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firefox password manager sync between pc and android 8.0 reveals passwords on synced android 8.0 without ever entering master password for ffx on android device

  • 2 replies
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  • Last reply by bo15ffx

bo15ffx
bo15ffx
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hi just found a password manager securityleak:

firefox password manager sync between pc and android reveals passwords on synced android without ever having enteredmaster password on android device

pls try it for yourself.

more: 1. I synced all Firefox data between PC (Linux, my main device for accessing websites when I need user/pwd access with my android mobile device. on the PC i use a root password for the password manager

2. I never entered a Firefox password-manager root password on my android 8.0 device, yet on the device I am able to see the password info.

This creates a password security flaw on android devices syncing passwords with other devices without users being aware because they may presume that if you never entered a root password tot the Firefox password manager on your android it 'should' not be open to easy access..

hi just found a password manager securityleak: firefox password manager sync between pc and android reveals passwords on synced android without ever having enteredmaster password on android device pls try it for yourself. more: 1. I synced all Firefox data between PC (Linux, my main device for accessing websites when I need user/pwd access with my android mobile device. on the PC i use a root password for the password manager 2. I never entered a Firefox password-manager root password on my android 8.0 device, yet on the device I am able to see the password info. This creates a password security flaw on android devices syncing passwords with other devices without users being aware because they may presume that if you never entered a root password tot the Firefox password manager on your android it 'should' not be open to easy access..

All Replies (2)

cor-el
cor-el
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor
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If you sync passwords then passwords are protected on other connected devices like other passwords on that device, each with their own master password. That means that you need to set a master password on each device. The MP is never transferred to other devices, only all data send to the Sync server is encrypted locally with a Sync key before it leaves the computer. I don't know if syncing passwords is disabled to devices that aren't using a MP (I think that used to happen in the past).

bo15ffx
bo15ffx Question owner
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thanks.

after discovering that the android device revealed ffx passwords from the synced ffx password-manager I did set a root password for the password-manager.

but before that, the synced passwords were visible on the android device with no root password ever entered to the password-manager on the android device.

so a surprising security flaw it is, in my experience.

maybe others can test this and then hopefully this is accepted as feedback to the ffx developer team.

best regards