Foil Notes

slava's picture
Submitted by slava on Sun, 2020/01/05 - 20:21
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Foil Notes allows you to encrypt notes with a password stronger than the lock code. Strictly speaking, each note is encrypted with a unique random 256-bit AES key which in turn is encrypted with an RSA key which in turn is encrypted with your password. If the bad guys get your encrypted notes, they would have to crack the AES key (different for each note) or the RSA key (shared by all notes but harder to crack) in order to extract the content. If they get the encrypted RSA key as well, then they can brute force your password. So in the end, the encryption is as strong as your password.

The format of the encrypted file is described here - it's the same format as used by Foil Pics. Open (unencrypted) notes are stored in the format understood by Jolla Notes. Encrypted files are stored in ~/Documents/FoilNotes.

The RSA key is shared with Foil Pics. It's stored in ~/.local/share/foil/foil.key - you can copy it from one device to another. Using the same RSA key on different devices, protected with different passwords, is actually not such a bad idea. If you forget the password, you can use the backup key to decrypt your notes, assuming that it's protected with a password that you still remember.

Source code: https://github.com/monich/harbour-foilnotes

Screenshots: 

Category:

Keywords:

Application versions: 
AttachmentSizeDate
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.11-13.1.armv7hl.rpm188.04 KB05/01/2020 - 20:21
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.11-13.1.i486.rpm229.21 KB05/01/2020 - 20:21
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.10-12.1.armv7hl.rpm180.88 KB03/05/2019 - 00:55
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.10-12.1.i486.rpm220.64 KB03/05/2019 - 00:55
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.9-11.1.armv7hl.rpm180.7 KB30/04/2019 - 02:06
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.9-11.1.i486.rpm219.99 KB30/04/2019 - 02:06
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.8-10.1.armv7hl.rpm165.16 KB11/03/2019 - 03:26
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.8-10.1.i486.rpm200.13 KB11/03/2019 - 03:26
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.6-8.1.armv7hl.rpm160.36 KB19/02/2019 - 02:47
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.6-8.1.i486.rpm195.22 KB19/02/2019 - 02:47
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.5-7.1.armv7hl.rpm160.8 KB17/02/2019 - 16:58
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.5-7.1.i486.rpm194.72 KB17/02/2019 - 16:58
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.4-6.1.armv7hl.rpm160.81 KB17/02/2019 - 12:52
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.4-6.1.i486.rpm195.11 KB17/02/2019 - 12:52
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.3-5.1.armv7hl.rpm160.06 KB17/02/2019 - 02:24
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.3-5.1.i486.rpm194.65 KB17/02/2019 - 02:24
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.2-4.1.armv7hl.rpm157.45 KB12/01/2019 - 22:55
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.2-4.1.i486.rpm192.28 KB12/01/2019 - 22:55
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.1-3.1.armv7hl.rpm156.22 KB07/01/2019 - 12:44
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.1-3.1.i486.rpm190.96 KB07/01/2019 - 12:44
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.0-2.1.armv7hl.rpm151.85 KB06/01/2019 - 12:42
File harbour-foilnotes-1.0.0-2.1.i486.rpm186.77 KB06/01/2019 - 12:42
Changelog: 
  • 1.0.11 (Jan 5 2020)
    - Delay autolock by 15 seconds
    - Freshened up the UI
  • 1.0.10 (May 3 2019)
    - Fixed QR code rendering defect
    - Updated Chinese translations
  • 1.0.9 (Apr 30 2019)
    - Added QR code generation
    - Tweaked translations
  • 1.0.8 (Mar 10 2019)
    - Fixed password change functionality
    - Redesigned shared key warning
  • 1.0.6 (Feb 19 2019)
    - Updated French translations
  • 1.0.5 (Feb 17 2019)
    - Updated Chinese translations
  • 1.0.4 (Feb 17 2019)
    - Updated Polish and Swedish translations
  • 1.0.3 (Feb 17 2019)
    - Undo and redo
    - French translations
  • 1.0.2 (Jan 12 2019)
    - Fixed German translations
    - Chinese translations
    - Fixed deletion of a new note
  • 1.0.1 (Jan 7 2019)
    - Polish translations
    - Swedish translations
    - German translations
  • 1.0.0 (Jan 6 2019)
    - Initial version

Comments

objectifnul's picture

objectifnul

Mon, 2020/01/06 - 01:27

Is this release 1.0.11 supposed to auto-lock after 15 seconds? Or to auto-lock only 15 seconds after the device itself is locked? If so, it doesn't on my XperiaX.

slava's picture

slava

Mon, 2020/01/06 - 02:05

And no, it's not supposed to auto-lock while the screen is on.

Here's why I did this in the first place. I have my "Automatic locking" setting set to "No delay", and display to sleep after 30 seconds. As a result, it I don't tap the screen when it gets dimmed, the phone gets locked and every time I unlock it I have to re-enter the Foil password. That was annoying.

Now this logic gives me 15 seconds to unlock the phone (e.g. by swiping a finger) before I have to re-enter my long and secure Foil password. That's what I was after.

slava's picture

slava

Mon, 2020/01/06 - 01:49

Notes are now supposed to get auto-locked 15 seconds after the phone is auto-locked  (i.e. when you leave it unattended, the display is first dimmed then turns off, then after certain period of time the phone gets locked and then 15 seconds later notes are locked). In all other cases notes should still be locked immediately.

