Questions tagged [security]
For questions about staying secure while using vim
17
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Safe configuration for editing pass entries
So I use the Pass program to store passphrases with gpg. To edit these entries you can use the $EDITOR environment variable. Now, I had set vim to store swap files and backup files with the following ...
0
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1
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810
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How does vim decide if a file is "readonly"?
For testing purposes I set the setuid to my vim binary. Now when I open for example /etc/passwd, modify the file and execute :w, then I get the E45: 'readonly' option is set (add ! to override) error ...
10
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2
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642
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Is there a way to edit secure data in vim without accessing the filesystem?
I am interested in using vim to edit a "secure" file, one that is stored encrypted elsewhere (say, somewhere in the cloud), and should not be written as plaintext to the local disk. So the sequence of ...
2
votes
1
answer
564
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How to create a new 'secure scratchpad' buffer?
I want to be able to create a new buffer (and a new window with which to interact with it) to work with secret or sensitive info, e.g. passwords.
Ideally, none of the contents of the buffer would ...
3
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0
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364
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How to execute vim when one needs to edit sensitive data?
I keep my passwords in PGP encrypted file. When I need to edit this file, then I first decrypt it(gpg -d ...), open the plain-text file in vim and make the changes, encrypt the plain-text file(gpg --...
1
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107
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How to display a fake text instead of what is being written on the keyboard
Say I am writing confidential document on vim. I want another text to appear instead of the real document.
Each time a key of the real confidential text is pressed, the next letter of the fake text ...
3
votes
1
answer
641
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How can I securely restrict vim access to a single file?
So first, I realize that this question is slightly out of the ordinary for this site. I will explain the backstory to avoid the XY problem.
Over on Programming Puzzles and Code Golf, lots of users (...
3
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2
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123
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Is it safe to open encrypted/sensitive text files from a zip archive with vim/gvim?
I have an archive which contains encrypted text files with sensitive data. Is it safe to open them with vim/gvim?
I'm afraid vim/gvim will leave content of the files on the drive/memory even after I ...
11
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2
answers
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How safe is it to use an unknown `_vimrc` or `vimscript` file?
I do not know if this question should be asked here or not. In almost every language, malware exists. Is the same also applicable for vimscript?
Suppose vim is running with high system privileges. Is ...
0
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1
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123
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Why is an autocmd using cryptmethod a better way to prevent Vim from recording events than a separate vimrc?
There is a comment by Carpetsmoker which suggests a way to prevent Vim from recording events for certain filetypes:
I would not recommend using a separate vimrc file, for the simple reason that it'...
22
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3
answers
2k
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The simplest way to start Vim in private mode
I want to be able to easily start Vim in a private mode. Let's define a private mode as one that utilizes this set of commands:
set history=0
set nobackup
set nomodeline
set noshelltemp
set ...
1
vote
1
answer
704
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How to ensure private secure editing in vim?
I was recently looking at a another users .vimrc and noticed that they had settings which we commented as secure, private editing; how does one accomplish this, and what do the settings in question ...
1
vote
1
answer
353
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Enabling or installing blowfish2 capabilities on VIM 7.4.52
I've read that blowfish2 encryption is available on VIM 7.4.399. For some reason, my version—7.4.52—does not have blowfish2 capabilities (it has blowfish capabilities, though).
I used sudo apt ...
12
votes
2
answers
521
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How to use sensitive data in .vimrc?
I want to have my .vimrc synced through github so it has to be public file, but at the same time i have to put some sensitive data (for example db passwords/hosts for dbext.vim) in it, without giving ...
12
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1
answer
351
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Prevent Vim from recording events for certain filetypes
To add to this stackoverflow question, what should one put in their .vimrc to ensure 'private editing' of certain file extensions (e.g. .gpg files).
Without compromising the effectiveness of the ...
6
votes
2
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How do I detect I've entered a wrong password when using cryptmethod (and make Vim ask for it again)?
If I encrypt a file with :set cryptmethod=blowfish or :set cryptmethod=blowfish2, and open the file in Vim, it asks for my password on startup. I type in the correct password and continue happily.
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18
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How secure is encrypting files with blowfish?
I know using :set cryptmethod=zip is not secure, but how secure is using :set cryptmethod=blowfish?
On wikipedia I read that the blowfish cipher, as such, should be secure, but this says nothing about ...