Got „Unable to decrypt: decryption key withheld“ for some messages #23745

weeman1337 · 2022-11-10T10:13:09Z

Steps to reproduce

Existing encrypted room
Other user sends some messages

Outcome

What did you expect?

Could read all messages

What happened instead?

Got „Unable to decrypt: decryption key withheld“
After new login they appear as „Unable to decrypt: Error: OLM.UNKNOWN_MESSAGE_INDEX “
Sender can read all messages

Operating system

Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS

Browser information

Firefox 107.0

URL for webapp

https://develop.element.io/

Application version

Element version: 65b8bc1-react-3f3005a3ca4d-js-bd4589fcc45b Olm version: 3.2.12

Homeserver

ccc-ffm.de / Synapse 1.70.1

Will you send logs?

Yes

The text was updated successfully, but these errors were encountered:

grisu48 · 2022-11-10T12:05:29Z

Same issue, here, docker.io/matrixdotorg/synapse:latest with Firefox 106.0.2 on openSUSE Tumbleweed.

DavidB137 · 2022-11-10T19:49:19Z

I can also confirm the issue. This strange behaviour makes overall user experience a lot worse, because to "normal" people who just want to text, Element doesn't look like a reliable solution.

server: selfhosted latest Synapse
client 1 and 2 are on some combination of Element web, Android and desktop app

weeman1337 · 2022-11-11T08:09:37Z

Looks like frequency increased cross platform in the last days element-hq/element-android#7403 (comment)

moritzdietz · 2022-11-11T10:37:36Z

Yes, me too! I have noticed this this morning with iPhone, Android as well es Element Desktop on macOS.
Thought it was a spontaneous error on our end, but seems more broad after seeing this issue here.

I can sent them messages and read them on their phone, but when they send me messages or any events I get decryption errors

quicquid · 2022-11-11T18:38:37Z

The receiver of one of my messages encountered the issue for the android app (on both sides) as well. When I started up the desktop app (on a different device) the ~~message could be decrypted by the receiver~~ messages from the desktop app worked but the pnes from the phones were still unable to be decrypted.

robertmx · 2022-11-11T21:17:25Z

Possible workaround in the related (identical?) issue 7403.
element-hq/element-android#7403 (comment)

moritzdietz · 2022-11-12T09:35:33Z

Just rageshaked from within develop.element.io and added linked it to this issue. Maybe there's something in there which helps.

quicquid · 2022-11-12T17:18:34Z

I tried /discardsession as mentioned in element-android issue vector-im/element-meta#1841 on the device sending the message and it did the trick (new messages are rveived properly now).

richvdh · 2022-11-17T13:04:29Z

@weeman1337 I have looked at your rageshake, and it looks like the events were sent before you joined the room, which I think explains why you can't decrypt them?

On the other rageshakes that you have linked to this issue: do you have any particular reason to believe they have the same cause?

weeman1337 · 2022-11-17T13:12:45Z

@richvdh I did post all messages in an existing room.

richvdh · 2022-11-17T13:39:02Z

@richvdh I did post all messages in an existing room.

I'm afraid I'm not following you at all.

In your initial rageshake (https://github.com/matrix-org/element-web-rageshakes/issues/16971) the problem, afaict, is with messages sent by @l:lesosoftware.com, before you joined the room.

If there are particular events that you are having trouble with, please can you tell me which they are, and exactly what you are seeing?

weeman1337 · 2022-11-17T14:04:08Z

Both sides joined the room before. We already sent messages to each other before. This happens sometimes right in the middle of some chat.

Event Id from the screenshot: $4Nr8sFKwGwoMpXa4E2sWS0cp4AP0Bc7C48_Dzca213U

Entire event source

{
  "content": {
    "algorithm": "m.megolm.v1.aes-sha2",
    "ciphertext": "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",
    "device_id": "6CvrrWO1",
    "sender_key": "hPRiDRyXZUQlMBo6Weax8Ic2xd6rrmr6osS+wU+DS1A",
    "session_id": "2TaAEQ4r5RR7R0VqGjDvbrC0/WbHz40lo7ZcKRNlCc8"
  },
  "origin_server_ts": 1668074862832,
  "room_id": "!tWKBPbwWoJZIGQhtBV:ccc-ffm.de",
  "sender": "@l:lesosoftware.com",
  "type": "m.room.encrypted",
  "unsigned": {},
  "event_id": "$4Nr8sFKwGwoMpXa4E2sWS0cp4AP0Bc7C48_Dzca213U",
  "user_id": "@l:lesosoftware.com"
}

richvdh · 2022-11-17T14:45:59Z

This happens sometimes right in the middle of some chat.

Please don't assume that every time you can't decrypt a message, it's the same problem!

