"Hidden Volume Protection" options are not accessible in the GUI on Linux depending on screen size

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Assessment

Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Newbie friendliness
58/100
Issue type
Bug
Clarity
Clearly specified
Activity status
Active
Tech stack
cpp
Domain
frontend

Research direction

Start at the Linux mount popup opened from the main VeraCrypt UI, then inspect how its Options expander and the “Protect hidden volume” controls affect the dialog size. Reproduce the issue at about 750 pixels of vertical resolution, or by resizing the window; done means all hidden-volume protection controls can be reached without being cut off.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Description

bug

When attempting to use the UI for VeraCrypt on my Linux machine, I found I was not able to physically reach the inputs needed to mount my volume correctly. The window requires more vertical space than is available on my screen, and so truncates the needed controls without providing any scroll bars.

This issue is not present on Windows, where the UI design splits those additional options into a separate dialog box. The Linux UI instead opts for an expander-type control.

Expected behavior

Using the UI, when mounting a container with a hidden volume, one should be able to reach the options/controls for "Use keyfiles" for both the regular volume and the hidden volume one is trying to protect. This should be possible even on a reasonably small display/screen.

Observed behavior

After clicking "Mount" from the main UI window, the subsequent popup has an "Options" button in the bottom right. On Windows, this "Options" button opens a third window, on Linux this instead functions as an expander, growing the existing popup and showing more controls below. This, makes the dialogue taller, but it can still fit on my display.

If I then check off the option "Protect hidden volume against damage[...]", that inner section is supposed to expand further to provide all the options to decrypt the hidden volume. However on my display, there is not enough vertical room to display these options, so the UI is truncated and the options are unavailable. There is no scroll bar allowing these options to be moved into view.

Steps to reproduce

  1. Use a display that is approximately 6" tall (12-13" diagonal) , with a vertical resolution of about 750 pixels. (Or skip this step and do step 8 instead.)
  2. Open the VeraCrypt UI on Linux.
  3. Select a file or device in the "Volume" section.
  4. Click "Mount".
  5. Click "Options >" in the bottom right of the popup.
  6. Check off the option "Protect hidden volume against damage caused by writing to outer volume".
  7. Observe that the "Password" box (and potentially some of the other controls depending on your exact screen size) now appears, but not all of the needed UI controls are visible and accessable.
  8. If you are using a larger screen (skipped step 1) manually resize the window to make it shorter and observe how the controls in the "Hidden Volume Protection" section are cut off as the window height approaches 6 inches.

Screenshots

Image

Your Environment

VeraCrypt version:
1.26.30

Operating system and version:
Operating System: Debian GNU/Linux 13
KDE Plasma Version: 6.3.6
KDE Frameworks Version: 6.13.0
Qt Version: 6.8.2
Kernel Version: 6.12.113+deb13-amd64 (64-bit)
Graphics Platform: X11

Dominant language
C
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