Comment 22 for bug 579876

This is definitely a bug.

And nothing's been done about it after four years. Not even - as discussed here - some simple messages to inform users that they are about to break their system and lose their data. This really is atrocious.

Users are most likely to encounter this problem because:

i) Ubuntu offers disk encryption / home encryption as standard option during install

ii) Users would instinctively log in as root to change a user password - "It's a security matter, isn't it? Then surely you must log in as root?"

iii) There is nothing to tell the user that their system is about to break when they attempt to change their user password as root.

I'm still trying to resolve this problem after a day and a night. I'm losing hair, losing money, losing my will to live. Because this sort of thing happens all the time.

I've managed to unlock the lost directory using Dustin's recovery tool. But that just puts the data in a temp directory. That raises more questions. How are you supposed to turn that temp directory into a working home folder again? How do I get back to work? The recovery tool is incomplete. If only there were a tool that would simply reunite my user data with my user account. Or a tool that will change my password properly.

Can anybody imagine what it is like for a user in this situation?

Here's a sample of the web pages I've queried so far in my quest to get my data back and get my home folder working as it was before I attempted to change my password:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-keyring/+bug/1372144
http://askubuntu.com/questions/527085/how-recover-encrypted-home-when-lost-because-user-password-was-changed-with-root
http://askubuntu.com/questions/434446/help-recovering-ecryptfs-user-data
http://askubuntu.com/questions/144360/reset-login-keyring
http://askubuntu.com/questions/128040/how-to-recover-my-data
http://askubuntu.com/questions/256387/recover-encrypted-data-after-reinstall
http://askubuntu.com/questions/60601/unwrapping-passphrase-and-inserting-into-the-user-session-keyring-failed
http://askubuntu.com/questions/36573/trying-to-mount-old-encrypted-home/36783#36783
http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/trusty/en/man1/ecryptfs-recover-private.1.html
http://blog.dustinkirkland.com/2011/04/introducing-ecryptfs-recover-private.html
http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/precise/en/man7/ecryptfs.7.html
http://askubuntu.com/questions/13177/how-do-i-recover-data-from-an-encrypted-home-directory/13178#13178
https://www.google.co.uk/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=what+cipher+ubuntu+full+disk+encryption+home%3F&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gl=uk&gws_rd=cr&ei=4uUfVIWvH6Td7QbQnIA4#channel=fs&gl=uk&q=ubuntu+full+disk+encryption+key+bytes
http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/trusty/man8/cryptsetup-reencrypt.8.html
http://thesimplecomputer.info/full-disk-encryption-with-ubuntu
http://askubuntu.com/questions/228444/what-is-used-in-the-12-10-full-disk-encryption
http://askubuntu.com/questions/94298/which-algorithm-does-encrypt-home-directory-use
https://www.google.co.uk/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=ubuntu+encryption+plaintext+passthrough%3F&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gl=uk&gws_rd=cr&ei=E_IfVNv4BOqS7Aaz9oHoCg
http://askubuntu.com/questions/238047/how-do-i-mount-an-encrypted-home-directory-on-another-ubuntu-machine
https://forum.kde.org/viewtopic.php?f=225&t=101981
https://www.google.co.uk/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=ecryptfs-unwrap-passphrase:+Error+attempting+to+read+encrypted+passphrase+from+file&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gl=uk&gws_rd=cr&ei=aPUfVLjkHczg7Qa-poG4Cw
https://answers.launchpad.net/ecryptfs/+question/170930
https://www.google.co.uk/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=recover+home+folder+different+username&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gl=uk&gws_rd=cr&ei=RPcfVNTEMqPC7gaz94GgBQ#channel=fs&gl=uk&q=mount+home+folder+%22different+username%22
http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-1659183.html
http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-1570707.html
http://askubuntu.com/questions/72564/how-can-i-restore-a-deleted-username-using-its-old-home-folder
http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-2083832.html
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/118646
http://bodhizazen.net/Tutorials/Ecryptfs/#Password
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ecryptfs-utils
about:newtab
https://www.google.co.uk/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=how+change+password+encrypted+ubuntu&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gl=uk&gws_rd=cr&ei=kBMgVIyiD4OM7AbGwoHwCg#channel=fs&gl=uk&q=how+change+user+password+ubuntu+encrypted
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1984761
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1985276
http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-1223354.html
https://www.google.co.uk/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=ecryptfs-rewrap-passphrase+/home/.ecryptfs/%24USER/.ecryptfs/wrapped-passphrase+Error:+Unwrapping+passphrase+failed+%5B-5%5D&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gl=uk&gws_rd=cr&ei=8B8gVLGRJpHd7QaDtYDYCw
http://askubuntu.com/questions/488636/how-to-get-back-to-normal-after-ecryptfs-rewrap-passphrase-screw-up
http://askubuntu.com/questions/319561/change-the-passphrase-of-an-ecryptfs-directory
http://ubuntu.aspcode.net/view/635400140124705175104170/unwrapping-passphrase-and-inserting-into-the-user-session-keyring-failed
http://askubuntu.com/questions/36573/trying-to-mount-old-encrypted-home/36783#36783
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2073575
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2172573
http://www.johndscomputers.com/2014/security/careful-about-changing-that-password-on-an-ubuntu-encrypted-home-file-system/
about:newtab
https://www.google.co.uk/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=help+changed+user+password+as+root&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gl=uk&gws_rd=cr&ei=sCMgVL7JLaLV7gbF5ICADA#channel=fs&gl=uk&q=help+changed+user+password+as+root+encrypted
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ecryptfs-utils/+bug/579876

Still trying.