Auto-login not mounting encrypted home in karmic, unusable system

[humphreybc]

EDIT:

Aha!! I worked it out. The GDM settings are stored in /etc/gdm/custom.conf so all I had to do was go into a virtual terminal and edit this file to change AutoLogin to false. Problem solved!

But, the question is... shouldn't an encrypted /home be mounted on auto login if specified? Actually, yeah, I know, what's the point of encrypting your home directory when you give the person access straight away... duh!

Maybe a warning is applicable in the "Login Manager" window, ie, when you check "enable auto login" it should prompt a warning saying "Do not enable auto login if you have encrypted your home directory" or something...

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Hi guys,

I just installed Karmic final 64 bit onto my Mums new computer, an Asus PRO59le. Everything seemed to be running fine and I've been configuring it and updating/installing software for the past couple of hours.

I've done a few successful reboots with no problem.

Now, I have a problem. I turned on "auto login" to make it easier for her to boot up, but now I am getting errors when I bootup and it aint working. I'm pretty sure it's because the encrypted home directory is not getting mounted on login, because I turned on auto login.

Ubuntu will boot and show the first splash screen, then the second splash screen and then it will load X. It'll then display this message in a box with a close button:

Could not update ICEauthority file /home/sandy/.ICEauthority

then immediately following:

There is a problem with the configuration server. (/usr/lib/libgconf2-4/gconf-sanity-check-2 exited with status 256)

Then this error:

Nautilus could not create the following required folders: /home/sandy/Desktop, /home/sandy/.nautilus

And then the wallpaper will load, but there will be no panels or icons or anything.

So basically, how do I turn OFF auto login in a virtual terminal/recovery console?

[mulima]

hi
same troubles here


you can do

sudo chmod a+w /home/user

for the .ICEauthority issue, this should solve your problems

auto login + encrypted home does not mount it automaticly.. this a a karmic bug i think ..

[humphreybc]

Yeah but as I said in the edit, if you are worried enough to encrypt your home folder to prevent access, then you probably shouldn't be enabling auto login!

To turn auto login off you can go into recovery console or a virtual terminal and type:

sudo nano /etc/gdm/custom.conf

And change the AutoLogin entry to "false" then reboot

[b0b138]

I came across this same problem. While I never found a solution, I could ctrl-alt-f1 a virtual terminal, login, and restart gdm (sudo /etc/init.d/gdm restart) and it would be fine. Its almost like with autologin its trying to access /home before it got decrypted.

[thunderbear]

Hi

i have exactly the same problem as detailed above with the same error messages, but unable to recover have tried all the answers detailed, just get to the orange screen, no doubt because my home directory remains encrypted

any other ideas as to how to recover, else this is this a bug???

[Jonathan Gossage]

You can recover quite easily with the following procedure.

1. When you get the blank screen instead of a usable desktop, type Ctrl-Alt-F1 to bring up a TTY console and login.

2. Enter the following command:
sudo shutdown -r now

3. When the GDM login screen is presented, click on the link that allows you to login with another user id.

4. Enter your user name and hit enter to bring up the password prompt.

5. Enter your password at the password prompt.

6. When the desktop comes up goto System->Administration->Login Screen and disable automatic login.

Auto login is incompatible with the encrypted home directory since the password is required at login time to decrypt the home directory and auto login does not allow you to enter a password.

[elect]

Over disabling the auto login, is there maeby a way to keep away the encryption? ^^

[The End of The World]

OMG THANKYOU!

you saved me hours of coursework thankyou - i thought i had lost it all!

*praises*
*insert more praises*

[scorp123]

Its almost like with autologin its trying to access /home before it got decrypted.

The password serves as passphrase too. With "autologin" you don't enter a password == home directory CAN NOT be decrypted unless you login and supply your password.

I think the installer mentions this even.

And OP is right ... what's the point of encrypting your /home directory if you want any thief to have instant access to your data anyway? What's the point?

The point of encrypting your /home is precisely this that without knowledge of your password the data CAN NOT be accessed, even if your computer were to be confiscated and what not.

Without disk encryption anyone having physical access to your computer CAN and WILL get access to your data, no matter if they know your username or password or not.

So the purpose of encrypting your /home folder is to close this attack vector. But if you set your computer to "autologin" (e.g. because it's a desktop PC at home and you're never ever travelling with it anyway) ... why then the encryption?

If disk encryption worked the way you guys thought it would work then it would be totally pointless.

And sorry if I sounded rude, harsh and what not. I didn't mean to. It's just that I find the thought of having disk encryption AND "autologin" working together downright horrible from a security POV. So please nobody feel attacked or something ...

[crowdedelevator]

i still get the configuration server code, but never had the nautilus code.
although im a noob