How to use keychain on ipad. iCloud Keychain: definition, purpose and setup

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Starting with iOS 7 and OS X 10.9 Mavericks, users of iOS devices and Mac computers now have the ability to. It stores current usernames, passwords for sites (including VKontakte), credit card information for easy payment, as well as information about Wi-Fi networks. Despite such a long-standing release, many people for some reason do not use this function. And in vain.

Synced passwords, card details, and other information are only stored on approved devices. In other words, when adding a new iPhone, iPad or Mac to Keychain, you will need to confirm the request from another gadget. How to set it up?

First, you need to go to the device settings, then to the iCloud section. Just below you will see the “Keychain Chain” function that needs to be activated.

During setup, you'll be asked to create an iCloud security code. This is needed to later add new devices, because then you will need to enter the verification code received via SMS, as well as the iCloud security code. It is not surprising that they approach data security so responsibly, since many can store cards with hundreds of thousands of rubles in their account in the Keychain.

However, if you come to add new iPhone to “Keychain Access”, this operation can be confirmed from a trusted device. Be careful! Apple won't be able to help you recover your iCloud security code, so it's best to write it down somewhere just in case.

“Keychain Access” has become a thing for me - all passwords are conveniently synchronized between Mac and iPhone, and you no longer need to remember them.

Chapter 3

Basics

Use the Touch ID sensor to unlock your iPad. Press the Home button
finger whose fingerprint was added in Settings. You can unlock your iPad as follows:
from the lock screen and from the password entry screen.
Using the Touch ID sensor when making purchases in the iTunes Store, App Store and iBooks Store.
Follow the instructions for purchases from the iTunes Store, App Store, and iBooks Store
on using your fingerprint to make purchases. You can also choose
Go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode, then turn on iTunes & App Store.
Use Touch ID to pay for purchases in apps that support Apple Pay.
Go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode to check if the technology is turned on
Apple Pay for your Touch ID. Detailed information see section

iCloud Keychain

iCloud Keychain stores the latest usernames and passwords
to visit websites in Safari, information about bank cards and Wi-Fi networks. Bunch
iCloud Keys can be used on all approved devices (with iOS 7 or later)
and Mac computers (with OS X Mavericks or later).

iCloud Keychain works with Password Generator and AutoFill
Safari programs. When creating a new account Safari Password Generator
offers a unique password that is difficult to guess. You can use the function
"AutoFill" to automatically enter names and passwords on iPad, which significantly
Makes it easier to log into various websites. Cm.

Note. Some websites do not support autocomplete.

iCloud Keychain is secure with 256-bit AES encryption
data storage and transmission; this information cannot be read by Apple.
Setting up iCloud Keychain. Go to Settings > iCloud > Keychain. Turn on
iCloud Keychain and follow the onscreen instructions. If you have configured
iCloud Keychain on other devices, you must confirm the use of this
features on one of these devices or use the iCloud security code.

Important!

Apple cannot receive your iCloud security code. If you forget

this code, you will have to set up iCloud Keychain again.
Setting up Autofill. Go to Settings > Safari > Passwords & AutoFill.
Make sure that the "Names and Passwords" and "Credit Cards" features are turned on (they are turned on
default). To add credit card information, tap Saved
credit cards».
The secret code for credit cards is not saved, it is required every time
enter manually.

To automatically enter names, passwords, and credit card information on sites that
support this feature, tap the text field and tap AutoFill.

If iCloud Keychain and AutoFill are turned on, set a password to protect
personal information.

Bunch of keys is a feature of Mac OS X that stores passwords for various applications and other services used on the computer. Usually when recently installed program addresses for the first time Keychain, a dialog box appears asking you to enter a password for it, and after entering it, it should not appear again. However, it happens that a password is required every time the program accesses the link, which can greatly interfere with comfortable work. Fortunately, there are several ways to solve this problem.

Disable automatic keychain closure

For safety reasons, Bunch of keys may lock after a certain period of time without activity or when the Mac goes to sleep. It is worth distinguishing this function from closing the screen. When you close the keychain, you can work with the computer without entering a password, and when you close the screen, without the password the user will not be able to access the system again. Changing the settings for this feature is quite simple.

