Password Management

Password Management

Organize and Strengthen Secrets

When it comes to managing passwords, there are several options available to you. Kubuntu Focus computers come with a couple of these pre-installed, but there are several others that you can find throughout the web.

Please read the disclaimer before proceeding. We review and update guided solutions like this regularly. If you have suggestions or requests, please write support@kfocus.org.

KDE Wallet

KDE Wallet

KDE Wallet is the default password manager on Kubuntu systems. It stores passwords completely encrypted and unlocks upon login. All KDE applications integrate with this password manager, and it stores Wi-Fi passwords, file manager passwords, and other system passwords. It also integrates well with Google Chrome and other browsers.

By default, the KDE Wallet master password is the same as your user password. For this reason, if you ever change your user password, your KDE Wallet password will no longer unlock automatically upon login. You can fix this by making sure the passwords match again:

Some apps that typically require gnome-keyring need libsecret capability. Recent versions of KWallet reportedly provide this capability through the qbus |grep -i secret. This shows org.freedesktop.secrets service. One can inspect these services using sudo apt install qttools5-dev-tools && qdbusviewer. However, since we use KeePassXC as our cross-platform password manager, we use it instead as described below.

KeePassXC

KeePassXC

KeePassXC is a cross-platform, sync-able, decentralized password management solution. It has plugins for Chrome (and other Chromium-based browsers), Firefox, and Android clients. We highly recommend this password solution. For many, it’s a great alternative to commercial services like LastPass and 1Password.

Important: if you are using the Thunderbird snap (the default), then you will need to make adjustments as shown in the Browsers Guided Solution.

Some apps that typically require gnome-keyring can use KeePassXC instead. Tested examples include VSCode Settings Sync and Fortinet Client. The key is to enable libsecret capability. The steps below are from this answer:

Some forum posts recommend installing Gnome Keyring; however, this can interfere with the KWallet subsystem. For this reason, we strongly recommend you try to use KeePassXC instead.

KeePassXC’s database file can be stored on a cloud drives with Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, ownCloud, Nextcloud, or similar tool. This is required to synchronize across multiple devices. To learn more, visit the KeePassXC website documentation. In April 2023, the KeePassXC team released a reassuring security audit which we also encourage you to review.

Other Solutions

Decentralized browser-based solutions exist as well, such as ownCloud and Nextcloud. These solutions require your own web server and adding the respective password management apps to the ownCloud and Nextcloud instances you run on those servers. For more information on these, see the links to the respective solutions.

Troubleshooting

Q: I am prompted frequently to sign into KWallet. Is this normal?

A: No, by default the KDE Wallet master password is the same as your user password. The login system recognizes this and unlocks your KDE Wallet automatically. If you change your user password, you should also update your KDE Wallet password to match; otherwise, you will be be prompted to open the KDE Wallet at times. See the KDE Wallet section, above, for full instructions.

Revisions

This is a partial revision history. See the git repository for all entries.

Disclaimer

We try hard to provide a useful solution validated by professionals. However, we cannot anticipate every situation, and therefore cannot guarantee this procedure will work for your needs. Always backup your data and test the solution to determine the correct procedure for you.

THIS SOLUTION IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS “AS IS” AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOLUTION, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

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