Tell HN: Bitwarden does not export attachments in backups

#1

Post by howlett » Sat, Jun 11, 2022, 7:07 AM UTC

I've been using Bitwarden for about 4 years now and cannot understand how a Password Manager does not export attachments when backing up your data. I understand this was the case when the only export format was a CSV file, but now with JSON files I can't get my head around the fact that I almost missed crucial SSH keys had I not checked the output. A simple solution would be to b64 encode each file and add it into an array!

It's even mentioned on their Help page - https://bitwarden.com/help/export-your-data/ but I still think it's a bit unacceptable that there isn't even a warning in the GUI about this.

And yes, I know there are ways to manually export the files, but I shouldn't have to do that.

Re: Tell HN: Bitwarden does not export attachments in backups

#2

Post by hammyhavoc » Sat, Jun 11, 2022, 10:09 AM UTC

Wow, if true, this is a huge oversight.

Re: Tell HN: Bitwarden does not export attachments in backups

#3

Post by tluyben2 » Sat, Jun 11, 2022, 10:30 AM UTC

I have been bitten by this. It is quite weird imho.

Re: Tell HN: Bitwarden does not export attachments in backups

#4

Post by Youden » Sat, Jun 11, 2022, 10:37 AM UTC

It's been raised but doesn't appear to be a large enough issue to be put on the roadmap: https://community.bitwarden.com/t/allow-attachments-to-be-ex...

The project is open-source, maybe send them a pull request?

Re: Tell HN: Bitwarden does not export attachments in backups

#5

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Jun 11, 2022, 10:53 AM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Tell HN: Bitwarden does not export attachments in backups

#6

Post by jka » Sat, Jun 11, 2022, 10:55 AM UTC

Can you migrate storage of your SSH keys in Bitwarden to custom fields[1]? Those should -- I think -- be exported with the contents of the vault.

[1] - https://bitwarden.com/help/custom-fields/#custom-fields-for-...

Re: Tell HN: Bitwarden does not export attachments in backups

#7

Post by anthropodie » Sat, Jun 11, 2022, 11:10 AM UTC

I have Bitwarden desktop/mobile apps and I keep them in sync exactly for this reason. In case something bad happens I can at least copy and paste individual password!

Re: Tell HN: Bitwarden does not export attachments in backups

#8

Post by AnonHP » Sat, Jun 11, 2022, 11:34 AM UTC

Bitwarden pivoted to serving enterprise needs (like SSO, collaboration) a few years ago and hasn’t given much attention to improving the basic product itself (there still aren’t additional types, like licenses, WiFi passwords, etc.). You can file this as an issue and wait.

Re: Tell HN: Bitwarden does not export attachments in backups

#9

Post by capableweb » Sat, Jun 11, 2022, 11:38 AM UTC

AnonHP wrote: post #8

Bitwarden pivoted to serving enterprise needs (like SSO, collaboration) a few years ago and hasn’t given much attention to improving the basic product itself (there still aren’t additional types, like licenses, WiFi passwords, etc.). You can file this as an issue and wait.

Just like every other product initially launched for consumers, eventually pivoting to enterprises and forgetting about the little guy.

Seems it's impossible for people to run companies for the average consumer. Are their cash-flow really so bad they can't help themselves going into the enterprise market or is there something else going on?

Re: Tell HN: Bitwarden does not export attachments in backups

#10

Post by laurent123456 » Sat, Jun 11, 2022, 11:44 AM UTC

AnonHP wrote: post #8

Bitwarden pivoted to serving enterprise needs (like SSO, collaboration) a few years ago and hasn’t given much attention to improving the basic product itself (there still aren’t additional types, like licenses, WiFi passwords, etc.). You can file this as an issue and wait.

I'm wondering why their enterprise clients are ok with this though. I would have thought they'd get more pressure from them since most businesses would not want to lose all their attachments if there's a problem.