It may also be useful to enable the display Keychains on your menu bar. To do this, open the menu Keychain - Settings - General and check the box next to the item “Show keychain status in the menu bar.” After this, a new icon in the form of a lock will appear on the menu bar, which will be open if the keychain is open, and, accordingly, closed if it is locked.

Checking and correcting the keychain

If your keychains are not working properly, you can fix them using the First Aid feature. But before that, you should make sure that it is configured properly.

Disconnect and reconnect A bunch of keys in iCloud

If you use iCloud Keychain so you can access it across multiple devices, it's worth trying disabling the feature on your Mac and then re-enabling it. Before you do this, we strongly recommend that you ensure that you have a complete and current backup systems!

Go to menu System Preferences - iCloud. Uncheck the Keychain option, confirm that you really want to disable this feature, and then check the box again. This will remove the keychain from your computer and then add it again, which will most likely fix the problem.

Resetting the keychain.

If none of the above helps, you can try resetting the keychain, resulting in a new, clean file. By doing this, you will still have access to the old link file, so your passwords will not be lost, but the system will not use them and you will have to enter them again. In order to reset the keychain, open the menu Keychain - Settings - General, click the "Restore default keychain" button, confirm your choice and wait until the process is completed.

After that, if you need the password saved in the old link, you can open it and move the item you need from the list to the new link, or open this item by double-clicking and view the password by checking the box next to “Show password”.

Many thanks to Christopher Kessler for the material that served as the basis for writing this article.

The life of a modern person is closely connected with high technology and electronic gadgets. Each of us uses computers, tablets and smartphones every day, which we not only use for work and entertainment, but also store a large amount of confidential information, for example, photos, passwords from various online services and social networks, as well as credit card information.

However, how safe is it, since passwords are the only means of protection and access to online accounts? Yes, and modern security requirements require the user to use large quantity passwords consisting of complex combinations of letters and numbers that are quite difficult to remember.

And if owners of electronic devices from most modern manufacturers are forced to struggle with remembering passwords, then owners of phones, tablet PCs and laptops do not have to worry about this, since the manufacturer has developed a modern system for protecting passwords and confidential information with a high level of reliability, which is called Keychain or "Chain of Keys".

General information

Keychain is a kind of manager developed for the iOS operating system and is responsible for storing and accessing passwords. For the first time, this tool appeared in the eighth version of iOS, which appeared on the market in 1998. Since that time, Keychain has been an integral part of Apple's proprietary OS.

On Macintosh laptops and all-in-one computers, this protection system is responsible for storing various types of confidential information, for example, passwords for accounts of various Internet services, Wi-Fi networks, hidden recordings, as well as from various utilities, devices and encrypted hard drives.

A little history

For the first time, the keychain algorithm was implemented back in the early 90s in mail client PowerTalk, developed by Apple programmers specifically for their operating system. The main task of this service was to control all data coming to the client from various sources. However, the first implementation of the keychain algorithm was not entirely successful because it used encryption of passwords that took on a form that was difficult to remember. Thus, the developers were faced with the task of creating a single password that would provide access to other passwords.

However, at first this idea was rejected due to the complex implementation and was brought to life only after returning to office general director Steve Jobs, who was not only able to see its innovativeness, but also implement it at the level of the entire OS, and not in a separate application.

Storage and Access

In the tenth generation of MacOS, a separate area on the hard drive was allocated for the Keychain protection system, which functioned separately from system partition, which contained the operating system itself. And to work with this system it was developed special utility, which is included in the standard iOS toolset. This utility is located in open access and is free, and its operating principle is based on special Keychain files, which contain not only encrypted passwords, but also open data.

Locking and Unlocking

According to standard settings iOS, you can access Keychain files using the same login and password that the user uses to authorize in the system. Therefore, you can start working with them immediately after downloading iOS. If desired, the standard login and password can be changed to a more complex one to increase the level of security. In addition, in the utility settings you can set a blocking interval with a certain frequency, after which the keychain system will prompt you to enter your login and password after this time interval has expired.

iCloud Keychain: Definition

Despite the fact that this tool was implemented in iOS back in the early 90s, Apple publicly announced it only in 2013 when presenting the seventh version of iOS and the tenth release of MacOS. It was revolutionary solution to increase the level of security for storing personal user data and ensuring access to it from all electronic gadgets.

