Website passwords in keychains deleted after Catalina update

I have the same issue here under Catalina 10.15.2: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250948138

I called Apple Support without success, the problem is not fixed

PAY ATTENTION APPLE : Erasing secure and protected data by an unauthorized application is a very serious problem. This is more than a security breach, it is a system attack that erases sensitive user data in violation of data protection laws.

I'd like to find a fix for this as well since I lost my safari password keychains on a work desktop (iMac 4K ) and my iPhone when I did the Catalina and Safari 13 updates. My home desktop is fine and is on Safari 13 but not Catalina.

I finally called Apple Support and got a resolution to this. It took a while but it did fix the problem.

The fix involved going into Time Machine and replacing files from the the Library/keychains in the updated Catalina OS with the older file. It also involved going into iCloud and logging out of my Mac and iPhon, deleting them and then re- adding them. Not something I would suggest for someone to do without the help of a Apple Support person.

It gets worse... Catalina will delete the web passwords from your keychain more than once. It happened to me on the initial upgrade, and it continues to happen when I reboot, wake from sleep, and sometimes just idling. It will purge any Internet keychain entry on a regular basis.

The problem affects one file: ~/Library/Keychains/login.keychain-db. This is where the passwords are being wiped out. If you do not keep a backup of this file on disc or in the cloud, then there is no recovery and Catalina will regularly continue to delete your Internet passwords.

A temporary fix is to make a copy of this file every time you update it, for use as a replacement the next time you lose your passwords. It is also entirely possible that enabling iCloud keychains will make this problem go away. I do not put my passwords in the cloud so I have not tested this. Catalina just might assume everyone wants to use iCloud.

Possible causes that come to mind:

• Catalina just doesn't like Internet passwords in the keychain - there's not even an Internet category filter anymore

• Safari, where I have no passwords stored, is thinking that's the correct state so passwords in the keychain need to be removed

• iCloud, where I have no passwords stored, is thinking that's the correct state so passwords in the keychain need to be removed, and it's ignoring the fact that I do not have iCloud keychains enabled and editing the database anyway

Keychain Access used to have a First Aid option to repair its data. Anyone know what happened to that feature? May not be relevant since they changed storage formats from .keychain to .keychain-db.

Apple support pretty much just told me you need to restore from a backup or use iCloud. I won't get into the incompatibility between Catalina and Mojave when it comes to Time Machine... But they did acknowledge that the developers need to look at this at least. Apple, I hope you can find the solution! Keychain has worked amazingly well for me for years, I'd rather it continued to work than switch to a third party. Without being forced to use iCloud, please.

Good to know. Was hoping for 10.15.1, but now maybe 10.15.2 coming up...?

I just ran a test (now in 10.15.1 as well) to maybe help determine if it's iCloud pushing a wipe to macOS and the keychain. Verified that my keychain contained Internet passwords, and then disconnected from the Internet. Was going to leave it offline all day, expecting the passwords to remain intact until going back online... Incorrect assumption! It took less than two minutes after unplugging for the passwords to vanish from the keychain again.

UX 101: When performing a destructive operation you ask for confirmation, especially if it's critical data, and/or where retrieval is not simple. Variations of this core concept have appeared in the Apple Human Interface Guidelines since the 1990's... At the very least we need to be warned when this is going to happen, and be given an opportunity to decline the operation. At best, this behavior will just stop, and hopefully soon. I will be reporting this bug every version change to Catalina until it is fixed.

Catalina 10.15.2 is still broken, website passwords are being deleted without warning.

You'd think this would be a high priority - losing bank account passwords, tax systems, health care, is the kind of thing that could end up in a class action lawsuit. Or so I would be thinking were I a product manager anyway. Assuming of course, that this got escalated at some point beyond intro tech support.

I found a workaround through Google Chrome which will store your passwords thing Apple

after you use them. It is way more reliable than the new Keychain.Fix the damned thing

Apple!!! I sure miss Steve Jobs.

This is still happening in Mac OS X Catalina 10.15.3. Would there happen to be any information available about whether or not this defect will be fixed, and, if it will be fixed, if there's a target release for the fix?

Catalina 10.15.3 has just been released but does not fix the bug.

Despite many discussions on the forums dealing with this problem, Apple remains deaf.

I contacted Apple support and opened a complaint file;

I contacted Apple product security and provided the information;

I contacted Apple Feedback assistant and opened a comment;

What else can i do?

I have received no response from Apple, not even information that the problem is under investigation. It is serious, very serious, not to be able to guarantee the security of personal data and worse to seem to ignore it!

APPLE DO YOU HEAR THIS?

Have the same issue here: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250848128