Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Passwords => Topic started by: Eso_Rimmer on October 08, 2017, 11:27:19 PM
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Hello everyone,
I'm using synchronized Avast Passwords on two devices. Everything had worked fine, but a couple of days ago I suddenly found out that I'm not able to sign in (neither in Avast app nor in Firefox browser) on one of my devices, i.e. Avast Passwords don't accept my Master Password. Which is really strange, because I definitely didn't change my Master Password and furthermore on the other device everything works OK.
I'd tried to reinstall Avast Passwords component but to no avail. I'm afraid that if I change my Master Password on the device where it works, I will lost all my passwords.
Any help appreciated.
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To prevent (accidental) loss of the passwords, first thing I would do is export them to a file.
After that I would remove the plugin from FireFox, reboot, cleanup the system and install it again.
Lets see if it will work, if not you will always have the passwords in that file and in the cloud.
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On which device type you've lost access to passwords (Windows, Android, Mac, iOS)? I need to know it as the procedure will be specific according to device type.
Note that if you have had synchonization you can't loose the data (if you remember master password you have had on first device you have enabled it on or you have other device with synchonization turned on and fully set)
Changing master on device will not affect any other device anyhow. This information is only local and it secures your locally stored data so you may have long password on desktop and shorter, but still secure enough on mobile device.
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Thank you for a suggestion and for explaining backup and synchronization stuff.
Anyway I've tried to remove the plugin from Firefox, reboot, cleanup the system and install it again as was suggested, but that unfortunately didn't work (not to mention Avast passwords plugin didn't show up in the browser for a while after fresh reinstall).
Both devices run Windows 10, the problematic one is Asus laptop.
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I'm now quite confused could you clearly state what is your problem?
Is it login to passwords? Or not working passwords extension in Firefox?
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Ok, I will try to explain it again, hopefully it gets clearer:
1) I am running Avast Password Manager on 2 devices (Windows 10) with synchronization turned on.
2) On the first device everything works fine.
3) On the second device I can't log into Passwords in the Avast Free Antivirus user interface (run Avast Free Antivirus -> go to Privacy -> go to Passwords -> Please Enter your Master Password -> but when I enter my Master Password, nothing happens, it's still locked out.
4) Therefore on the second device the Avast Passwords plugin in Firefox browser doesn't work as well (Please Enter your Master Password -> nothing happens, it's the same as above).
Thanks in advance.
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OK now it's clear, two issues caused by one root. Login function is only one regardless you login from popup shown from extension and/or you use user interface window.
Which version of avast do you have? You can find the information in Avast -> Settings -> About section?
Also if you could run this command in CMD.exe and provide its output may be helpful in resolving your case
tree /F "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Avast Software\APM\%USERNAME%"
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Current version: 17.7.2314 (build 17.7.3660.226)
Output:
Folder PATH listing for volume OS
Volume serial number is 000000F1 9A35:46E1
C:\USERS\JANLA\APPDATA\LOCAL\AVAST SOFTWARE\APM\JANLA
└───EHBp9SXXp8Fttagl
kv_pam.db
kv_pamcore.db
kv_pampub.db
pam.db
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I'm afraid that for you only way how to continue is delete the data in folder and start again. We have couple of such complaints saying user is entering correct master password and it doesn't unlock passwords, but all our reviews we did in the past didn't reveal any reason why it could happen and we don't have any example of such broken database so we knows nothing. I believe that there may such issue happen to some users as number of incidents of such kind slowly grows, but have no clue where to start. Anyway if you want start from scratch (on that one device)
Please follow these steps:
- Turn off self defense in Avast->Settings->Troubleshooting
- Close AvastUI
- Stop service called avast! Antivirus (e.g. open TaskManager and do it on tab Services)
- Delete the folder you've sent the list of (You may want to backup the data first just for the case something unexpected happens or for later analysis)
- To do so run this command prom command prompt: del /f /s "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Avast Software\APM\%USERNAME%"
- Start avast service
- Open UI
- Enable self defense
- Now you can activate passwords again (as you are using new version we don't ask you for setting up master password during initial setup
- Go to Avast-> Privacy-> Passwords section
- Go to Avast-> Settings-> Passwords
- Setup your new master password
- Enable synchronization
- OnSecond device confirm your windows device when you are requested to do so
- Wait for a while your records gets synced in few seconds (depending how many data you have)
It would be nice if you can help me with making at least elementary analysis of what might get wrong in your case.