However, this security service has also undergone significant changes, the main one of which was the transfer of the algorithm to work through a cloud data storage service. Thus, all passwords, credit card information and other personal data are now stored not on the hard drive, but on a dedicated company server, which significantly increases their safety. In addition, data encryption has been transferred to the AES 256-bit standard, which provides access to the cloud to only one user through the Safari Internet browser and some other applications that are adapted for it.

The latest key innovation is the automatic generation of complex passwords when a user registers on any sites and online services, which completely eliminates the need to come up with a password yourself and remember it.

How to work with this technology?

Absolutely any phone owner can start using iCloud Keychain tablet computer, on which the seventh version of iOS or higher is installed, or owners of Ultrabooks or Macintosh all-in-one PCs running the tenth build of MacOS or higher, as well as those who have completed the initial setup of the service.

Setting up iCloud Keychain on MacOS

So, if you want to increase the level of security for your passwords and other sensitive information on your Ultrabook or Apple All-in-One PC, you need to set up the Keychain service. This is done as follows:

Go to the OS settings.
Expand the iCloud tab.
Start the Keychain Access service.
Enter authorization data.
We indicate the Apple ID.

After completing these steps, the service will be activated.

Adding a credit card to Keychain on MacOS:

Open the Safari browser.
Go to the utility settings.
Go to the Autofill section.
Click on the “Edit” button, which is located next to the “Credit Cards” subsection.
Add a new credit card and indicate its details.

Setting up Keychain on iOS gadgets:

Go to the device settings.
Go to the iCloud section.
Go to the “Keychain” submenu.
We activate or deactivate the Keychain Access service using the slide switch.

After this, all that remains is to enter the current password or set a new one, as well as link other gadgets to the current device that need to be synchronized with it, as well as from which confidential data will be accessed.

Adding a credit card in iOS:

Launch the settings of your smartphone or tablet PC.
Go to the Safari section, then go to the “Passwords and Autofill” submenu.
We indicate the security code.
We go to the section for working with credit cards.
Add a new credit card by clicking on the appropriate button and specifying all the necessary data about it.

Password synchronization

This feature is optional, however, it can significantly increase the security of passwords and other personal information stored in Keychain files when accessed from various gadgets. If you do not want to synchronize data stored on your smartphone, tablet or PC with the cloud, then when you enable Keychain, simply do not set a security code for the service. In this case, all information will be stored only on the device’s hard drive.

If you later want to synchronize cloud storage with your HDD, then this can be done using the files located in the /Library/Keychains/ directory. However, it is necessary to take into account that every time you change the password on any of the devices, synchronization will have to be configured again.

How to access information stored in the cloud?

Any user can view information and work with documents stored in the iCloud cloud service without any problems, however, to do this, the system will first ask you to authorize using a text message or any other device. If authorization occurs via SMS, a one-time security code will be sent to your phone, which you will need to enter in the appropriate field. As for another electronic gadget, the “Keychain Chain” service must be activated on it.

Problems activating and configuring Keychain Access

The programmers did a very good job creating this technology, as evidenced by its reliability and complete absence any defects or holes in the security system. However, as practice shows, many users encounter various problems when activating, configuring or restoring access to this service, as well as when connecting new gadgets to it.

Very often, when trying to activate a service or gain access to the cloud, the user is faced with the fact that the verification code simply does not arrive.

What to do in such a situation?

The first thing you need to do is check the signal quality mobile operator. If no problems are found with the connection, then you need to make sure that the number to which the message with the code should be sent was correctly specified in the system. This can be done in the “Verification Number” section located in additional settings KeyChain systems.

Another common problem is the inability to synchronize Keychain between different gadgets. Deactivation and reactivation services on all devices using Keychain Access.

In addition, many users who have little experience with Apple products are not always able to access passwords, credit cards and other confidential data stored on the cloud service. To view the information you are interested in, you must perform the following steps:

Go to the gadget settings.
Go to the browser settings section.
Go to the “Passwords” subsection.
Verify your identity using a password or fingerprint.

