## Changelog
- Added conditional Active Record encryption to every external
credential we store (SMTP/IMAP passwords, Twilio tokens,
Slack/OpenAI hook tokens, Facebook/Instagram tokens, LINE/Telegram keys,
Twitter secrets) so new writes are encrypted
whenever Chatwoot.encryption_configured? is true; legacy installs still
receive plaintext until their secrets are
updated.
- Tuned encryption settings in config/application.rb to allow legacy
reads (support_unencrypted_data) and to extend
deterministic queries so lookups continue to match plaintext rows during
the rollout; added TODOs to retire the
fallback once encryption becomes mandatory.
- Introduced an MFA-pipeline test suite
(spec/models/external_credentials_encryption_spec.rb) plus shared
examples to
verify each attribute encrypts at rest and that plaintext records
re-encrypt on update, with a dedicated Telegram case.
The existing MFA GitHub workflow now runs these tests using the
preconfigured encryption keys.
fixes:
https://linear.app/chatwoot/issue/CW-5453/encrypt-sensitive-credentials-stored-in-plain-text-in-database
## Testing Instructions
1. Instance without encryption keys
- Unset ACTIVE_RECORD_ENCRYPTION_* vars (or run in an environment where
they’re absent).
- Create at least one credentialed channel (e.g., Email SMTP).
- Confirm workflows still function (send/receive mail or a similar
sanity check).
- In the DB you should still see plaintext values—this confirms the
guard prevents encryption when keys are missing.
2. Instance with encryption keys
- Configure the three encryption env vars and restart.
- Pick a couple of representative integrations (e.g., Email SMTP +
Twilio SMS).
- Legacy channel check:
- Use existing records created before enabling keys. Trigger their
workflow (send an email / SMS, or hit the
webhook) to ensure they still authenticate.
- Inspect the raw column—value remains plaintext until changed.
- Update legacy channel:
- Edit one legacy channel’s credential (e.g., change SMTP password).
- Verify the operation still works and the stored value is now encrypted
(raw column differs, accessor returns
original).
- New channel creation:
- Create a new channel of the same type; confirm functionality and that
the stored credential is encrypted from
the start.
---------
Co-authored-by: Muhsin Keloth <muhsinkeramam@gmail.com>
Chatwoot
The modern customer support platform, an open-source alternative to Intercom, Zendesk, Salesforce Service Cloud etc.
Chatwoot is the modern, open-source, and self-hosted customer support platform designed to help businesses deliver exceptional customer support experience. Built for scale and flexibility, Chatwoot gives you full control over your customer data while providing powerful tools to manage conversations across channels.
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