I can provide you tools and instructions how to do it on your machine.
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Ok, depending on my time possibilities, I can try to help if you send me the instructions (actually it can be Czech as well).
I suppose I shouldn't follow steps below in the meanwhile.
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If you do backup of your current files you can follow them meantime, for the checking we just need those files, they don't have to be on that exact location.
And thanks you are willing to help. I send you those instructions to you on Monday.
Enjoy your weekend.
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Hello Martin, are you going to send me the necessary tools?
I'm still willing to help with this this issue, but don't know if that's on your priority list...
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I'm sorry I was bit busy and got sick in the meantime. I was checking tooling we have for basic passwords storage analysis and it is quite problematic to run it on customer's environment unfortunately. It requires specific runtime libraries and installing them will affects our standard libraries which is not what I want to do on your computer. I'm trying to find a way/convince developers to create package which can be used without any additional dependencies on customers PC. Until then I can't provide you such tooling unfortunately.
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I too have problems with it working on one machine and not the other so this is NOT uncommon at all. Others too are reporting the same problem. Why has this software been released in such a bugged state? As far as I'm concerned I've wasted enough time on this piece of rubbish so the whole lot is coming out virus software and all.
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Well it is hard to advise on problems described in your post if you don't specify any. I have seen so many issues in my career that "problem others have" says all and nothing to me.
Why it has been released in such buggy state?
Well this is also hard. If we would know what we now know now and if we would have an option to not release it in Fall 2015 and if we would have more time we my have perfect product, but no one may use it so we couldn't measure how good or bad we are.
We are convinced that our product is now pretty solid. Of course it is not bug less as none software is. But for vast majority of our user it works well and do what it is supposed to do. Except synchronization part. I agree that this one is miserable and so it is being re-developed currently. Problem is that as we have that debt from past so we need to take into account existing users and that's not so easy as it may look on a first sight. We are doing our best at give timeframe with gives resources. No more no less.
If you don't like what you've got don't use it. It didn't const you a penny except the time you have spent to try our product. I'm sad you are not happy with passwords but that's reality and we can't satisfy 100% users as well as we most likely will never be able running flawlessly for 100% users. We only can try help to solve the issue when they come and we have never faced personally as we have just limited testing space and outer space is too more complex so we can never cover all the possibilities during validation.
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Hi Martin, I have also had this same issue with the programme suddenly asking for a Master Password, which I don't ever remember setting. I do have an authorisation password I enter whenever I want to go and change a setting, for instance - and that still works perfectly fine. I thought that was the Master Password.
Anyway, this issue arose when I noticed an option in privacy settings which allowed the user to turn on the requirement for a password to be entered if they wanted to enter...for instance, to access saved passwords. Of course when I read the words 'Master Password', I thought it meant the authorisation password I use for any setting changes. BOY, was I wrong. The second I turned on the choice to protect my saved passwords, with a password...I was instantly presented with a Master Password entry box. I entered my authorisation password, and boom...no luck. I have been locked out ever since.
I have been all over the forum looking for help. I have attempted to uninstall the passwords component, then reinstall - that didn't work. I attempted to uninstall the whole Avast suite (OMG, btw)...that didn't work - twice. It is driving me crazy. I don't care that I can't recover my passwords locked in the password component - it is possible to simply reset them one-by-one as I go to each site. What I really want to get working again though is the ability to save passwords on sites and once and for all, get rid of that weird Master Password popup!!
Please help. How do can I do this? What am I doing wrong in the uninstall that it doesn't reset to default (without the requirement for a Master Password)?
Looking forward to your help on this.
CariBee
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Hello, I'm not sure I understand your problem correctly. So you complain about Master password dialog to unlock passwords storage to be shown without any interaction from your side and you don't know the passwords or at least the password you are entering is not accepted?
