Lost Password to iPhone Backup

mamafluffs wrote:

Definitely a software glitch. After struggling for hours putting in hundreds of passwords, we figured it out. We have never encrypted a back-up with a password. iTunes' software took our Apple ID, removed the uppercases, and automatically set that as our password. That worked. A password that has never been used before somehow became our password due to poor coding. Fix your code, Apple. Not acceptable.

Next time, tape your password on the back of your iPhone.

Definitely not. That is not what happened. A password with even one letter different, even if it is just a case change, is a totally different password. Apple does not know your password, so it can't use it to encrypt a backup, either with a case change or not. When you enter your password it is enciphered and the enciphered version is compared with the cipher version you entered when you set it up. The original is not stored anywhere, so it is technologically impossible for Apple to use your password to encrypt the backup unless you entered it in response to the prompt the first time you created a backup with Encrypt checked.

Here's an example. Suppose I entered the password MyPassword1. The value actually stored in Apple's server, depending on the "hash" they use, might be 5d9b9d6774e071d5437cdb8094697187f9ffaf2f

Now let's try mypassword1: The stored value using the same hash algorithm (sha256) would be: 099ec7fa52c154f08e0876a09edabd37c39f45a5

There is no similarity, and no way to determine your password from the stored enciphered value.

For any techies reading, note that I am using straight SHA256 without salting. Apple would certainly make it even more secure than I have. With sufficient computing power mine could be broken in about a week.

Just been having this problem and by chance I've discovered the solution! (More like my dad is being the hero he is)

Anyway I was stressing because my phone has been slow lately so dad suggested a restore.. did that and of course it has asked for a password. After putting in every different version my dad just popped his head in to say have you tried the computer login password. As in the one you use to get into your computer. I did and it seems to be working so far. Hopefully this helps others in future! Maybe it's different for everyone.

Nothing I tried here worked. I am extremely regimented in my password selection, none of my password patterns were working, and was convinced I never even chose this password, but eventually I did manage to find the right one: It was a seldom used password that I have used only for encrypting computer backups, completely unlikely any of my password patterns, and there is no way that Apple could have "automatically" used it, since it was never previously used with any Apple service.

So to the people who come after me looking for the answer to this problem: you definitely chose a password at some point. I wish you the best of luck in remembering it.

In case you are unable to scroll thru the 56 pages of answers, here's an answer that I found that worked...

After trying everything listed in this discussion I finally found that although I had never set an encryption password for my backup it had chosen to automatically set my password as my windows administrator password.

cyndbrown wrote:

After trying everything listed in this discussion I finally found that although I had never set an encryption password for my backup it had chosen to automatically set my password as my windows administrator password.

Impossible. iTunes does not know your Windows administrator password, and has no way of determining what it is. it isn't stored anywhere on your computer.

I finally found that although I had never set an encryption password for my backup

That you can recall.

As has been proven beyond any reasonable doubt through this discussion, Apple and /or iTunes does not "go and find a password" to use for encrypting an iTunes backup.

As noted, those passwords are simply not available to the iTunes application and to use the variety of sources listed in this thread for an encryption password would be the highest level of irresponsibility and stupidity on Apple's part.

Users keep coming to the thread to report it was their"xxx" password all along.

That's what is happening.

What worked for me was the login password from an old laptop that I don't have anymore where I first had backed up iPhone, and that was a previous iPhone. That Mac OS on which the backup was first created I think was Mountain Lion. So, try whatever passwords were used on whatever previous OS a backup was originally created.

I also had the same problem. Tried everything - nothing worked

Finally I made a list of all the passwords I might have used and tried one after the other methodically. Guess what !! My first password to the apple id was the password that worked

So it must be some password you have used in the past related to apple id or itunes or icloud - I suggest try everything

Hope you will find it useful

A-Amol wrote:

So it must be some password you have used in the past related to apple id or itunes or icloud - I suggest try everything

It will be whatever password you entered when you created your first encrypted backup. I realize it is a challenge to read this 56 page thread, but if you do you will find that there is no pattern to the passwords that worked. Not all of them were related to Apple; many of them were Windows login passwords, or company domain passwords, or screen unlock passcodes, or passwords from other site logins. So you are right to try Apple passwords, but don't stop there. It may or may not be Apple related.

I tried all of the suggestions (Apple password, 0000, 1234, lock code, old passwords, etc.) to no avail. I then remembered that the restore was to a device/apple ID that is a member of my Family Sharing group. So, I tried the passwords for the parent account and IT WORKED!

It was an old password on the parent account that worked for me (not the current one). In my case, I was doing a restore from a backup made to a brand new Macbook Pro, which would never have had visibility of that old password. Please make this easier Apple..!

fergulator wrote:

It was an old password on the parent account that worked for me (not the current one). In my case, I was doing a restore from a backup made to a brand new Macbook Pro, which would never have had visibility of that old password. Please make this easier Apple..!

The phone knows your backup password. So you could back up on a dozen computers, and all of the backups would have the same password.

Please DON'T make this easier, Apple. If it was easier it would be hackable, and there would be no point in encrypting backups.

hikingblaze wrote:

Would be nice if you could send stuff to apple to prove that you're the owner of the phone so you can reset or something.

That would be really nice. Then the NSA, FBI, the CIA, or any foreign spy service could send stuff to Apple so THEY could reset something.

Apple does not know your password. Apple has no way of finding out your password. There is nothing to reset. It's all on your phone, which even Apple doesn't have access to (Although the US and UK governments are working hard to change that).

Wait a sec, so not sure I understand you correctly. You had Backup #1, with no password. You noticed when your password request to restore it wasn't working (cause you never had one), you checked "encrypt backup" (which in this case creates a NEW backup w/ encrypted password you set, so this would be Backup #2 now). Then you went to restore your phone to Backup #1, with Backup #2 password and it worked?

I just tried that and no it doesn't work. I'm not sure you realized, that after you created Backup #2 with the password, when you click restore. It goes to the most recent one, so you were selecting Backup #2, so of course the password worked.

I'm still struggling to figure out what this passcode is.... I had so much stuff on my phone before I switched to a new iPhone. This *****.

And you have never used iCloud to back up your device? If not, then all you can do is keep guessing to try to figure out the Encrypted passcode. Try every passcode you have ever used - ever. Try 1111, 9999, 1234, etc.

Best of luck,

GB