Error occurred when deleting folders inside an encrypted 7-Zip archive.

[ghisler(Author)]

Great, thanks! I will try to make it work also with the external packer.

[ghisler(Author)]

With name encryption I get an extra password request after deleting - but that is OK.

Since you don't store the password, Total Commander has to ask for it twice:
- once to modify the archive
- and again to read the resulting archive

It would be nice to temporarily store the password, but I don't want to do this when the user denies it.

[white]

21.05.26 Fixed: Could not delete folder from header-encrypted or solid 7-zip archive with external 7-zip packer when not temporarily storing the password (32/64)

Issue confirmed with TC 11.57a rc1. Tested OK using TC 11.57a pre5 32-bit and 64-bit.

Also, with Remember password disabled and Encryption of Filenames enabled I am asked for the password the first time I enter the archive (as expexted), but if I exit the archive and re-enter it I am NOT asked for the password - that is wrong and a security breach.

Is this by design?

[ghisler(Author)]

Yes, this is by design. Total Commander does NOT remember the password in this case, it remembers the names of the files in that archive because the user entered the archive. Otherwise each directory change within that archive would cause another password prompt.

[AntonyD]

Let it cache all the names - that's not a problem. The problem is that when ENTERING the archive - it doesn't ask for a password.
That is, any attempt to ENTER the archive with a password MUST require entering the password. And inside - let it remember everything it can.

[ghisler(Author)]

No, that would break a lot of things, like switching between tabs, or entering and leaving a nested (inner) archive.

[AntonyD]

So we are writing to you about a security breach in handling important data! This is not just playing around with showing a prettier picture. IF an archive is password-protected ANY access to it - ACCESS! I emphasize, not working inside! - must require password confirmation. It should not be that I opened an archive, got distracted - of course I exited the archive - and stepped away from the computer - and my office neighbor took it AND AGAIN calmly entered the password-protected archive! WITHOUT entering the password!

[white]

No, that would break a lot of things, like switching between tabs, or entering and leaving a nested (inner) archive.

Break a lot of things? But it doesn't break when entering the first time and has to ask for a password? Did you really check whether it breaks a lot of things?

As petermad pointed out, this is a security breach. You probably should put out a warning that various TC versions have this security issue. I don't think it is acceptable to keep it this way. How are you going to document the behavior? Put the behavior in capital letters in the help?

And what about when inside the archive and TC has been minimized. Shouldn't TC ask for the password again then too?

[ghisler(Author)]

This is NOT a security breach. The user has given consent to decrypt the names. Would you really expect to re-enter the password each time to switch back to the tab with the archive? No. This would be completely unusable.

[AntonyD]

And what about when inside the archive and TC has been minimized. Shouldn't TC ask for the password again then too?

In very, very strict secret working conditions, this is how it should be. BUT in our average office conditions, this situation is no different from when I simply cover the Total's file panel with an open archive with another application window for a while and then return to this panel. It would be too stressful for the user to have to constantly enter a password even in such a simple situation. Does changing focus == entering a password?

[AntonyD]

2ghisler(Author)
Did you make sure to translate the entire text and understand what we are writing about? ENTRY! the ENTRY process! into the archive must be accompanied by entering a password. Working inside it - including nested archives - of course in our typical office conditions should take into account the remembered password - for convenience. BUT if I explicitly exited the MASTER archive with a password - then re-entering it MUST ask for the password! I created the entire main archive with a password for this very reason!

[ghisler(Author)]

There are many ways to enter an archive:
1. Via Enter key (obviously)
2. Same, but the archive is already open in another tab
3. By switching to a tab which has that archive open
4. By going back via history
5. Same, but the archive is already open in another tab (or in a different directory on the same tab)
6. Via a button
7. Via a start menu entry
8. Via command line
9. By leaving an inner archive
and probably a lot more.

Do you really want to re-enter the password in all these cases? If not, in which?

[AntonyD]

1. this step is a REAL first entry into the archive. So we ask for pass of course.
2. If it in a OPENed state somewhere - we are WORKING with that archive: we are NOT making initial entrance at this an archive! No pass.
3. the same
4. history contains only PATH - so obviously that we should ran step 1. initially - we must ENTER an archive.
So we ask for pass of course.
5. see step 2.
6. button's command contains only PATH, so see step 4.
7. start menu entry contains only PATH, so see step 4.
8. at command line we will see only PATH, so see step 4.
9. Inner archive - is a part of a MASTER-archive with password. SO obviously a minutes/seconds earlier we made an ENTRance
at this MASTER archive and we typed a pass - IF it was requested initially of course. So inside this MASTER archive we are working
with files, folders - just like it's a regular file panel with objects. AND IF we must again enter inside an archive with pass - we must
ask the end-user for it and use it.

any comments?

[white]

This is NOT a security breach.

OK, put that in the help please.

The user has given consent to decrypt the names.

The user didn't give his consent until TC closes or the user enters a different archive. The user doesn't even know this happens.

Would you really expect to re-enter the password each time to switch back to the tab with the archive? No. This would be completely unusable.

Isn't protecting content with a password actually meant to be inconvenient? Isn't the "Remember password" option intended for users who want more convenience at the expense of some security?

And what about when inside the archive and TC has been minimized. Shouldn't TC ask for the password again then too?

In very, very strict secret working conditions, this is how it should be. BUT in our average office conditions, this situation is no different from when I simply cover the Total's file panel with an open archive with another application window for a while and then return to this panel. It would be too stressful for the user to have to constantly enter a password even in such a simple situation. Does changing focus == entering a password?

Minimizing TC is not the same as losing focus. Note that common TC use is that TC is never closes but is minimized to the system tray instead. Also note that for encrypted contents of files, TC asks for the password again after TC has been minimized, even when the user instructed TC to remember the password.

There are many ways to enter an archive:
1. Via Enter key (obviously)
2. Same, but the archive is already open in another tab
3. By switching to a tab which has that archive open
4. By going back via history
5. Same, but the archive is already open in another tab (or in a different directory on the same tab)
6. Via a button
7. Via a start menu entry
8. Via command line
9. By leaving an inner archive
and probably a lot more.

Do you really want to re-enter the password in all these cases? If not, in which?

When an archive has encrypted filenames, showing those filenames to the user should require the password. Right now Total Commander caches and stores the decrypted names (putting them into history), and that means someone can see file/folder names later without re-entering the password. That defeats the point of password‑protecting them.

Example: I open a passworded archive at my desk, then navigate to outside the archive and step away from the PC. Someone else comes to my machine and can re-open the same path or look in history and see the unencrypted filenames without ever typing the password. That’s a security hole.

Caching and keeping history should be disabled or brought back to the point that access is dependent on using the password, not whether or not names are cached or history is kept.

[AntonyD]

Minimizing TC is not the same as losing focus.

It's Not - but it's an additional way of operation with archive which should somehow be processed at the same level by Total.
I just gave a new view on this problem.