Stored passwords and master password

You can save a password with a site so that you do not type it on each login. This page explains how linscp stores it and how a master password keeps it safe.

How saved passwords are stored

Saved passwords live in the configuration file, next to the rest of the site settings (~/.config/linscp/WinSCP.ini on Linux; see configuration storage). Without a master password they are only scrambled, not encrypted. Any program or person that can read the file can turn them back into plain text.

The same applies to everything linscp treats as a password: proxy and tunnel passwords, and the key used for file encryption.

With a master password set, linscp encrypts these values with AES. The key comes from the master password, which linscp never writes to disk.

Set a master password

1. Open Options › Preferences › Security.
2. Check Use master password.
3. Type the new password twice and confirm.

linscp warns you if the password looks easy to guess. The change takes effect at once: existing saved passwords are re-encrypted, not when you close Preferences.

To change it later, click Change master password… and enter the current password first. To remove it, uncheck Use master password; your saved passwords then go back to the unprotected form.

When linscp asks for it

After each start, linscp prompts for the master password as soon as a protected value is needed: when you open a site with a saved password, or when you save a new one. It then remembers the master password until you quit. If you cancel the prompt, the saved password stays locked and you type the server password yourself.

Note

linscp-cli cannot unlock passwords protected by a master password. For scripts, pass credentials as described in sessions and credentials.

If you forget it

There is no way to recover a lost master password, and no way to read the passwords it protects. You can still get linscp back to a working state and enter your passwords again:

1. Quit linscp.
2. Back up the configuration file.
3. In the file, delete the [Configuration\Security] section.
4. In every [Sessions\...] section, delete the Password, ProxyPasswordEnc, TunnelPassword and EncryptKey lines.
5. Start linscp and set a new master password if you want one.

Alternatives to saving passwords

• Do not save the password. Leave the field empty and type it at login. Options › Preferences › Security › Remember password for duration of session saves retyping it for reconnects while linscp runs.
• Use SSH keys with an agent. The key’s passphrase stays with your agent (ssh-agent, GNOME Keyring, KeePassXC) and linscp stores nothing. See SSH keys and authentication.
• Workspaces. When you save a workspace, leave Save passwords (not recommended) unchecked.

Caution

A master password protects the file at rest. It does not protect you from malware running as your user while linscp is unlocked.