Password with special characters invalid in batch program :: Support Forum

jtmorley
Joined:: 2012-10-03
Posts:: 3

Password with special characters invalid in batch program

2012-10-03 11:53

I am running version 4.3.2 (Build 1201). I have other scripts running for a different site with a more normalized password. I'm wondering if a password in this format (not the actual password I'm using, but similar) with all the special characters is causing the problem. I tried a couple variations of putting quotes around it, but it failed also. I can get in thru the GUI tool, and from command line. I just can't get it to work from a batch program.
Thanks

C:\cmd>winscp myUserName:t,!wx1`]+J1H@companyInfo.com:2 /script=getStuff.bat
Searching for host...
Connecting to host...
Authenticating...
Using username "myUserName".
Authenticating with pre-entered password.
Access denied.
Connection has been unexpectedly closed. Server sent command exit status 0.
Authentication log (see session log for details):
Using username "myUserName".
Access denied.

Authentication failed.
transfer        ascii
No session.
C:\cmd>

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martin◆ Site Admin
Joined:: 2002-12-10
Posts:: 38,659
Location:: Prague, Czechia

Re: Password with special characters invalid in batch program

2012-10-04

Please read documentation:
https://winscp.net/eng/docs/session_url#special

If that does not help, come back.

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jtmorley

Re: Password with special characters invalid in batch program

2012-10-04 12:28

I did see a post about encoding, and had already tried it. I did notice I missed one, and tried it again, but I'm still not able to get in. What else should I try?

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martin◆ Site Admin

Re: Password with special characters invalid in batch program

2012-10-08

Turn on logging (with password logging enabled) both in scripting and GUI and compare the logs to see if you are missing something.

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jtmorley

Re: Password with special characters invalid in batch program

2012-10-08 16:10

I added the logging, but nothing else really popped up. I started looking into just using PuTTY's psftp option. I got closer with it, but still had trouble with the password. I then tried a suggestion from PuTTY. Long story short, by adding an extra % in front of each encoded character fixes the password special character problem. Example %2B becomes %%2B.

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martin◆ Site Admin

Re: Password with special characters invalid in batch program

2012-10-11

If you are running WinSCP from a batch file, then yes.
See https://winscp.net/eng/docs/faq_batch_file#percent

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sam_boyz Guest

Re: Password with special characters invalid in batch program

2015-03-19 13:19

Martin,

I have a password like <test12;:&>

I am using batch file.

I am enclosing the session URL in double quotes as below:

open "sam:<test12;:&>@myserver" -hostkey=*

I am still getting authentication failed error?

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martin◆ Site Admin

Re: Password with special characters invalid in batch program

2015-03-23

@sam_boyz:
You have to URL-encode the semicolon:
https://winscp.net/eng/docs/session_url#special

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Guest

Re: Password with special characters invalid in batch program

2015-03-26 10:35

@Martin, I will not know the special characters in the password beforehand as the utility I am creating can be used by multiple users. I want a generic solution if there is?

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martin◆ Site Admin
Joined:: 2002-12-10
Posts:: 38,659
Location:: Prague, Czechia

Re: Password with special characters invalid in batch program

2015-03-30

@guest: A generic solution is to URL-encode all non-alpha numeric characters in the password.
If your utility in .NET-based, you can use Uri.EscapeDataString method.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/api/system.uri.escapedatastring

In recent versions of WinSCP, you can use -password switch, which does not need URL-encoding:
https://winscp.net/eng/docs/scriptcommand_open#password
Though that's still not generic, as some characters are special in WinSCP scripting (like double quotes and percent signs). And if specify commands on WinSCP command-line in a batch file, some characters are special in batch file too.

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pswong Guest

password with special character

2018-06-15 13:47

Hi,
I have changed my special character as according to the guide, which as the following,

"C:\Program Files (x86)\WinSCP\winscp.com"  sftp://root:Nh212%23%24%25@10.1.16.248/ -hostkey="ssh-ed25519 256 9SS0Zzzl1Qyj30dK0k50tu47cnVgD2C1tn6y/x0Ns7A="

This work all right, if I paste this in the CMD directly.
But when I saved as batch file, the password is somehow encoded to Nh212345

Generated Log:

. 2018-06-15 20:44:42.397 WinSCP Version 5.13.2 (Build 8455) (OS 6.3.9600 - Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter)
. 2018-06-15 20:44:42.397 Configuration: HKCU\Software\Martin Prikryl\WinSCP 2\
. 2018-06-15 20:44:42.397 Log level: Debug 2, Logging passwords
. 2018-06-15 20:44:42.397 Local account: PMBIPMSTI17\Administrator
. 2018-06-15 20:44:42.397 Working directory: C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop
. 2018-06-15 20:44:42.397 Process ID: 1808
. 2018-06-15 20:44:42.397 Command-line: "C:\Program Files (x86)\WinSCP\WinSCP.exe" /console=5.13.2 /consoleinstance=_9224_487 "sftp://root:Nh212345@10.1.16.248/" "-hostkey=ssh-ed25519 256 9SS0Zzzl1Qyj30dK0k50tu47cnVgD2C1tn6y/x0Ns7A=" "/log=C:\winscp.log" "/loglevel=2*" 
. 2018-06-15 20:44:42.397 Switch:    /console=5.13.2
. 2018-06-15 20:44:42.397 Switch:    /consoleinstance=_9224_487
. 2018-06-15 20:44:42.397 Parameter: sftp://root:Nh212345@10.1.16.248/
. 2018-06-15 20:44:42.397 Switch:    /hostkey=ssh-ed25519 256 9SS0Zzzl1Qyj30dK0k50tu47cnVgD2C1tn6y/x0Ns7A=
. 2018-06-15 20:44:42.397 Switch:    /log=C:\winscp.log
. 2018-06-15 20:44:42.397 Switch:    /loglevel=2*

Appreciate if anyone had a hint. Thanks.

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martin◆ Site Admin
Joined:: 2002-12-10
Posts:: 38,659
Location:: Prague, Czechia

Re: password with special character

2018-06-19

@pswong: Percent sign has special meaning in a batch file. If you want the batch file to pass percent sign to WinSCP, you have to double it: Nh212%%23%%24%%25p
See also https://winscp.net/eng/docs/faq_batch_file#percent

You can have WinSCP generate a batch file with a correct syntax:
https://winscp.net/eng/docs/ui_generateurl#script

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