fiedlr

Q: Saved password gets lost after changing its URL

Hello,

 

Yesterday, a very important password, which I don't remember for my own fault because I assumed wrong it could be reset easily, just vanished because of this annoying bug I've discovered. Since I use iCloud keychain, it's also gone from all of my other devices.

 

I was able to replicate it several times afterward (I am NOT responsible in any way for any damage this may cause you when you try it. Test it only with a mock-up password and a sufficient backup):

 

1. Restart Safari

2. Open up the "Passwords" panel in Safari settings

3. Make sure you don't have "Show passwords for selected websites" pre-checked (otherwise uncheck it and repeat the whole process)

4. Double-click on a website's address next to the password and change it to another URL

5. Press ENTER to confirm

 

I did this only naturally, assuming that the saved password would get associated with another URL. What happened instead was that the original {URL,pass} pair was deleted and the new address has no password associated with it (or there's the password-covering dots ("middots") that got saved as a string like this: ·······).

 

I am sending it here to check if this problem occurs with other copies of Safari and to ask what the best way is to report it (there are several tools on Apple's website).

 

I am also sending this as a reminder for Apple (if it gets enough votes) that there's still no convenient way of backing up the iCloud keychain and that all changes to it are permanent, even the accidental ones, which can get people in trouble when they least expect it. What's worse, even the ones which were caused by a bug in your software. A Time Machine for iCloud keychain would surely be a nice feature on your to-do list.

 

Thanks for your feedback

Mac mini, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6), Late 2012

Posted on Sep 12, 2016 12:50 AM

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Q: Saved password gets lost after changing its URL

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  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Sep 12, 2016 6:21 AM in response to fiedlr
    Level 9 (71,079 points)
    iTunes
    Sep 12, 2016 6:21 AM in response to fiedlr

    Send Apple feedback. They won't answer, but at least will know there is a problem or a suggestion for improvement. If enough people send feedback, it may get the problem/suggested change solved sooner.

     

    Feedback


    Do a backup, preferably 2 backups on 2 separate drives.

     

    Go to Finder and select your user/home folder. With that Finder window as the front window, either select Finder/View/Show View options or go command - J.  When the View options opens, check ’Show Library Folder’. That should make your user library folder visible in your user/home folder.  Select Library/Keychains. Enter Time Machine and restore that folder from a time pre-dating the loss of the password.

  • by fiedlr,

    fiedlr fiedlr Sep 12, 2016 9:08 AM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Safari
    Sep 12, 2016 9:08 AM in response to Eric Root

    Thanks, I know of the folder. I do regular backups, the problem is that iCloud keychain is not stored locally with the Security Code turned on (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204085). So this doesn't solve my problem at all, since I have set it up to avoid losing everything in the worst case scenario.

     

    As far as I know, even when stored locally, the iCloud keychain is hard to be found on the device and can't be imported like a normal keychain. I once made a Time Machine backup on a computer which didn't have a Security Code and there was no iCloud.keychain file in the Keychains folder. All my passwords were lost too, since that was my only Apple device at the time and I reinstalled it (yes, my other great experience with the iCloud keychain).

     

    Hence the appeal to Apple. I'll send them a feedback then, I just wanted to see some feedback myself