VPN credentials gone on restart 3.4 on XA2

Bug Reports
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#1

REPRODUCIBILITY 100% on restart
BUILD ID = OS VERSION 3.4.0.24
HARDWARE XA2
UI LANGUAGE: English
REGRESSION: yes, 3.3.0.16 was rock solid VPN

DESCRIPTION:

After an upgrade to 3.4.0.24 VPN login credentials (username and password) are not remembered after restart an must be typed in again

PRECONDITIONS:

3.3.0.16

STEPS TO REPRODUCE:

  1. upgrade to 3.4.0.24
  2. type VPN username & pass
  3. restart device

EXPECTED RESULT:

username and password to be remembered and automatically connect to VPN server

ACTUAL RESULT:

after restart , OpenVPN server setting are there, but credentials lost - including username.
On Utilities> Network restart > credential are NOT lost

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

A disappointing upgrade - so much great work has been done in 3.3 to make VPN stable, feels like priorities shifted and good work is lost. VPN is essential for me (and most SailfishOS users). So essential that for my daily driver I had to downgrade (!) to 3.3.0.16 - which comes with other unresolved calendar issues which makes downgraded device safer, but also not ideal or recommendable as daily driver.
P.S - no tag for ā€œVPNā€ in this forum?

2 Likes
Calendar-App does not show remote calendars
[SOLVED] VPN (NordVPN / OpenVPN) stopped working
#2

Can confirm. + the vpn button in the top menu doesnā€™t show correct active/inactive status. All after reboot.

#3

I had the same problem in XA2 Ultra - my workaround was to re-add the .ovpn files I had been using and typing the credentials manually each time after a reboot. I ended up memorising my credentials, so setting up the VPN again took me no more than two minutes after each reboot. Itā€™s annoying, but I personally find the decision to downgrade because of this a bad idea, considering the security and UX enhancements introduced in 3.4.*

#4

Thanks for the input. Iā€™m not sure what you mean by re-adding the .ovnp files? Did that help in any way, since you admitting re-typing credentials each time after reboot. My credential are also randomly lost during day (unsure what causes this) and connection left unprotected.

Personally this way of development (one step forward two steps back) + leaving this unpatched for ~2 months now as not acceptable and is a regression in usability. So much time has been spend and credits taken to get 3.3 solid VPN and now people are left manually re-typing for months? :confounded:

1 Like
#5

What I experienced was that not only the credentials were lost each reboot, but the .ovpn files I imported via the ā€˜VPNā€™ option in ā€˜Settingsā€™ did not work anymore, at all so I had to readd them, then type my credentials. You were missing this bit of context to understand my previous post. However, as I mentioned, I had to do this only once after each reboot. I cannot relate to your problem of them being randomly deleted at times during the day, which of course aggravates your case. Which type of configuration files are you using? .ovpn or others?

#6

As for your other statement, I am not a Sailfish developer, but I am indeed a developer for other systems, and I can tell you without a shade of doubt that this is no ā€˜way of developmentā€™ - regressions are commonplace in pretty much all OSs, including in functions and apps that a common user would take for granted - I donā€™t have to convince you of anything, just type ā€˜iOS Safari Bugsā€™ into your favourite search engine. Help yourself and grab some popcorn and a coke beforehand.

#7
  • Same problems on Xperia X
  • Happens not only after reboot but also when switching from WLAN to mobile data or vice versa
  • A major security problem is: whilst the VPN credentials are re-entered, certain apps (e.g. Telegram) use the unencrypted data channel. Not goodā€¦ as pointed out in the orig. post, main reason for using Sailfish ist discreteness.
2 Likes
#8

One way to prevent Telegram and other apps from logging in if you are not connected to your VPN is to configure a proxy - check with your VPN company if they provide such convenience (mine does, thatā€™s why I know that this works)

#9

I"ll have to disagree with you. Yes, a big chunk of the Sailfish community does care about privacy, but a) if you take a deeper dive into the open threads, you"ll find all sorts of other reasons, from the OS being beautiful and handy, to simply a desire of not supporting ā€˜thatā€™ global duopoly, and b) while keeping my extended personal opinion to myself, Iā€™d like to add that people who speak about privacy and security while advocating for better Sailfish integration with Google products are, and always be, beyond my comprehension - Iā€™m not saying you are, just saying you will find a lot of threads about that in this forum.

#10

Similar problem on my Xperia 10 / Dual SIM:
SFOS 3.4.0.24 Adaption 0.0.4.10

VPN credentials (UN/PW) are lost abt. one time per week +/- 2 days and/or every time if phone is rebooted.

The `remember credentialsā€™ button on the VPN credentials input screen shows a strange behavior and often disappears causeless, followed by the phone forgets the credentials. This button is sometimes on, sometimes off while entering the credā€™s and toggles if changing from the username- to the password field.

The ovpn-file seems to be innocent, it is not necessary to re-install it new to repair the VPN, but it always needs 3-4 attempts to enter the credentials new till it is been remembered by the phone for the next week.

My questions are now:
Where are the config files for the VPN (path)?
After successful establishing the VPN, can I make a backup copy of the config file?
Next time the phone forgets the credentials, can I restore them by copying the backup files into their folders where they should be?

edit:
I can report that VPN works again after a full reboot of the phone (power off / power on).
Before, restart of network and/or ā€˜Startbildschirmā€™ (start screen) had no effect for this issue and did not help. Yesterday also mobile network was gone, so I thought that there was something wrong with the mobile network and waited over the night, but today mobile network still goneā€¦ So I rebooted the phone and network back again + VPN also works again.

VPN credentials lost when switching networks
#11

The problem of vanishing VPN credentials was fixed on OS release 4.0.1.48.

1 Like
#12