I can look at $4Nr8sFKwGwoMpXa4E2sWS0cp4AP0Bc7C48_Dzca213U more closely. Thanks for the extra information.

richvdh · 2022-11-18T13:36:59Z

@weeman1337 well, $4Nr8sFKwGwoMpXa4E2sWS0cp4AP0Bc7C48_Dzca213U really looks to have been sent before @l:lesosoftware.com's client got the memo about you having joined the room. Without access to their server's database, it's hard to be exactly certain, but I think this is an inevitable artifact of a distributed system: even if your server thinks you have joined the room at a given time, it's not the case that everyone in the room will see the same thing.

Thanks for the report though!

richvdh · 2022-11-18T13:38:36Z

I guess we should ask why it says "decryption key withheld": that doesn't seem like a fair characterisation of the issue

richvdh · 2022-11-18T14:08:57Z

Wait, I'm confused (again).

Got „Unable to decrypt: decryption key withheld“
After new login they appear as „Unable to decrypt: Error: OLM.UNKNOWN_MESSAGE_INDEX “

Is the rageshake I'm looking at (https://github.com/matrix-org/element-web-rageshakes/issues/16971) from the old login or the new one? Presumably the old one? What about the screenshot above? When was the screenshot taken? Do we have a rageshake from about the right time?

The reason I ask is that I just spent half an hour looking for "decryption key withheld" errors in https://github.com/matrix-org/element-web-rageshakes/issues/16971 and failing to find any :(

weeman1337 · 2022-11-18T14:56:11Z

@weeman1337 well, $4Nr8sFKwGwoMpXa4E2sWS0cp4AP0Bc7C48_Dzca213U really looks to have been sent before @l:lesosoftware.com's client got the memo about you having joined the room. Without access to their server's database, it's hard to be exactly certain, but I think this is an inevitable artifact of a distributed system: even if your server thinks you have joined the room at a given time, it's not the case that everyone in the room will see the same thing.

But as you can see in the screenshot above it happened in an ongoing chat. One message can be read and the next one not. 🤷‍♂️

Is the rageshake I'm looking at (https://github.com/matrix-org/element-web-rageshakes/issues/16971) from the old login or the new one?

Should be from the old login.

but I think this is an inevitable artifact of a distributed system: even if your server thinks you have joined the room at a given time, it's not the case that everyone in the room will see the same thing.

The other user of the most recent rageshake is on the same server. And again it happened in an ongoing chat.

weeman1337 · 2022-11-18T14:59:05Z

@richvdh in general: Should I open separate issues when an „Unable to decrypt: decryption key withheld“ appears? I just learned from you that they can have many different causes.

richvdh · 2022-11-18T15:06:58Z

But as you can see in the screenshot above it happened in an ongoing chat. One message can be read and the next one not. man_shrugging

I really can't see that from the screenshot, sorry. A bunch of information is pixellated: I have no idea what the other messages are, when they arrived, who sent them, how they got there, etc. But most importantly, I have no idea how it correlates to your original report or the rageshake you sent.

Is the rageshake I'm looking at (matrix-org/element-web-rageshakes#16971) from the old login or the new one?

Should be from the old login.

Well, that's very odd. I see no mention of a "decryption key witheld" error in them.

@richvdh in general: Should I open separate issues when an „Unable to decrypt: decryption key withheld“ appears? I just learned from you that they can have many different causes.

In general yes - or just send the rageshake and ping the crypto team internally about it.

richvdh · 2022-11-20T17:34:57Z

This seems to be due to #23803. Closing in favour of that.

Martin0100110101001000 · 2023-01-09T00:23:03Z

Exactly the same issue here, using Windows desktop and android phones. And Starlink internet. The first message I got had a link to request encryption keys, then changed to this.

jonnyrobbie · 2023-01-09T15:43:14Z

This seems to be due to #23803. Closing in favour of that.

I'm not sure I understand. #23803 makes it seem like it's only a nomenclature/wording issue? When a chat (that one relies on for real world people communication) fundamentally breaks, a user doesn't really cares if "keys witheld" is not the most appropriate message. A user cares that he completely lost a method of communication. I'm completely behind @DavidB137 frustration that this makes element/matrix like a unrealiable and undependable tool.

I really can't see that from the screenshot, sorry. A bunch of information is pixellated: I have no idea what the other messages are, when they arrived, who sent them, how they got there, etc. But most importantly, I have no idea how it correlates to your original report or the rageshake you sent.

He was just counterpointing you that the messages stopped being recieved in the middle of the session, which is visible from the screenshot.