Next, all you have to do is select any site or online service and look at the password that was specified during registration. If the function of saving passwords in the “Keychain Access” is not enabled in your browser, then to activate it you need to go to the utility settings, go to the “Autofill” subsection and drag the “Names and Passwords” switch to the active position. After this there should be no problems with passwords.

And finally, the last common problem is re-synchronization, in which the gadget constantly gives an error about the security code mismatch. In this case, the device must be sent to a service center for repair.

“iCloud Keychain” is a technology for storing and synchronizing confidential data on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Mac computers. The following items fall into the category of stored information: logins and passwords for news and entertainment resources, social networks; added credit cards for payment, keys for authorization in secure Wi-Fi points.

Recently, Apple developers have been transferring between different devices and data from third-party applications - “Calendars”, “Contacts”, “Mail” and “iMassage” messages. The main idea of iCloud Keychain is to provide users with a secure (256-bit AES encryption) password manager that works with any data and allows them not to remember information, but to agree to automatically fill out available text forms for authorization or payment.

How to set up and use?

Technology - iCloud Keychain - available on operating system iOS? starting from version 7.0.3 and on MacOS with Mavericks 10.9, and is open in almost all regions of the world (the developers write more about the restrictions in a special section on the official Apple website). If the conditions converge, all that remains is to go through the initial setup steps:

On iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, open Settings and go to editing current profile iCloud;
At the bottom of the available menu, find the “Keychain” item, and then move the slider to the active position;
On Mac computers, the procedure is even simpler - go to “iCloud System Preferences” and check the box next to the item of the same name;
If the system asks you to log in, you will have to enter data from the current Apple account ID;
If two-factor authentication is active in your profile, you will have to confirm the actions on a neighboring gadget added to your profile (you must enter a 6-digit code and allow work on iCloud settings).

If there are no problems repeating the described steps, and there is a desire to try out the data storage and synchronization system, then all that remains is to understand the details.

Look at “Settings”, go down the menu to the item “Passwords and accounts»;
The section that opens will allow you to view the current accounts added to the system (iCloud, perhaps Gmail or some other e-mail domestic production). A new menu will appear at the top - “Passwords for sites and programs”. This is where the data for quick authorization used in the iCloud Password Link technology is recorded;
Therefore, if you want to try out the system, you need to get inside, and then click on the plus sign at the top of the menu. After which, a small form will be displayed on the screen for further interaction. It is important to enter the website address (this will also work). home page, it is not necessary to go too deep and add a link to the section with personal account, the system will figure everything out without unnecessary help), and then login and password;
After saving, the data will be displayed in the “Passwords for sites and programs” menu, and will become active for use during authorization. How? Elementary! You need to go to the page of the site added to the link and use the text form to log in. Then all you have to do is click on free space for input, and a touch keyboard will appear on the screen, and with it a special item called “Use...”. If you wish, you can directly access the button representing the key if there is several login data and you need to select a specific option;
Payment works in a similar way - data from cards already in use is automatically attached and allows you to make secure payments at any time.

And one more thing - the function works smoothly with everyone third party applications. Same browser from Google Chrome, calls “Keychain Access” and calmly takes the necessary data. In the same way, it is easy to log in to the App Store, iTunes and iCloud services.

Questions and answers

How to speed up the data entry process?

Check the box in “Settings” in the “Passwords and Accounts” section next to the “Autofill” item. If the system encounters an already familiar resource, it will immediately try to fill out the “login and password” field. On smartphones starting from version 5S, you will have to place your finger on the scanner fingerprint Touch ID, up to 5S – enter the verification code. On iPhone X, everything will work instantly - the face is scanned automatically.

Is Keychain Safe?

As Apple developers suggest, it is almost impossible to break through 256-bit encryption, because the data for encryption is generated for each device separately, in accordance with the selected settings and entered passwords. You can read more about security protocols at.

What happens if you disable iCloud Keychain?

The system will offer two options: delete the saved data or archive it for future use if the technology is needed again.

How to set up automatic filling of bank card information in Safari?

The procedure is simple:

How to restore access to iCloud?

The best way is to contact support. Professional consultants will tell you how to use the standard recovery function, and at the same time point you in the right direction if nothing works.