What happens when I unlock the 1Password application on macOS

unimariJo
unimariJo
Community Member

Hello! ;) :p

What happens with my data when I unlock the 1Password application? Are there any differences between unlocking with Master Password and unlocking it with Touch ID?


1Password Version: Not Provided
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: macOS 10.13.1
Sync Type: Not Provided

Comments

  • unimariJo
    unimariJo
    Community Member

    And the second question is: is Secure Input (macOS) always enabled in the 1Password application?

  • Moritz_
    Moritz_
    Community Member

    I think you have a deeper question behind all this. What are you trying to get at?
    When you enter your password and unlock your secure vault you will be able to view the entries in it.

  • unimariJo
    unimariJo
    Community Member
    edited November 2017

    I found the answer to the first question myself. But there is the new one: does 1Password store decrypted data when the storage is unlocked? Is Secure Input (macOS) always enabled in the 1Password application?

  • Pilar
    Pilar
    1Password Alumni

    Hi @unimariJo

    Thank you for getting in touch with us. 1Password stores all your data encrypted, and only ever decrypts it when you unlock it. About your first question

    What happens with my data when I unlock the 1Password application?

    Your 1Password data gets decrypted right then and there.

    Are there any differences between unlocking with Master Password and unlocking it with Touch ID?

    If you enable Touch ID on your Mac, then your Master Password will be stored on the macOS keychain. Touch ID will authenticate you and allow you to "retrieve" the Master Password and automatically use it to decrypt your data. Your data is still protected by your Master Password though. You might find this article interesting.

    is Secure Input (macOS) always enabled in the 1Password application?

    Yes, secure input is enabled everywhere in 1Password :chuffed:

    Please let us know if you have any other questions, or if there's anything else that we can help you with!

  • unimariJo
    unimariJo
    Community Member

    Thanks for irrefragable answer! (: ;) :)

  • You're welcome. You added another question that wasn't quite answered:

    does 1Password store decrypted data when the storage is unlocked?

    Items and encryption keys are only ever stored in memory while the app is unlocked. We don't write any of that to disk. Attachment and document files are a different story though. In order to get the file contents out of the app and into other apps we need to write those to disk in decrypted form.

    When the app locks, we delete the decrypted files that were written to disk.

    I hope that helps.

    Rick

  • pervel
    pervel
    Community Member

    When the app locks, we delete the decrypted files that were written to disk.

    What happens if the app crashes or otherwise terminates abruptly? Does it delete those files next time it is launched?

  • @pervel : exactly right. Upon launch we do the clean up just in case of that.

    Rick

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    And, just to clarify in case it helps anyone else, 1Password does not decrypt the entire contents of your vault when you unlock it; rather, it decrypts items on demand as you access them (filling in the browser, viewing details, displaying an attachment/Document, etc.) That way all of your data is not loaded unencrypted in memory (or, in the case of files, on disk) at once, only as needed. Cheers! :)

  • mzind
    mzind
    Community Member
    edited October 2019

    I found this old topic and I take the opportunity to ask for one more explanation.

    When I just open 1Password 7, one item is displayed on the right side of the window (depending on the way you order items, I guess). I can see details (also about the password... for example if the password is weak or if it is used by other items), but the password is still obfuscated. At this time, is the password still encrypted or not? Do I need to reveal or copy it to decrypt it, or just browsing through the items and then showing details on the right is enought to make 1Password decrypt the passwords?

    Thanks a lot for helping
    Marco

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    When I just open 1Password 7, one item is displayed on the right side of the window (depending on the way you order items, I guess). I can see details (also about the password... for example if the password is weak or if it is used by other items), but the password is still obfuscated. At this time, is the password still encrypted or not?

    @mzind: All of the item's details are decrypted when you've selected it, so that they can be displayed/copied/filled/etc. As you note, the password (and some other fields) can be masked/obfuscated if you have them set not to display by default, but the actual data still needs to be decrypted in order for you to view the item at all, so that happens when you've selected it.

This discussion has been closed.