<*NOT* SOLVED> Google application-specific password problem

[tomcloyd]

All my email is channeled through GMail. For a long time I have been able to receive mail in TB but cannot send it. So I sent email from GMail. Very recently I figured out that TB needed a Google application-specific password. (I use two-factor authentication with my Google account.) Everything suddenly worked great until I shut down for the day and relaunched TB the following day. Then, I needed a NEW Google application-specific password to access my GMail account at all. With that, all was well once again. This situation has not changed.

This is nuts. It's not supposed to work this way. I've been trying to find a solution - searching the forum and knowledge base and so far all I've come up with is turning off two-factor authentication. That is NOT a good solution, for obvious reasons. Google appears to offer no way to turn off two-factor authentication at the level of the individual application.

I have no idea what to do at this point. Any suggestions?

[tanstaafl]

Needing a different application specific password seems like a problem created by Google. According to https://www.howtogeek.com/199804/warnin ... -specific/ an application specific password is not actually specific to that application, it is really just a new password that provides access to your entire account, bypassing two-factor authentication entirely. We can try to help but I suspect your best bet is to ask for help in their forums about why could a application specific password suddenly become invalid.

Did you look at https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/185834?hl=en and try their fix in "App passwords not working"?

Does signing in from a trusted computer only work with browsers, or would it also work with Thunderbird? I know that using a security key won't work with a email client.

[tomcloyd]

Thanks for you quick response. I'll admit that I'm struggling to understand the nature of the problem here. This much I do know:

An application-specific password is used ONLY ONCE. From then on the application that used it SHOULD be recognized. I can imagine a number of mechanisms by which that might happen. Placing a cookie on a specific computer where the application using the password one time resides would mark that combination of computer and application as OK, for example. But in truth I have NO idea how this actually DOES happen - when it works.

Your Google support link is something I'd already looked at and rejected as irrelevant - the application password DOES work, as desired. But then I'm asked for a new one on my next launch of TB. That is not the desired behavior. At that next launch, TB should be recognized an allowed server access. The experience I'm having is actually better described by the section immediately above, on that page: "I turned on 2-Step Verification and an app on my phone or computer stopped working", except that the solution given there is exactly what is NOT working for me.

I will check in a couple of Google forums and see if I can turn up something.

[ I did not mention this and should have (major lapse): I'm running Linux Mint 18.1 Mate, and TB 45.7.0 ]

[tanstaafl]

See if you have a cookie for that site using tools -> options -> privacy -> show cookies.

I noticed the attempt to blame the victim of somebody with a similar problem using a iphone/ipad in https://productforums.google.com/forum/ ... U9xmQ_6Rww

[tomcloyd]

See if you have a cookie for that site using tools -> options -> privacy -> show cookies.

Sorry, but I don't understand. What site? This concerns the Thunderbird application, not a site. And, I see no "tools -> options..." function!

I noticed the attempt to blame the victim of somebody with a similar problem using a iphone/ipad in https://productforums.google.com/forum/ ... U9xmQ_6Rww

I looked at that. Yes, I've seen (and been in!) that sort of dialog before. The application people blame Google, and Google blames the application, and the user doesn't get his problem fixed. I fear that happening here! But I much appreciate that you are staying with me on this one. I didn't expect that.

I've posted about this in https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum ... hunderbird, and so far (after 8 hours) no response.

[tanstaafl]

"Sorry, but I don't understand. What site? This concerns the Thunderbird application, not a site. And, I see no "tools -> options..." function!"

Thunderbird can store cookies for sites/mail servers that it connects to.

I'm used to mentioning the menu commands used under Windows since the majority of the users in this forum use Windows. I forgot that you're using Linux. Tools -> options is Edit -> preferences under Linux. Its only the top level menu that differs, the lower level commands should be the same. I'm assuming that you are not using the add-on that remaps the menu commands to support Unity. See http://kb.mozillazine.org/Menu_differen ... x,_and_Mac

[tomcloyd]

WE HAVE A WINNER, WE HAVE A WINNER!

I actually thought of this possible cookie issue quite early in my own troubleshooting brainstorming, but lost track of the idea when I couldn't find any evidence that TB stored cookies. That was an error on my part. I preach thoroughness to my students, and now have a new illustration of its virtue!

I'm impressed that you can work in both Windows and Linux. The actual path to display of the cookie store in the Linux (Mint) version is Menu > Edit > Preferences > Privacy > WebContent > show cookies (button)

Once I had access to the cookie store, I searched for and located all Google cookies. Some went back to 2013! I deleted them all, relaunched TB, attempted to access my GMail email, and had no problem whatsoever. My problem appears to be solved. Fantastic!

Needless to say I'm delighted and grateful for you assistance and perseverance. Thank you.

[tomcloyd]

My problem is back, precisely as it was before. I now have to go to Google - https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords - every time I launch TBird to actually DO anything with it - download or send email.

Previously, removing Google cookies solved the problem - or appeared to. I now HAVE no such cookies, and the problem is happening again. I've had to get an application specific password twice already today.

I have exhausted Google's documentation on this, such as it. I've no idea what to try next. My TBird can be made to work, but what I have to do to achieve this is surely not right.

Any ideas?

[tanstaafl]

What happens when it fails? Do you get a popup window asking for a password (as if you were using normal passwords) or a error message (whats its exact text?) .....

What changes in the profile when you successfully add a new application specific password? Any new files, new cookies, new entries (perhaps a token rather than a password, like with OAuth2) in the list of saved passwords.

When this problem occurs, can you use the (now bad) application specific password on something else such as a email app on a smartphone?

If you go to the App Passwords page does it list your (bad) application specific password ? See https://support.google.com/accounts/ans ... 0455?hl=en

Have you been revoking the (bad) application specific password before you create a new one for Thunderbird?

Please keep in mind that I've never used gmail two factor authentication so the more details that you can provide, the more I have to work with. http://kb.mozillazine.org/Posting_a_scr ... _the_forum

[tomcloyd]

Thank you for the detailed response. I'll return with answers as soon as I can... ~Tom

[tanstaafl]

You should update https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic ... eBVxcjhnfs to indicate that the problem came back.

[tomcloyd]

Yes, I should. Extreme time demands have been my problem lately. I just updated it. I hope today to respond to your questions as well.

[tanstaafl]

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/02/2 ... ack_fears/
https://productforums.google.com/forum/ ... Ot2x1_c3KM

"We've gotten reports about some users being signed out of their accounts unexpectedly. We're investigating, but not to worry: there is no indication that this is connected to any phishing or account security threats.

Please try to sign-in again at accounts.google.com and if you cannot remember your password, please use this link (g.co/recover) to recover your password. If you use 2-Step Verification, there may have been a delay in receiving your SMS code. Please try again or use backup codes."

[tomcloyd]

Ah yes, the "g.co/recover" problem. I had that yesterday, but it's a mobile platform issue only, I THINK. Was for me. I finally determined that it wasn't a phishing exploit and responded and it went away. But it's never been seen on my desktop, and has nothing to do with my Thunderbird problem that I can see. Thanks anyway for passing this on as a possibly related issue. I wish it was.

I finally have some time this afternoon, and likely will bet to your list of questions. As it is, when I launch TB daily, I go get a new application specific password, and that gets me going, until the next time I launch TB.