Historyscholar's picture

Historyscholar

Wed, 2019/08/21 - 22:01

Can we add recordings and  photos   to notes ?

slava's picture

slava

Thu, 2019/08/22 - 01:05

For photos there's Foil Pics app!

vista_narvas's picture

vista_narvas

Wed, 2019/08/21 - 21:20

is there a easy way to decode Notes on a other device ?

slava's picture

slava

Thu, 2019/08/22 - 01:03

If your copy the key and the notes to another device, sure. You can even do that on a regular Linux machine from the command line like this:

foilmsg -d -s foil.key -P qqqqqqqq -f 75A3CD846F5B6150

where foil.key if your foil key, qqqqqqqq is your foil password and 75A3CD846F5B6150 is a foiled note (the decoded text is dumped to stdout). foilmsg sources can be found here:

https://github.com/monich/foil/tree/master/tools/foilmsg

eson's picture

eson

Tue, 2019/07/16 - 08:48

Hi,

Great app! I'm using it all the time. Would it be possible to add Timestamped sections to Foil Notes?

TheJullus's picture

TheJullus

Sat, 2019/07/06 - 18:25

My Foil Notes doesn't open anymode. Do you have any suggestions what to do?

slava's picture

slava

Sat, 2019/07/06 - 19:42

The app doesn't start? Which device/SFOS version?

TheJullus's picture

TheJullus

Sat, 2019/07/06 - 21:59

Xperia XA2 Dual sim/ Sailfish X 3.0.3.10

slava's picture

slava

Sat, 2019/07/06 - 23:39

Hmm.... I'm using XA2 as a daily device and never experienced any problem with Foil Notes on any released version of Sailfish OS including 3.0.3.10. Is there any way you could produce a core file, a backtrace or something that would give a clue on what's going on?

As a user, I would try reinstalling the package.

TheJullus's picture

TheJullus

Sun, 2019/07/07 - 03:20

What way on reinstalling would you recommend? I don't want to lose my notes. I tried to just install the .rpm file again without uninstalling the app. Didn't solve the problem

slava's picture

slava

Sun, 2019/07/07 - 11:54

FWIW, uninstalling the app doesn't delete the notes (perhaps it should but currently it doesn't). I would be very curious to know what's going on, but like I said, I can't reproduce it. If you reinstal the app but the problem persists, it most likely means one of two things - a problem with dependencies (the app doesn't have any unusual dependencies, so that's unlikely unless you replaced libcrypto.so or something) or damaged data (notes).

You can check how the storage for unencrypted notes is doing by running Jolla Notes app. As for the encrypted notes, I suggest that you tar and send me the entire contents of your ~/Documents/FoilNotes directory and I'll see if I can reproduce the crash with those files. I won't be able to actually read your notes because they are encrypted and I don't have your key and don't know the password for it, but since the crash seems to happen before you even have a chance to enter your password, that shouldn't matter.

TheJullus's picture

TheJullus

Sun, 2019/07/07 - 21:52

Ok, reinstalling didn't seem to work. Where should I send my files and in what kind of package? (Ps. Other Foil apps for example Foil Auth work)

slava's picture

slava

Mon, 2019/07/08 - 00:14

Sent you a message via openrepos.net contact page, let's see if that works.

TheJullus's picture

TheJullus

Mon, 2019/07/08 - 01:04

Access denied. To my own personal contact form

slava's picture

slava

Mon, 2019/07/08 - 12:38

Hehe. Then use e-mail from the LICENSE file :)

TheJullus's picture

TheJullus

Mon, 2019/07/08 - 16:15

Oh, I feel so stupid. Anyways, I sent the files

TheJullus's picture

TheJullus

Thu, 2019/08/08 - 18:57

I managed to get back my encrypted note on a reflashed device! I just moved note files and old foil.key to right directories (as I described in the Foil Auth comment section)

direc85's picture

direc85

Fri, 2019/05/24 - 23:29

Just what I need to keep my notes safe. Thanks!

maier's picture

maier

Sun, 2019/05/05 - 13:51

Hi may I can give my opinion in the round too)
Locking is a security feature which is located on different levels. In this case it is on the second level. (1st is the device ) So it makes sense to have in the settings an on/ off option so that the customer can decide what he wants and needs.

objectifnul's picture

objectifnul

Tue, 2019/04/30 - 15:35

Okay. After all the current locking logic is fine for me.

objectifnul's picture

objectifnul

Tue, 2019/04/30 - 12:16

Did you remove the autolock feature?

slava's picture

slava

Tue, 2019/04/30 - 13:09

What do you mean by "autolock feature"?

objectifnul's picture

objectifnul

Tue, 2019/04/30 - 13:19

Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that previous versions were locked atomatically after a while when minimized.

slava's picture

slava

Tue, 2019/04/30 - 13:48

No it never did that, it locked (and lockes) when the screen gets locked. But locking after certain inactivity period does make sense, I'll consider that.

Pemek's picture

Pemek

Mon, 2019/01/07 - 03:27

Just such a thought: wonder if there are two sets of passwords: main one for secure storage, and second with fake notes, easy to break. Revealing fake data would satisfy inquisitive person. Real important data still remain safe. What do you think about it?
btw, great app:)

slava's picture

slava

Mon, 2019/01/07 - 12:39

That's a bit of an overkill IMO :)

minitreintje's picture

minitreintje

Sun, 2019/01/06 - 13:37

Great to see a 2nd Foil app!

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