Bug 2335477 - Password authentication fails when trying to write an image to USB stick
Summary: Password authentication fails when trying to write an image to USB stick
Keywords:
Status: NEW
Alias: None
Product: Fedora
Classification: Fedora
Component: polkit-kde
Version: 43
Hardware: x86_64
OS: Linux
unspecified
high
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: marcdeop
QA Contact: Fedora Extras Quality Assurance
URL:
Whiteboard:
Depends On:
Blocks:
TreeView+ depends on / blocked
 
Reported: 2025-01-03 20:37 UTC by livechatter
Modified: 2025-12-02 09:01 UTC (History)
9 users (show)

Fixed In Version:
Clone Of:
Environment:
Last Closed:
Type: ---
Embargoed:


Attachments (Terms of Use)
Screenshot-1 (49.45 KB, image/png)
2025-01-03 20:39 UTC, livechatter
no flags Details
screenshot-2 (67.08 KB, image/png)
2025-01-03 20:39 UTC, livechatter
no flags Details
screenshot-3 (21.27 KB, image/png)
2025-01-03 20:40 UTC, livechatter
no flags Details
screenshot-4 (46.98 KB, image/png)
2025-01-03 20:41 UTC, livechatter
no flags Details

Description livechatter 2025-01-03 20:37:58 UTC
When I try to write a Fedora image to a USB stick using the Fedora Image Writer application I get asked to authenticate using either my registered fingerprint or the user account password.
Using my finger gives no problem but typing my password makes the authentication dialog ¨think" for about 20 seconds and then close. I say think because the dialog is not completely frozen; the password field becomes greyed out but you can still cancel and move the dialog box. See screenshot-1.

The mediawriter application shows its error screen with the message "Did not receive a reply. Possible causes include: the remote application did not send a reply, the message bus security policy blocked the reply, the reply timeout expired, or the network connection was broken". See screenshot-2. A desktop notification is also launched but only on the first try after opening this application. See screenshot-3.

Clicking "Retry" opens the authentication dialog again with the same result.

Clicking "cancel" on the authentication dialog makes mediawriter also error with the message "Not authorized to perform operation". See screenshot-4.

Using the application to "restore" (wipe) the USB stick seems to work although the authentication dialog still needs to "think" about 20 seconds before accepting my password.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1.Launch Fedora Media Writer
2.Tick "download automatically" and click "next"
3.Choose any Fedora edition, Click "next". 
4.Choose any "write options". Click "next"
5.Click "write", click "write" again in the confirmation dialog.
6.Type anything (your password or anything else) in the authentication password box.
Actual Results:  
The authentication dialog box freezes and mediawriter shows an error. I am not able to write an image to my USB stick.

Expected Results:  
mediawriter downloads the Fedora image I chose and writes it to my USB stick

Fedora 41 KDE plasma 6.2.5
Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen9
Application version: mediawriter-5.2.1-1.fc41.x86_64

Comment 1 livechatter 2025-01-03 20:39:12 UTC
Created attachment 2064608 [details]
Screenshot-1

Comment 2 livechatter 2025-01-03 20:39:54 UTC
Created attachment 2064609 [details]
screenshot-2

Comment 3 livechatter 2025-01-03 20:40:29 UTC
Created attachment 2064610 [details]
screenshot-3

Comment 4 livechatter 2025-01-03 20:41:13 UTC
Created attachment 2064611 [details]
screenshot-4

Comment 5 Jan Grulich 2025-01-06 08:14:09 UTC
This doesn't look like an issue in Fedora Media Writer, but in Polkit, which is where the dialog comes from.

Comment 6 livechatter 2025-03-02 11:03:58 UTC
No movement since 3 months. Anything I can/should still do?

Comment 7 Adam Williamson 2025-12-02 02:05:41 UTC
This message is a reminder that Fedora Linux 41 is nearing its end of life.
Fedora will stop maintaining and issuing updates for Fedora Linux 41 on 2025-12-15.
It is Fedora's policy to close all bug reports from releases that are no longer
maintained. At that time this bug will be closed as EOL if it remains open with a
'version' of '41'.

Package Maintainer: If you wish for this bug to remain open because you
plan to fix it in a currently maintained version, change the 'version' 
to a later Fedora Linux version. Note that the version field may be hidden.
Click the "Show advanced fields" button if you do not see it.

Thank you for reporting this issue and we are sorry that we were not 
able to fix it before Fedora Linux 41 is end of life. If you would still like 
to see this bug fixed and are able to reproduce it against a later version 
of Fedora Linux, you are encouraged to change the 'version' to a later version
prior to this bug being closed.

Comment 8 livechatter 2025-12-02 08:58:31 UTC
Bug still present on Fedora 43 with following component versions:

Linux/KDE Plasma: Fedora KDE Plasma Desktop Edition 43 with Kernel 6.17.9-300.fc43.x86_64
KDE Plasma Version: 6.5.3
KDE Frameworks Version: 6.20.0
Qt Version: 6.10.1
Polkit version: 126-6.fc43
Polkit-kde version: 6.5.3-1.fc43
polkit-qt6-1 version: 0.200.0-4.fc43


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