1.6 Password

When fetching/sending messages or using PGP or S/MIME, you may be required to input your password. Before you type your password, check carefully to see if either the following conditions is satisfied:

• - Emacs is running on a local computer
• - Emacs is running on a remote computer, but an encryption mechanism is being used for communication.

If neither of these conditions are satisfied, do not input a password. Your password could be accessed without your knowledge.

If you get sick of inputting your password from time to time, please use one of two password-cache mechanisms.

1. Storing passwords in memory temporarily. Not writing them to a file.
2. Storing passwords in memory while Mew is running. When Mew/Emacs quits, Mew encrypts the passwords and writes them to a file.

To use Feature 1., configure as follows:

(setq mew-use-cached-passwd t)

To use Feature 2., after installing GnuPG, configure as follows:

(setq mew-use-master-passwd t)

If both variables are ‘t’, the feature 2. is used.

Feature 1.: Any passwords including POP and PGP are cached in memory. While a password is cached, you can omit to input the password. The cached password will expire after a certain period (20 minutes by default). However, its timer is cleared (reset to 20 minutes) if the password is used internally.

Feature 2: When Mew boots, Mew asks you to input a master password. Mew decrypts encrypted passwords in a file and caches them in memory. For instance, if you have already typed POP password, it is to be stored in memory. Thus, when the POP password is required, you can omit to input it. If you use a master password at the first time, you are asked to input it twice. When Mew boots, you might type a wrong master password. In this case, if you enabled Feature 1., it is used. Otherwise, no password-cache mechanisms is used.

If you want to change the master password, type ‘C-cC-m’ in Summary mode.

Cached passwords in memory are not encrypted. So, if you use either Feature 1. or Feature 2., you should take care so that nobody can touch your Emacs. If you leave your PC and an Emacs expert happens to check your configuration, your passwords could be stolen.

This document was generated by U-X61T\saito on August, 31 2008 using texi2html 1.78.