Removed items in Keychain keep returning

[TallGuyGT]

I have several passwords in Keychain that I want deleted permanently. I've tried deleting them in the Keychain App, they return. I've tried deleting them in Safari, they return. They must be stored in iCloud, but they don't get removed and eventually sync back.

This is very aggravating and seems like it would be a security issue.

Has anyone else experienced this or know a fix? I've tried searching and I can't find anyone with this same issue.

Thanks in advance for any help ...

 

[LV426]

I have several passwords in Keychain that I want deleted permanently. I've tried deleting them in the Keychain App, they return. I've tried deleting them in Safari, they return. They must be stored in iCloud, but they don't get removed and eventually sync back.

This is very aggravating and seems like it would be a security issue.

Has anyone else experienced this or know a fix? I've tried searching and I can't find anyone with this same issue.

Thanks in advance for any help ...

Keychain entries are not stored in iCloud. They are only stored on your collection of devices.

Try removing all but one of your devices from iCloud keychain. Delete the offending key wherever it occurs, then add your devices back to iCloud keychain.

 

[TallGuyGT]

On iPhone, under iCloud settings, there is Keychain. Also, in the Mac utility Keychain Access, there is an iCloud category for passwords.

I've tried turning iCloud Keychain off on my iDevices and then deleting the saved passwords on my Mac. Even after a clean install, they still come back.

I assume they're being pushed down from the cloud, because I don't know where else they'd be coming from. But I haven't been able to delete them and have them stay deleted.

 

[Weaselboy]

On iPhone, under iCloud settings, there is Keychain. Also, in the Mac utility Keychain Access, there is an iCloud category for passwords.

I've tried turning iCloud Keychain off on my iDevices and then deleting the saved passwords on my Mac. Even after a clean install, they still come back.

I assume they're being pushed down from the cloud, because I don't know where else they'd be coming from. But I haven't been able to delete them and have them stay deleted.

Can you tell us what the password entries are for? That might help pin this down.

 

[Bear]

Keychain entries are not stored in iCloud. They are only stored on your collection of devices.

Try removing all but one of your devices from iCloud keychain. Delete the offending key wherever it occurs, then add your devices back to iCloud keychain.

Mavericks and iOS 7 have iCloud KeyChain support.

 

[LV426]

Mavericks and iOS 7 have iCloud KeyChain support.

Indeed they have. But they only use iCloud to facilitate the syncing of keychain items between devices. The items themselves are not stored in iCloud, only on the devices themselves.

 

[Bear]

Indeed they have. But they only use iCloud to facilitate the syncing of keychain items between devices. The items themselves are not stored in iCloud, only on the devices themselves.

Actually they are stored in iCloud, otherwise how would a device that is shutdown get updated when it's started.

 

[LV426]

Actually they are stored in iCloud, otherwise how would a device that is shutdown get updated when it's started.

Actually, that would be possible. But I do stand corrected - it seems that iCloud does store keychain information on Apple servers. Apple's ambiguous phrase "iCloud Keychain keeps the passwords and credit card information that you save up to date only on the devices that you approve" was not particularly helpful.

 

[TallGuyGT]

It was everything - web passwords, wi-fi passwords, Messages passwords, etc.

Looks like my iPhone was causing it. I re-enabled Keychain on it, approved it on the Mac in Keychain Access, then turned it back off on iPhone. I again deleted the entries and so far they haven't come back.

I don't recall ever having to approve a device on the Mac with Keychain Access. Maybe that's it. I also installed 10.9.2 (developer) yesterday so maybe that had something to do with it.

Anyway, problem solved. Thanks for the help!