cannot access encrypted USB drive with Thunar in Whonix 15

[sheep]

I posted this issue on http://forums.dds6qkxpwdeubwucdiaord2xgbbeyds25rbsgr73tbfpqpt4a6vjwsyd.onion/t/whonix-virtualbox-15-0-0-4-9-point-release/8076 but this thread is probably the right place for this.

Whonix VirtualBox 15.0.0.4.9 - Point Release

Clicking on the File Manager icon and trying to access an encrypted usb prompts a window for the password (so far so good) but when password is entered, nothing happens. No errors and the USB doesn’t get decrypted or mounted. I successfully accessed it through the terminal (using cryptsetup and mount). This feature was working on Whonix 14 if cryptsetup is installed by user. I’d guess it has something to do with permissions of File Manager.

Assuming it is permissions, I tried to run

Thunar

from the command line and got the same results as expected. Then, I tried

lxsudo Thunar

but that doesn’t show the USB drive.

[Patrick]

And installing cryptsetup by default fixes this issue?

cryptsetup should be already installed by default?

[sheep]

Installing cryptsetup (manually) fixed the original issue in Whonix 14.

In Whonix 15, cryptsetup is already installed by default, but it doesn’t help. This time it seems like another problem though - there are no error messages at all, but nothing happens after entering the passphrase.

[Patrick]

Would it help to start thunar from command line to see any error messages?

Does this also happen in Debian buster?

https://github.com/Whonix/security-misc/blob/master/etc/skel/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/thunar.xml disables thunar-volman by default for better security.

Thunar -> edit -> preferences -> advanced -> enable volume management

Thunar -> edit -> preferences -> advanced -> configure -> check the removeable storage options

Whonix XFCE Development

Without thunar-volman, there is a non-helpful error in thunar settings when clicking on volume management. thunar -> edit -> preferences -> advanced -> shows missing dependencies, links to: https://wiki.gnome.org/Projects/gvfs https://docs.xfce.org/xfce/thunar/unix-filesystem#gnome_virtual_file_system Say trash won’t work but trash is functional. The other features described above actually do not look important to Whonix.

[sheep]

Would it help to start thunar from command line to see any error messages?

I still don’t see any error messages even when stating it from the command line.

[Patrick_mobile]

Thunar -> edit -> preferences -> advanced -> enable volume management

Thunar -> edit -> preferences -> advanced -> configure -> check the removeable storage options

Did you try that?

[sheep]

Yes, I tried it. I don’t see any change.
BTW - accessing an unencrypted USB drive works with or without those settings.

I managed to get an error message now (as a popup window) when instead of double clicking on the device, I right click and choose “Mount”. The follow error is generated:

Error unlocking /dev/sdb1: The function ‘bd_cryto_luks_open_blob’ called, but not implemented.

It appears at any case, with or without the volume management / removeable storage options.

Searching for this error, I got

http://www.askmeaboutlinux.com/?p=3444

$ sudo apt install libblockdev-crypto2
$ systemctl restart udisks2.service

I tried it, and now the USB volume doesn’t appear in thunar at all (good thing I saved a snapshot before I did it )

[Patrick]

Thunar issues could be related to root / sudo / pkexec.

See this thread / try this workaround:

cannot use pkexec

Could try this workaround. It replaces pkexec with lxsudo. That might fix all applications. sudo cp /usr/bin/pkexec /usr/bin/pkexec.backup sudo rm /usr/bin/pkexec sudo ln -s /usr/bin/lxsudo /usr/bin/pkexec

[Patrick]

$ sudo apt install libblockdev-crypto2

sudo apt install libblockdev-crypto2

Awesome! Somehow overlooked that earlier.

fix

fix

(libblockdev-mdraid2 pull mdadm which I would like to avoid to avoid the added complexity / potential bugs / learn about mdadm.

[helper]

Thank you!

sudo apt install gvfs

seems to be enough in Whonix 15.0.0.8.9 in order to make Thunar work well with LUKS volumes!

[Patrick]

https://phabricator.whonix.org/T965

install gvfs by default / fix access LUKS encrypted USB drive with Thunar

Will come in Whonix 15.0.0.9.4 and above.

[Patrick]

! In T965#19871, @onion_knight2 wrote:
Fixed?
cannot access encrypted USB drive with Thunar in Whonix 15

Also, just tried it on Whonix-Host 15.0.1.2.7. It works.

Please report should this still be broken in next Whonix testers-only or stable release with version number higher than Whonix 15.0.1.2.7.