Primary Password (was Master Password) to block access to Thunderbird UI

[GwydionBowydd]

My copy of Thunderbird is protected by a Master password, which ensures that you enter your password before Thunderbird launches.   However if you "CANCEL" at that point and do not enter your password Thunderbird STILL launches and existing e-mails can still be read.  If you try and send an e-mail the password will be required, but existing e-mails can still be read without entering the password.  This seems bizarre.
It would be better if Thunderbird doesn't launch at all if you press "CANCEL" at the password stage.  Thank you

[Jon]

Thanks for submitting an idea to the Mozilla Connect community! Your idea is now open to votes (aka kudos) and comments.

[Rootman]

Sometimes I've started Thunderbird inadvertently, I do not enter the master password I have set and choose CANCEL on the password dialog.  Thunderbird still opens and each of the  many accounts I have setup prompts for a password.  There should be an option that Thunderbird CLSOES immediately when CANCEL is selected on the master password dialog.  With a toggleable option you have the choice of closing TB or continuing on with it's present behavior,  would still allow those who perhaps want to open ONE (or a few) accounts manually by prompting for a password. Those that simply want to close it all when cancel is selected can choose it too. 

[Jon]

Thanks for submitting an idea to the Mozilla Connect community! Your idea is now open to votes (aka kudos) and comments.

[Ripples]

That default behavior is crazy! You get my vote! Surely your simple, yet great idea would be easy to implement?

I posted a semi-related idea for Thunderbird security and privacy here as well:

Password Protected Local Folders

[Oclair]

Thunderbird 102.12.0 (64-bit) MACOS Primary Password feature ignores cancel and re-prompts stealing UI focus.

Some questions relating to working as intended

Is there yet a consensus what to do when cancel is selected?

Why are multiple instances of the primary password request sent to the UI if the first one is not yet responded to?

Is giving the impression that this feature is not tested internally really a good idea for establishing the feature is secure and for example there are again no backdoors present bypassing the security feature?

Have a great day, and thank you for contributing to the Open Source software community!

[wsmwk]

> Have a great day, and thank you for contributing to the Open Source software community!

You are welcome. Thank you for contributing.

> Is giving the impression that this feature is not tested internally really a good idea for establishing the feature is secure and for example there are again no backdoors present bypassing the security feature?

[multiple instances of the primary password request on Mac] Is just a known bug which hasn't been gotten to. There is no security exposure.

[WrongIsland]

using 118.0b1, clicking Cancel 3 times makes the dialog go away but the program window opens giving full read and write access!

please advise, and thanks

[Loneck]

I agree with the OP when Cancel option is selected for master password it should not open the application for anyone to view the mailbox. What is the point of master password when it lets you in to the application? I thought this is supposed to be security feature.

[Loneck]

Agreed with OP, I have no idea who designed it this way. As it is now, master password is basically useless feature. Mozilla devs please correct this issue.

[Dgener]

Agree. It would be nice to not be able to open “stay logged in” websites not just passwords or remembered sites will need a master password. The other cached pages can auto delete when closing the page. 

[wsmwk]

Thank you for the votes.  Moving the votes to https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/ideas/master-password/idi-p/25967 which describes the same idea.

[wsmwk]

https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/ideas/master-password/idi-p/25967 describes the same idea, so we are merging this idea into there, where you can vote.

[Ernie32-FR]

I totally agree on the misleading part of having a password that does not block totall access to the program. Especially because this is the general idea behind it everywhere, a user should be at least warned that this is a different kind of password protection. Use of another word (admin-pwd or whatever) and the warning that cancelling will still show your emails, because that was my assumption too for years untill I accidentally canceled. Which made me feel stupid, to say the least, thinking all this time my emails were safe from unwanted eyes...

[GoVeg]

Some thoughts can be also found here, in one of the many bug reports raised describing the same issue in bugzilla : https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1872542