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Dear Martin
I would like to report a similar bad issue in relation with master PW / APM.
I had APM running for few months protected with a master PW, I was happy and stored about 180 Websites PW.
Since yesterday and after I or my system loaded some updates, I'm not able to unlock my APM safe anymore:
Avast Internet Security 18.5.2342
Chrome Version 67.0.3396.99
I didn't forget anything, I'm 100% sure I'm putting the right PW into APM window.
Can you please help me in this matter?
Sincerly, Thomas
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Hi Thomas,
I'll try to figure out what happened. For that I will need some debugging info.
1. Lets check that you only have one vault and that it is properly set in registry. To do that, I'll need you to run:
- Following command in cmd.exe and provided its output. tree /F "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Avast Software\APM"
- Regedit.exe (via Start -> Run -> "regedit") and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\AVAST Software\Avast\PRIVATE. There should be a key called PAMVaultLocation and I'll need to know its value. In case you get access error, please disable Avast self-defense module first in Avast's settings (Troubleshooting section).
2. I'll need debug logs from an attempt to unlock your vault with master password.
- Enable debug logging so I will get more information about whats happening, which might help me with fixing this issue. For that, you need to open Avast, then go to Menu and then Settings. In General tab there should be a Maintenance section and then a Logs subsection. Here I'll need you to check the Enable debug logging checkbox and change the Maximum size of each log file to from default 4096 to 15500.
- Restart PC and try to unlock Avast Passwords with your Master Password via Avast UI (This is important, I'll have more info in logs this way)
- Gather AvastSvc.log and AvastUI.log files from C:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Avast\log
Please send the log files, output from tree command and value from registry to daniel.hustava@avast.com. As for cleanup steps, please make sure to enable Avast's self-defense module and disable debug logging again.
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Hi Daniel,
Thank you very much, you should have received my email.
Sincerly, Thomas
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Hi Thomas,
I went over the log files and then changes in Avast Passwords application for past 6 months and couldn't find any bug that would result in inability to unlock vault with correct Master Password. From what the application logs are telling me, it just seems that the password you are entering is not the correct one :-(
If you were synchronising, the best course of action would be reset the vault via settings and setup sync again (with approval via other synced device or self-approval via email you received when sync was setup for the first time).
Best Regards,
Dan
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Martin,
I as well have just had this happen. First Avast problem in nearly 20 years. Well it was a great app while it lasted.
Like others I was using networked option sharing between two computers. First computer died. Passwords has been working on the new PC for a year. As of Thursday could not enter the Master Password for password sign in, but still can for account purposes. Uninstalling and reinstalling to start anew as directed in the help documentation does not work for my issue either. The process appears in a loop searching the network. Probably not programming but a buggy network change giving the program bad data or addresses or different encryption library versions between servers. However I am losing an entire day of billings and having to make trips to financial institutions to reset accounts so for me this is a very serious first issue and it is very expensive software after today.
PS.
IF Avast really expects me to upgrade on this app, it must interface with my finger print login, offer 2 factor on the master passwords, and make the backup and recovery more obvious or obviously not lose my passwords in the first place.
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Also just had this problem occur; while trying to activate Sync, between my OSX Macbook Pro and a brand new Android phone. Set up everything on OSX first where all passwords were, entered my working Master Password on my laptop to continue the setup process, says it completed but locked me out and my master password stopped working.
Probably poor timing but lost all the passwords I was trying to be able to back up and get synced onto my phone now unless there is something you can do to help me.
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Also just had this problem occur; while trying to activate Sync, between my OSX Macbook Pro and a brand new Android phone. Set up everything on OSX first where all passwords were, entered my working Master Password on my laptop to continue the setup process, says it completed but locked me out and my master password stopped working.
Probably poor timing but lost all the passwords I was trying to be able to back up and get synced onto my phone now unless there is something you can do to help me.
Posting in an old topic makes no sense since many changes have happened since 2009.
Please start your own topic and explain your problem. Give as much detail as possible since it's your computer, not ours that you need help with. :)