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Android saves wifi passwords in plaintext to the cloud

code.google.com

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Re: Android saves wifi passwords in plaintext to the cloud

#21

Post by threeseed »

enginous wrote: post #12

What key are you going to encrypt these passwords with? If you were to encrypt passwords in the cloud with a key that's stored on the device, you can't unlock the passwords on a different device (or the same device after flashing), which is the whole point of backing it up in the cloud. If you were to encrypt them with the user's Google Accounts password, the device would need to ask for that password on every startu…

Why couldn't Google just have a shared key stored on each of the user's devices ?

The shared key could be backed up to Google's servers and encrypted using the user's password so in the event of a new device/flashing the shared key could be re-downloaded.

Then you only ask the user once for their password.

Re: Android saves wifi passwords in plaintext to the cloud

#22

Post by shawnz »

threeseed wrote: post #21
enginous wrote: post #12

What key are you going to encrypt these passwords with? If you were to encrypt passwords in the cloud with a key that's stored on the device, you can't unlock the passwords on a different device (or the same device after flashing), which is the whole point of backing it up in the cloud. If you were to encrypt them with the user's Google Accounts password, the device would need to ask for that password on every startu…

Why couldn't Google just have a shared key stored on each of the user's devices ? The shared key could be backed up to Google's servers and encrypted using the user's password so in the event of a new device/flashing the shared key could be re-downloaded. Then you only ask the user once for their password.

Here's the problem with encrypting via the account password, directly or indirectly:

Google gets subpoena'd for your data. At next logon they capture your password and grab the key. There goes your data, including your wifi password or whatever else.

Of course I don't think that this would ever happen, and even OP's complaint is a bit unnecessarily paranoid in my opinion. But there's your answer.

EDIT: However this might be plausible if the stored key was also encrypted with some sort of passphrase or PIN that was not known to Google, which I believe is how Chrome does it currently.

Re: Android saves wifi passwords in plaintext to the cloud

#23

Post by jmngomes »

This reply "This report applies to a mobile Google application or service, and the issue tracker where you reported it specializes in issues within the Open Source source code of the Android platform." is a bit off, IMO.

The developer reported a bug found on Android to the Android forum. The reply he gets sounds like a dismissal, which is quite strange given that the problem is not only related to Android but also with a Google product.

A few days ago I submitted an Android bug verified on a Samsung phone. The reply was something in the line of "that's Samsung's problem, talk to them".

I'd say this isn't the right way for Google to handle a severe issue such as this, i.e. simply rejecting accountability. It's like having a team say "go talk to some other team" when they're actually all aboard the same ship. Is big company bureaucracy / turf wars getting to Google? Hope not...

Re: Android saves wifi passwords in plaintext to the cloud

#24

Post by valisystem »

enginous wrote: post #12

What key are you going to encrypt these passwords with? If you were to encrypt passwords in the cloud with a key that's stored on the device, you can't unlock the passwords on a different device (or the same device after flashing), which is the whole point of backing it up in the cloud. If you were to encrypt them with the user's Google Accounts password, the device would need to ask for that password on every startu…

Firefox does it by asking you to enter a code displayed on a device that already has the key. My guess is that the displayed key is used to decrypt the actual key on the device, and that the key is never seen in clear on the network.

Re: Android saves wifi passwords in plaintext to the cloud

#25

Post by enginous »

threeseed wrote: post #21
enginous wrote: post #12

What key are you going to encrypt these passwords with? If you were to encrypt passwords in the cloud with a key that's stored on the device, you can't unlock the passwords on a different device (or the same device after flashing), which is the whole point of backing it up in the cloud. If you were to encrypt them with the user's Google Accounts password, the device would need to ask for that password on every startu…

Why couldn't Google just have a shared key stored on each of the user's devices ? The shared key could be backed up to Google's servers and encrypted using the user's password so in the event of a new device/flashing the shared key could be re-downloaded. Then you only ask the user once for their password.

Encrypting anything with your Google Accounts password doesn't really make you invulnerable against Google. They can get your clear text Google Accounts password from you any time they want by just reading the password you enter on any of their clients.

Re: Android saves wifi passwords in plaintext to the cloud

#26

Post by nwh »

Kurts wrote: post #20
nwh wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> like hardware address whitelisting I wouldn't recommend that in any circumstance, it's completely false security really. MAC filtering is incredibly easy to bypass, all Malory has to do is wait for another device to connect and clone their hardware's address.

Yeah but he doesn't have the password, unless somehow he hacked Google's servers for that specific one. It's the combination of both that makes it unlikely, there are far easier/better/more practical/likely ways of penetrating wifi networks.

My point was, it's more an illusion of security than anything. Best not to bother at all.

Re: Android saves wifi passwords in plaintext to the cloud

#27

Post by lrem »

nwh wrote: post #8
Kurts wrote: post #4

You can turn it off if you like: Settings > Privacy > Backup my data, backup application data, Wi-fi passwords, and other settings to Google servers. Every few months someone rediscovers that Google also syncs Wifi credentials between devices (perhaps when logging into a new device and finding it tethers itself nicely to the network on its own). It's a matter of convenience, Wifi passwords are only applicable at a ce…

> like hardware address whitelisting I wouldn't recommend that in any circumstance, it's completely false security really. MAC filtering is incredibly easy to bypass, all Malory has to do is wait for another device to connect and clone their hardware's address.

Wait until somebody else connects to have his MAC, then wait until he disconnects. Otherwise, you'll see a ton of RST flying, making your connection quite useless. That's a good enough deterrent for the typical "attacker", who just happens to need a connection here and now and saw a network using WEP.

Re: Android saves wifi passwords in plaintext to the cloud

#28

Post by hrjet »

jmngomes wrote: post #23

This reply "This report applies to a mobile Google application or service, and the issue tracker where you reported it specializes in issues within the Open Source source code of the Android platform." is a bit off, IMO. The developer reported a bug found on Android to the Android forum. The reply he gets sounds like a dismissal, which is quite strange given that the problem is not only related to Android but also wi…

This.

I recently found the same irksome behaviour by Goog on another important issue: https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=56803

Re: Android saves wifi passwords in plaintext to the cloud

#29

Post by Nogwater »

Kurts wrote: post #4

You can turn it off if you like: Settings > Privacy > Backup my data, backup application data, Wi-fi passwords, and other settings to Google servers. Every few months someone rediscovers that Google also syncs Wifi credentials between devices (perhaps when logging into a new device and finding it tethers itself nicely to the network on its own). It's a matter of convenience, Wifi passwords are only applicable at a ce…

Hmm. That path doesn't seem to work on my Nexus 4 running Android 4.2.2. The closest I could find is Settings > Backup & reset > Backup my data (Backup app data, Wi-Fi passwords, and other settings to Google services). Tapping this, it says "Stop backing up your Wi-Fi passwords, bookmarks, other settings, and app data, plus erase all copies on Google servers?". So, it sounds like it's all or nothing.

Re: Android saves wifi passwords in plaintext to the cloud

#30

Post by Camillo »

enginous wrote: post #12

What key are you going to encrypt these passwords with? If you were to encrypt passwords in the cloud with a key that's stored on the device, you can't unlock the passwords on a different device (or the same device after flashing), which is the whole point of backing it up in the cloud. If you were to encrypt them with the user's Google Accounts password, the device would need to ask for that password on every startu…

Not backing up wifi passwords would be a better tradeoff, especially as the default.
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