Lost passwords. Ideas
 

I lost access to my bitwarden account when I reinstalled my system
I know the password but cannot remember the email address for login.
I create many accounts and I created a specific one for bitwarden.

I used it for several email account like gmx.net.

None of the accounts have alternate addresses, phone numbers, my name etc because of privacy.

Any thoughts on how I can reset my passwords or access my accounts esp gmx.

Gmx.net only appears to have a german phone for international support and it'll be difficult to prove the account is mine.

Bitwarden claims they cannot figure out the login email (I have the password).

I always get an email from Bitwarden every time I login. Can you search your various email stashes and see which one receives your Bitwarden login notices?

I do not. Is it because you have two-step login enabled, and I haven't?

Do you have any backups of the old system which contain the info you need?

If you do you might be able to restore them (perhaps to an old computer not your current one if it'd overwrite the whole disk)?

I don't have backups. I reinstalled the system on the same computer.
Theoretically data recovery could be done if it was not overwritten by now.
I don't know what I'd use. I'd need to find out data for firefox add-on I guess.
It's an encrypted linux system, disk was wiped before reinstall

Leaving aside the Bitwarden problem, how did you retain access to your other data?

Is it / was it all elsewhere - network file servers, or in the cloud? Or other disks within the same machine?

I just copy files I need to another hard disk. I don't use backup software.
Some data I remember like passwords etc.
I think I had a bitwarden info txt file but I cannot find it.
Somehow I forgot I needed a username with bitwarden.

Just called GMX. They want to speak in German. I guess I could try google translate :-)

If you "just copy files", you ARE backing-them up.

When you say you've been unable to find your info txt file, presumably you've used a file-search utility to search through all the copied files? You're not just looking in the places you think it might be in, or looking for files with the filename you think it might have had?

And, you search for, for example "bitw" or "rden" ... fragments of words likely to be in such a file? Don't search just for a complete word like "Bitwarden" in case you typed it incorrectly way back when you made the notes.

Also, can you find any other password/userid hint files? Something in other ones might trigger a memory.

those are good ideas. they are the kind of things I've been trying.

Not sure. I had 2-step login activated but currently do not and I receive an email every time I log in. However, I am using the online version of Bitwarden--not the self-hosted version, which is apparently what the OP is using. How many email addresses would you have to try to find the right one? Can't you just try various email addresses one by one. I think this is one danger of creating email addresses on the fly, which seems to be quite popular around here. It is very easy to forget what the exact email address was you used.

yes. there are too many, and I don't remember all of them. this one was obviously more important.

What would GMX ask for as proof of ownership. Is there any chance of getting one of them to speak to me in English?


I think this is one danger of creating email addresses on the fly, which seems to be quite popular around here. It is very easy to forget what the exact email address was you used.[/quote]

I think he is saying we only speak german. Call back with someone who speaks german but not sure. Anyone speak german?

Or can someone call +49 721 960 58 22 and find out what they'd want if there is no name, phone number, alternate email on the account.

I don't attempt to remember them, but keep a master list of those email addresses - and for the true "throwaway" ones which I expect to be used just once, precisely what date I used it for and for what. Right now there's just under 1100 addresses in that file ... though I'd guess two or three hundred are no longer in regular use.

Many of those addresses also feature in filtering rules at one or other of the two main mail providers I use, and I have exported copies of the Sieve rules that implement them (from Fastmail, and someone-else's Roundcube system) as well.

passwords were stored in thunderbird. I am trying to restore the thunderbird folder or firefox bitwarden add on folder.
The disk was however encrypted incl the home folder. Then the whole system was reinstalled with a new encrypted partition and home folder. Empty space wiped.
thoughts?

I keep all my passwords and logins from various services in a text file on my PC and try to make a backup copy of it all the time to avoid losing it. But one day, something happened that I did not expect. Due to a large accumulation of errors on my hard drive, it stopped working. I didn't know what to do for a long time until a friend advised me to get help from a professional who would do me a [HARD DRIVE RECOVERY]. I found their contacts on the Internet, and I recovered all my data for a small fee. Be careful not to get into a similar situation.


edit by CyberSmurf 2022-03-23 : link removed