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Encrypted note won't decrypt with password


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I have an encrypted note that won't decrypt, whilst all my other encrypted notes do.

 

This is a bit of a catastrophic loss of faith in Evernote issue.

 

Yeah, I'll raise a support ticket. But for a product like Evernote to work, you have to have *absolute faith* that its data integrity is absolute. And any failure, like this failure says "I can't trust you with the important stuff any more".

 

 

 

 

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Hi - Chances are you mistyped the encryption passphrase.  Evernote can't retrieve the phrase for you - best to try a couple of options but otherwise delete the note and try again...

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Hi - Chances are you mistyped the encryption passphrase.  Evernote can't retrieve the phrase for you - best to try a couple of options but otherwise delete the note and try again...

So, I repeatedly mistyped the phrase on one note but not on any of the others I tried in the same few minutes? Credit with a little intelligence please. The suggested passphrase is identical across all notes - if you're suggesting it's an encryption issue then that's actually a more serious problem.

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I did not suggest 'encryption issue',  I suggested user (or paste) error.  When you encrypt text,  a box requests the encryption phrase.  Mistype that phrase,  and a new key applies.  There's no way to recover it.

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No, that's not true. And not a lot of help, frankly. If you try encrypt a new note when you have encrypted previous notes,, and mess up the encryption phrase, you get a box stating "The encryption phrase you entered is different from the one you previously used to encrypt note content"

 

It does give you the option to use a different passphrase If you actually choose that option it asks for a new hint as well. So let's work on the principle I'd not be asking the question if I'd be daft enough to deliberately select the option highlighted "NOT RECOMMENDED" and jump through those hoops given they're a big red warning thatI I'd be right on the way to ***** this up. (You think I'd mistype the same passphrase in that box twice, and use the same password hint as I'm used to? Really? Occam's Razor is starting to apply here!)

 

So - let's work on my initial thought - that I have a corrupted encrypted note. How does that make you feel?

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I still don't see that one failed decryption,  when others are working,  points to a software failure of some sort.  Evernote's knowledge base only comments

Evernote never receives a copy of this key or your passphrase and doesn’t use any escrow mechanism to recover your encrypted data. This means that if you forget your passphrase, your data cannot be recovered.

- which also applies if something goes wrong.

 

If the content of that note was available online for some time before encryption,  it may have been captured in Note History,  which is always worth trying;  otherwise I'm afraid there is no help for the content of that note.

 

https://evernote.com/contact/support/kb/#/article/28451608

 

https://evernote.com/contact/support/kb/#/article/23480996

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Hi - Chances are you mistyped the encryption passphrase.  Evernote can't retrieve the phrase for you - best to try a couple of options but otherwise delete the note and try again...

 

@Gaz:  Since you do NOT use EN Mac, nor a Mac, I'm sure it's hard for you to offer reliable advice about EN Mac.

 

@alanfleming:

 

There is a known bug in decryption of text in EN Mac, which is reported fixed in Ver 6.0.14 (AppStore) and Ver 6.0.15 (Direct DL).

 

Ver 6.0.13 had a number of major bugs.  If you're running it, I would recommend updating.

 

Please let us know if this fixes your issue.

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Support tell me that this is a bug fixed down the line.

 

How comfortable do you feel with their version release procedures? My answer: "Not much"

 

If you are saying that you think Evernote internal testing is inadequate, I would agree with you.

 

Having said that, EN Mac 6.0.13 was so buggy, that I can only hope that 6.0.15 is better, especially after the 6.0.14 Beta.

Of course, the choice is completely up to you.  You can update now if your current pain is high, or you can wait-and-see the Ver 6.0.15 reports before you update.

 

I'm still on Ver 6.0.11.   :D   So I'm definitely waiting to see the user reports on Ver 6.0.15.

 

Good luck and let us know what you decide, and when your issue is fixed.

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  • 2 months later...

I am on the latest Version and still have similar problems: On Mac (v6.1.1 direct) i can enter my PW but the UI still hass the encryption button.

On the Android App (v7.1.4) i can decrypt for viewing the Note, but when i want to edit it i have to re-enter the password and it stays in the unencrypted view with the Message "failed to decrypt content".

 

edit:

On the webversion i can decrypt the text but i can not find a way of simply editing it. (Copy & paste will probably work, but that's just an annoying workaround). I feel like Evernote has some serious underlying issues with this.

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  • 1 month later...

Hi

 

I am also on Mac 6.1.1 via App Store and same problem - I enter the CORRECT decryption key but the encrypted text placeholder box is simply highlighted (blue) and not decrypted.

Some notes will decrypt successfully, some will not. All have same decryption key.

 

This is a serious, serious problem - I suspect many, many people rely on this feature for important information on a daily basis.

 

Luckily I could still access the note via android app.

 

Someone needs to seriously look into basic functionality testing for each release.  I agree with the earlier comment - this seriously erodes trust.

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  • 4 months later...

Hi, I have evernote 6.5 installed on my Mac, and I basically have never been able to open an encrypted doc on the Mac.

Did anyone ever solve this problem?

File was originally created in the Windows environment.

Thanks

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45 minutes ago, dean@umms said:

Hi, I have evernote 6.5 installed on my Mac, and I basically have never been able to open an encrypted doc on the Mac.

Did anyone ever solve this problem?

File was originally created in the Windows environment.

I'd recommend opening a support ticket.

I've never had an encryption issue, however my only platforms are Mac and IOS.

I actually depend more on encrypted PDFs than EN encryption.  
They offer better portability than an EN note.

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20 hours ago, dean@umms said:

Hi, I have evernote 6.5 installed on my Mac, and I basically have never been able to open an encrypted doc on the Mac.

Did anyone ever solve this problem?

File was originally created in the Windows environment.

Thanks

Hey @dean@umms, this is actually a known issue to our development team where content encrypted on the Windows client will not decrypt on the Mac client. I've gone ahead and converted your post to a Support Ticket so that I can grab some more info from you, I'll be in touch shortly.

As a workaround you can still decrypt the content using the Web Client at evernote.com - I recommend using that for the time being while we work on getting this fixed. 

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  • 4 months later...
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On 28/03/2016 at 5:18 PM, BSR said:

As a workaround you can still decrypt the content using the Web Client at evernote.com - I recommend using that for the time being while we work on getting this fixed. 

Is this option working for you?

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thanks, BSR.  it works through the web browser.  wonder why it's not working on my phone or mac, in the native app...???  software bug, maybe?  PS - before it *did* decrypt in chrome, i received the message that my typed passcode wasn't base 64 and was therefore invalid, but after i acknowledged that message, it successfully decrypted.

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I have the exact issue.

i crypt my text is windows. and the text decrypt fine in windows pc and iphone6 and ipad and imac air .

but in my new samsung S7edge ,the text can't decrypt. 

i think there is something wrong with  the android app .

it's real, i'm thinking switching to some other product now .!!!

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if i create new doc and encrypt the text . all platform decrypt fine.

the problematic docs was created 4 years ago , 

maybe there are Compatibility issues which make my day hard .

i stored my bank account and pass encrypted , when i use iphone ,i can open the docs and decrypt the account text .

but now ,i can't decrypt them and evernote is useless in my android phone.

 

fyi: if i re-encrypt the text in the  problematic docs, the re-encrypt texts  decrypted fine in android phone.

but there are too many encrypt texts in the problematic docs .i can't deal with them .

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  • 2 months later...

@deaddowney, here's the (really stupid) resolution: use the browser to copy the text from your encrypted note once you've entered the password.  now go over to your evernote installation and create a new note, pasting the contents of the encrypted version from your browser.  encrypt the new note and delete the old one.  (be sure all the contents from your originally encrypted note are intact before deleting!)  now the decryption will work in both your browser and the evernote program.  GEEZ.  REALLY....????????????

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  • 3 weeks later...