Here's my entry if it helps you more with diagnosing the issue:

Decrypted event source:

{
  "type": "m.room.message",
  "content": {
    "msgtype": "m.bad.encrypted",
    "body": "** Unable to decrypt: decryption key withheld **"
  }
}

Original event source:

{
  "content": {
    "algorithm": "m.megolm.v1.aes-sha2",
   ...
  },
  "event_id": "$1672913572466835HxZbP:matrix.org",
  "origin_server_ts": 1672913572551,
  "room_id": "!UJVHFqSAHanxWQMbhW:matrix.org",
  "sender": "@xstem116:matrix.org",
  "type": "m.room.encrypted",
  "unsigned": {
    "age": 365175193
  },
  "user_id": "@xstem116:matrix.org",
  "age": 365175193
}

shinji257 · 2023-01-09T16:12:49Z

It seems to be related but not the same issue. The one thing I'll note is channels and chats by this seem to have the messages but are hidden from view. If you export the affected chat the result has messages that could be decrypted even if they were not visible in Element.

weeman1337 added T-Defect A-E2EE labels Nov 10, 2022

andybalaam added X-Regression S-Major Severely degrades major functionality or product features, with no satisfactory workaround O-Frequent Affects or can be seen by most users regularly or impacts most users' first experience labels Nov 11, 2022

richvdh self-assigned this Nov 17, 2022

richvdh closed this as completed Nov 18, 2022

richvdh reopened this Nov 18, 2022

richvdh closed this as completed Nov 20, 2022

robertmx mentioned this issue Nov 21, 2022

Element shows "Decryption key withheld" when it wasn't #23803

Closed

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Got „Unable to decrypt: decryption key withheld“ for some messages #23745

Got „Unable to decrypt: decryption key withheld“ for some messages #23745

weeman1337 commented Nov 10, 2022 •

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grisu48 commented Nov 10, 2022

DavidB137 commented Nov 10, 2022

weeman1337 commented Nov 11, 2022

moritzdietz commented Nov 11, 2022 •

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quicquid commented Nov 11, 2022 •

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robertmx commented Nov 11, 2022 •

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moritzdietz commented Nov 12, 2022

quicquid commented Nov 12, 2022 •

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richvdh commented Nov 17, 2022

weeman1337 commented Nov 17, 2022

richvdh commented Nov 17, 2022 •

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weeman1337 commented Nov 17, 2022 •

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richvdh commented Nov 17, 2022 •

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richvdh commented Nov 18, 2022

richvdh commented Nov 18, 2022

richvdh commented Nov 18, 2022

weeman1337 commented Nov 18, 2022 •

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weeman1337 commented Nov 18, 2022

richvdh commented Nov 18, 2022

richvdh commented Nov 20, 2022

Martin0100110101001000 commented Jan 9, 2023 •

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jonnyrobbie commented Jan 9, 2023

shinji257 commented Jan 9, 2023

Got „Unable to decrypt: decryption key withheld“ for some messages #23745

Got „Unable to decrypt: decryption key withheld“ for some messages #23745

Comments

weeman1337 commented Nov 10, 2022 • edited Loading

Steps to reproduce

Outcome

What did you expect?

What happened instead?

Operating system

Browser information

URL for webapp

Application version

Homeserver

Will you send logs?

grisu48 commented Nov 10, 2022

DavidB137 commented Nov 10, 2022

weeman1337 commented Nov 11, 2022

moritzdietz commented Nov 11, 2022 • edited Loading

quicquid commented Nov 11, 2022 • edited Loading

robertmx commented Nov 11, 2022 • edited Loading

moritzdietz commented Nov 12, 2022

quicquid commented Nov 12, 2022 • edited Loading

richvdh commented Nov 17, 2022

weeman1337 commented Nov 17, 2022

richvdh commented Nov 17, 2022 • edited Loading

weeman1337 commented Nov 17, 2022 • edited Loading

richvdh commented Nov 17, 2022 • edited Loading

richvdh commented Nov 18, 2022

richvdh commented Nov 18, 2022

richvdh commented Nov 18, 2022

weeman1337 commented Nov 18, 2022 • edited Loading

weeman1337 commented Nov 18, 2022

richvdh commented Nov 18, 2022

richvdh commented Nov 20, 2022

Martin0100110101001000 commented Jan 9, 2023 • edited Loading

jonnyrobbie commented Jan 9, 2023

shinji257 commented Jan 9, 2023

weeman1337 commented Nov 10, 2022 •

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moritzdietz commented Nov 11, 2022 •

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quicquid commented Nov 12, 2022 •

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richvdh commented Nov 17, 2022 •

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weeman1337 commented Nov 17, 2022 •

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richvdh commented Nov 17, 2022 •

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Martin0100110101001000 commented Jan 9, 2023 •

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