Google login capture prevents accessing personal google account

[Bryce Harrington]

I use my laptop for work tasks with google docs from time to time but infrequently. More frequently, I use it for accessing google docs from my personal account.

However, when google needs to re-authorize me, it always forwards me to the Canonical login.launchpad.net, regardless of whether I'm trying to use my personal or work account. Unfortunately, login.launchpad.net requires 2FA. It doesn't seem to present me a way to shift to a non-Canonical account.

So, to access my personal google docs, I have to retrieve my 2FA device, log in as Canonical, enter into the Canonical google docs, then switch accounts to my personal account, log in again, and close Canonical google docs. It's inconvenient, and more importantly, probably not great security to be logged into Canonical when I technically don't need to be. Is there a way to avoid the extra steps?

[Daniel Manrique (roadmr)]

Yes there is a way :) Install a plugin like Firefox Containers (https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/containers) and keep your work and personal profiles entirely separate with independent cookie jars.

If your entry point is Google, we don't have a lot of control on whether they consider you as "logged in as @canonical.com but with stale credentials" and send you to Ubuntu SSO to log in, before giving you a chance to switch profiles.

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Thanks for the quick response, and suggestion of a workaround.
I've got that set up and will give it a go.

Bryce

On Tue, Jan 31, 2023 at 02:14:14PM -0000, Daniel Manrique wrote:
> Yes there is a way :) Install a plugin like Firefox Containers
> (https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/containers) and keep your work and
> personal profiles entirely separate with independent cookie jars.
>
> If your entry point is Google, we don't have a lot of control on whether
> they consider you as "logged in as @canonical.com but with stale
> credentials" and send you to Ubuntu SSO to log in, before giving you a
> chance to switch profiles.
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2004223
>
> Title:
> Google login capture prevents accessing personal google account
>
> Status in Canonical SSO provider:
> New
>
> Bug description:
> I use my laptop for work tasks with google docs from time to time but
> infrequently. More frequently, I use it for accessing google docs
> from my personal account.
>
> However, when google needs to re-authorize me, it always forwards me
> to the Canonical login.launchpad.net, regardless of whether I'm trying
> to use my personal or work account. Unfortunately,
> login.launchpad.net requires 2FA. It doesn't seem to present me a way
> to shift to a non-Canonical account.
>
> So, to access my personal google docs, I have to retrieve my 2FA
> device, log in as Canonical, enter into the Canonical google docs,
> then switch accounts to my personal account, log in again, and close
> Canonical google docs. It's inconvenient, and more importantly,
> probably not great security to be logged into Canonical when I
> technically don't need to be. Is there a way to avoid the extra
> steps?
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/canonical-identity-provider/+bug/2004223/+subscriptions