As of today I am in the same boat: I have an Evernote file in which I keep hints [hopefully very obscure] to all my passwords.

On my Mac I cannot unlock it, indeed I've tried so many times I thought that basic security might lock me out. It is not finger trouble as it works fine on Android and iOS.

On the web, in Chrome and Safari, I can log into my account, but when I try the note, enter the p/w and click the greren button nowt happens: no error message, no sign of the page updating. As you can see for ths shift-lock is not on!

I think this and other users' posts seem to indicate an issue with Evernote for OSX v 6.10 to which I recently updated.

Colin

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2 minutes ago, csbc said:

As of today I am in the same boat: I have an Evernote file in which I keep hints [hopefully very obscure] to all my passwords.

 

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8 hours ago, csbc said:

As of today I am in the same boat: I have an Evernote file in which I keep hints [hopefully very obscure] to all my passwords.

Sorry you are having trouble with Evernote -- looks like there is a bug.  Hope you get things resolved soon.

I would just like to take this opportunity to encourage you, and everyone, to NOT use Evernote for password management.  It does a very poor job of this.

Rather, I'd encourage all to use a professional, well-established, reliable, dedicated password manager, like 1Password.  The security is ultra high, while still providing exceptional convenience to quickly logging in to all web sites, as well as a number of other key features like password generation, and secure storage of all of your license keys for your apps.  1Password is now available on all major platforms, including mobile, and you can share your AES-256 encrypted database via Dropbox and other services.  

There are other good, dedicated password managers available, but the only one I can personally vouch for is 1Password.  I've used it for several years now, and have never had a problem.

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A timely warning about not using Evernote for p/ws.

I had recently started my migration to 1Password having eventually overcome my fear of having a system over which I have little control storing potentially uncrackable p/ws that I don't even know. The failure of Evernote's encryption in sdomewas magnifies my fear, but as it is Mac only i can at least find my hints [never the actual p/ws in Evernote on another paltform, cumbersome as that may be.

But what if AgileBits had a problem like Evernote, one would be truly stuffed! I've used Evernote for several years without an encryption problem [except I can't make an insertion point to edit my encrypted file on iOS or Android], so clearly past performance is no guarantee: you have had no problem with 1Password, but down the road ...

Meanwhile I'd have thought it polite, to put it no stronger, for Evernote to email all Mac users with something better than marketing flam, explaining the problem, giving a timescale for a fix and appologising.

Colin

 

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Hi.  I use LastPass which is another password manager app with a good reputation.  It suggests passwords for me too,  and in most cases I have no clue what they actually are - the style generated is essentially unmemorable.  But without exception each password protected site has a lost password process,  so even if LastPass crashed forever I'd still have access to my data - eventually - albeit with some extra effort for the first time.

As to timescales,  Evernote generally don't,  and probably can't comment.  The actual fix will be a little extra coding,  which may take a few days to do,  and more days to test - but if they don't yet know what exactly is causing the problem,  the issue is more about where to apply that code.  Testing for the issue may show up the weakness in a day a week or a month - they'll know when they find it,  but that can take some time.

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I guess I can only hope that all my sites do have a recovery process - I can just imagine how convoluted some might be - and that Evernote are quick to fix it. I wonder, as they did not announce it was broken if they will bother to say it is fixed.

I had thought that maybe I could rescue them from my iPad or Android phone, but though both allow me to Select all in the encrypted note there is oddly no copy option. The file is too long to copy in sections [which seem to be allowed].

I thought I could share/export the note, but all I get if I email it is a link to the encrypted note. Would it work if I set up a free account in a new name: if I did that would the note be unencrypted?

Colin

 

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13 hours ago, csbc said:

But what if AgileBits had a problem like Evernote, one would be truly stuffed!

