I followed the nag-bars to move from riot.im/app to element.io and ended up in a state where historical messages didn't decrypt. The key backup feature is supposed to undo perfect forward secrecy but didn't do that.
Steps to reproduce
sign in to element.io with matrix server password
confirm element.io sign-in with riot.im/app session
pair the sessions by comparing emoticons
dig into security settings and verify that key backups are working. They are.
log out of riot.im/app
Expected behaviour:
all past received messages decrypt
all past sent messages remain marked secure (they don't. separate bug,)
Actual behavior:
past received messages initially don't decrypt and offer "request key from other devices" link. The other device is gone; I signed out of it. The link is a suboptimal stop-gap because it doesn't transfer all keys. It requests them one at a time. How do I know when it's safe to get rid of the other device?
I press "restore backup" in the screenshot. No password is requested. The backup is restored.
now past messages decrypt, and the problem is solved.
Backups should be automatically restored as part of the cross-signing "pairing a new device" wizard.
Version information
Platform: web (in-browser)
For the web app:
Browser: Chrome 83.0.4103.119
OS: Chrome OS
URL: element.io Element version: 1.7.1 / olm version: 3.1.3
ghost
commented
4 years ago
Screenshot 2020-07-17 at 12 10 18
Description
I followed the nag-bars to move from riot.im/app to element.io and ended up in a state where historical messages didn't decrypt. The key backup feature is supposed to undo perfect forward secrecy but didn't do that.
Steps to reproduce
Expected behaviour:
Actual behavior:
Backups should be automatically restored as part of the cross-signing "pairing a new device" wizard.
Version information
For the web app: