What the servers can see
Metadata and encrypted content: what QubKey cloud services can see for sync and sharing.
When you enable sync, create a temporary link, or send an entry to another QubKey user, some data goes through the publisher’s cloud services. This page describes factually what those services can see and what they cannot read.
Encryption protects the content of your secrets. Service metadata (account, dates, technical identifiers) is still required for the product to work.
Principles
Zero-knowledge for content
The master password and vault keys stay on your devices. Cloud services cannot open your .rkvey file or display entry contents in plaintext.
Vault sync
| Visible to the service | Not visible / unreadable | |
|---|---|---|
| Account | Email address, account status, sessions / devices | QubKey account password (stored as a hash) |
| Cloud vault | Technical vault id, sync timestamps, counters / digests | Entry titles, passwords, notes, attachments in plaintext |
| Operations | Encrypted blocks exchanged between your devices | Decrypted content without your master password |
Secure temporary link
| Visible to the service | Not visible / unreadable | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Email of the QubKey account tied to the share | — |
| Metadata | Link id, expiration, view count, status (active, expired, revoked) | Entry content in plaintext |
| Storage | Encrypted share payload; IP address fingerprint (hash) for security | Full link key (part kept in the URL # fragment) |
Send to a QubKey user
| Visible to the service | Not visible / unreadable | |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts | Sender and recipient emails (QubKey accounts) | — |
| Send | Technical envelope ids, dates, status (pending, accepted, revoked), granted rights | Entry title and content in plaintext |
| Payload | Encrypted package for the recipient’s public key | Secrets decryptable only on the recipient’s device |
Administration console
The publisher’s administration console can manage accounts and, for temporary links, view metadata (creator email, status, views). It does not display synced vault contents or plaintext share text.
For user-to-user sends, there is no dedicated admin screen listing envelopes: metadata exists in the sync service’s technical storage, as described above.