I suppose that could be true, but is very unlikely because:

  1. The PRIMARY purpose of 1Password is to safely store your passwords, whereas with Evernote, encrypting a specific string of text is a minor feature.  The point is that 1Password is highly motivated to make sure you always have proper access to your passwords.  Otherwise, they would quickly go out of business.
  2. IAC, almost all web sites today provide a means to recover/change your password.  So if your password manager, be it Evernote or 1Password fails, you still have a path to reset your password on any given web site.
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I guess that is true, but you might think the primary purpose of Evernote was to keep our data safe too!

i shall prioritise my move to 1Password, but of course without resetting passwords first to get to sites 'or remembering the easier ones] I can't do it until Evernote is working properly or iLl have random superseded p/was in Evernote.

Other problems with Evernote means I'll gradually abandon it: I shall used Google Keep for stuff that can get by in plain text or I need on my android phone, for formatted stuff I shall use Apple's iWork, mostly Pages which will get me away from Evernote's long-standing formatting problems [and I'll no longer need to pay for Evernote either if I still keep a few notes in it].

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yea this seems to be an ongoing problem with devices not able to decrypt properly if the notes/encryption was done few years ago (compatibility issues?).

So like another user suggested, need to copy the problematic encrypted notes to new one and re-encrypt them.

Its pain if you are like me and some users here that has lots of mini encryption all over for migration.....

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My migration from Evernote has started.

Not only do I have problems with encryption, but the type formatting is worse than any free text editor I know, I find it increasingly difficult to make an insertion point in iOS or Android and with the encrypted note that I can open in Android and iOS, but not Mac I find it can't be edited.

Also I find that even though I pay for 'Plus' there are notes that I can't open when I have no internet.

 

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3 hours ago, csbc said:

Also I find that even though I pay for 'Plus' there are notes that I can't open when I have no internet.

What sort of device are you using to look at these notes?  If it doesn't have a copy of the database saved locally,  you might have to set a notebook to be 'offline searchable' to see its contents...

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  • 1 month later...

Hi all!

I see ridiculous things in Evernote clients with my encrypted data.

Assuming there is only one passphrase at time for all encrypted data in my account and I know this passphrase for sure. Also I have one note with several encrypted blocks there: block #1, block #2.

On macOS client (Version 6.10 (454269 App Store) I see following when trying to decrypt a block: block #1 decrypted successfully, block #2 gives "Incorrect passphrase", wow, but better than nothing.

Opening Evernote Web client in macOS Chrome (Version 55.0.2883.95 (64-bit)) and getting the following: neither block is decrypted, UI just stuck after entering passphrase and pressing Ok button, it just nothing can do or say to me, looks like there is no working functionality on decryption in web UI.

Using some version of mobile app on my iPad (latest for the current time): I can always decrypt every encrypted block, looks like it's the last opportunity for me to get my encrypted data back.

Wondering if there is a possibility to fix macOS and Web clients of Evernote to get back working encryption or I should decrypt all notes. I've heard from other people that they have same problems too and solve them by trying different clients.

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8 hours ago, dragvs said:

I see ridiculous things in Evernote clients with my encrypted data.

imho  I can't recommend using Evernote's encryption feature

I'm usually easy going about bugs, but I have zero tolerance for decryption failures; also zero ability to recover

I use encrypted pdfs for my permanent storage

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  • 1 month later...

I've had trouble decrypting notes a few over the past year or so. I recently had this problem which lead me to this thread. I'm was running Mac 6.1 but another thread suggested i upgrade to the 6.11 beta which might fix the problem. It did not. I was able to decrypt the note from my iphone and then re-encrypt it from my Mac 6.11. I did have to leave the content exposed for a minute but I'm glad I was able to get to my data.

This seems to be a recurring problem with Evernote or a problem that they are not able to fix. If I find another product that will let me encrypt my data, I all for jumping ship.

 

 

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I've jumped! I got rid of an Android phone for an iPhone so all my notes that need formatting or encrypting are in Pages, the others I was already moving to Google Keep, but may abandon that in favour of Simple Note

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23 hours ago, oeidesign said:

find another product that will let me encrypt my data

Personally, I use encrypted pdfs for my static note data

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