenced
    licenced
    Community Member
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    Another other discussion seems pertinent to this one:
    http://discussions.agilebits.com/discussion/24002/1password-anywhere-cannot-access-key-data-file/p1

    There is no specific sub-forum for 1PasswordAnywhere so it's been posted in the Mac thread, but may affect anyone now trying to use Anywhere from Dropbox. It sounds like Dropbox have changed something that makes one of the necessary files inaccessible.

    Hopefully it can be resolved

  • DBrown
    DBrown
    1Password Alumni
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    Yes, this is causing us some headaches :( and I believe we are working with Dropbox to sort it out.

    We apologize for the inconvenience!

  • DBrown
    DBrown
    1Password Alumni
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    We're told that Dropbox is looking at deploying a fix on Thursday.

  • Passweird
    Passweird
    Community Member
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    I updated Dropbox. The problem still exists. It is the same problem which occurs when I am not using Dropbox. The encryptionKeys.js file that is created by 1Password contains embedded "newline" escape characters. This renders useless the mobile solution that AgileBits is providing. It will not work both portably and securely, with any browser, with or without the use of Dropbox. Copying the folder and its html files to transportable media, OR using Dropbox to transfer the 1PasswordAnywhere file folder which contains it, is unworkable.

    Frankly, the pointing of fingers at the developers of every browser as well as at Dropbox is a pathetic, gross and feeble, unwarranted abandonment of responsibility for AgileBits' own shortcomings.

  • DBrown
    DBrown
    1Password Alumni
    edited May 2014
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    No one has pointed fingers at browser developers or at Dropbox, @Passweird‌. Dropox changed some aspect of their web site, which is entirely their right to do. We discovered that it disabled the kind of access we use to make 1PasswordAnywhere work, and we're working with them to solve the problem.

    That fix appears to be in the works, but they haven't deployed it yet.

    Please see CEO Jeffrey Shiner's post, here: http://discussions.agilebits.com/discussion/24341/1passwordanywhere

  • Passweird
    Passweird
    Community Member
    edited May 2014
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    Hi, thanks for the pointer link. I'm confused just a little because the problem with the 1PasswordAnywhere "filesystem" presents itself when I follow AgileBits' instructions to copy it to a portable drive and run the html authenticator from it; I get the exact same error with every browser. So: not a Dropbox issue, not an IE issue, not a Firefox issue, from the testing I have had to perform. There appears to be an awful lot of misinformation in the documentation about 1PasswordAnywhere, so I'm sorry I'm frustrated, but there it is. Several of the links for documentation on the mobile solution even cal it a Mac product. I use many platforms and that's not one of them. I've paid for a Windows product which I thought was transportable. I do hope it all gets sorted out soon, with proper documentation that does not mislead, even unintentionally. Thanks again for the response.

  • DBrown
    DBrown
    1Password Alumni
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    As I understand it, @Passweird, if 1Password.html appears to the browser to be on a local drive, the browser will fail to open it.

    I'm sorry the documentation was misleading. We're working to make sure we detect which OS you're running before offering advice, but this effort is in the very early stages, and we apologize sincerely for the confusion.

  • Passweird
    Passweird
    Community Member
    edited May 2014
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    Not to put too fine a point on it but actually the page loads fine. However I get the same error which you've been saying will occur only when using Dropbox, about the corrupt encryptionKeys.js, although I am using AgileBits-approved browsers, and not Dropbox. So the 1PasswordAnywhere data does not decrypt, in any case. To be as clear as I can, the problem which I have been encountering - and there could be others - is with creation of a readable javascript keys file. Not with web browsers nor Dropbox. Other users' experience appears to coincide. Hopefully the fact may become acceptable so that a solution can be engineered.

  • svondutch
    svondutch
    1Password Alumni
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    I updated Dropbox. The problem still exists.

    Updating Dropbox on your computer is not going to solve this problem. The problem is on the Dropbox web site, and that is where they need to fix it.

    It is the same problem which occurs when I am not using Dropbox.

    It is not the same problem. The error message might be identical, but the cause is different.

  • DBrown
    DBrown
    1Password Alumni
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    1PasswordAnywhere on your private dropbox.com web site should be working again. Please let us know if you find that's not the case for you.

    Thanks again for your patience!

  • Passweird
    Passweird
    Community Member
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    I just checked from my own browser and it is working. So I think it will most likely work at my remote sites. Thank you very much!

  • DBrown
    DBrown
    1Password Alumni
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    Thanks for letting us know, @Passweird‌.

This discussion has been closed.