I just want to verify with the community. Am I correct in thinking there is no way for iCloud keychain to generate and store an encryption password for Time Machine or a comparable backup?
Thanks in advanced.
Thanks in advanced.
I just want to verify with the community. Am I correct in thinking there is no way for iCloud keychain to generate and store an encryption password for Time Machine or a comparable backup?
Thanks in advanced.
Not in a convenient way.
In Keychain Access you can create Keychain items which contain the encryption keys, and even generate them. But unlike keys stored in the local keychain, they will not be applied automatically. To use the stored key you'll have to open Keychain Access, find the key, enter your password, and then copy and paste the key to where you need it.
Though storing an encryption key in an on-line service is not a good solution anyway.
If you open Keychain Access on your Mac, you'll see there are separate keychains called "login" and "iCloud". The login keychain is local, its contents won't be synced to other devices.
The login keychain is where the passwords for local applications and encrypted volumes, and some security certificates etc. are stored. When you encrypt a volume, you get an option to store the key to the login keychain. The stored passwords are read from the local keychain every time you mount the encrypted volume, and Time Machine also reads the keychain automatically.
You do not need iCloud keychain to store the encryption passwords/keys. I explained how to do so, because I thought you were asking if it was possible to sync the keys between different computers or locations. Sorry for the confusion
iCloud keychain is a well secured service, but it's still an on-line service.
Thanks for the reply. Right now, I have 4 digit password my main account on my computer. I'm feeling this isn't safe and might be easily cracked. Am I right?
Also, if I allow iCloud Keychain to create a password for my iCloud account, will it also remember every time I download a new app on my iPhone?
You have to think if there realistically is a chance someone might crack it. If you want to be safe, the longer (and more complex) the password, the better. But of course you also have to be able to remember it.
Check the section 'Guidelines for strong passwords' from this Wikipedia article on password strength.
In most cases it does not matter much how long the user password is, as long as there is one in the first place. But using encrypted volumes changes this a bit. The user password is also by default the password for the local keychain, and if you store the encryption keys there, the safety of the whole encryption rests on the weak user password.
iCloud Keychain does not save the iTunes/App Store/iCloud password, or other application passwords. You'll have to enter the passwords manually.
This is what I fear, a person stealing my computer, cracking my password and taking the keychain info. With that said, other than specialized software in the black market, is there any way for a person through OS X or terminal to gain access to my machine without the password?
Ah, I didn't think so. It would be cool if I had a 5S. Then I could let iCloud keychain generate a password for my account and user my finer print so I don't have to remember it. Oh the possibilities!