Warning to millions of iPhone owners – change your settings immediately

EVERY iPhone has a built-in feature that can thwart devastating hacking attacks.

Turning it on is one of the easiest ways to avoid a costly cyber crisis.

1

It’s called iCloud Keychain and it’s completely free to use.

What are strong passwords for iCloud Keychain and Safari?

We’re constantly being told to choose complicated passwords – but that’s difficult with so many accounts.

iCloud Keychain remembers the passwords you type on your iPhone, encrypts them, and stores them in the cloud.

So you can choose very strong passwords for websites and apps without having to remember them – your phone just enters them for you when you log in.

This is one of the best defenses against hackers.

“iCloud Keychain remembers things so you don’t have to,” Apple explains.

“It automatically fills in your information — like your Safari usernames and passwords, credit cards, Wi-Fi networks, and social network logins — on any device you authorize.

“iCloud Keychain stores your passwords and credit card information in a way that Apple can’t read or access.”

And the Safari web browser now has a special feature called Strong Passwords.

When you log into a service on Safari, you are given the option to use an automatically generated password that is very difficult for hackers to crack.

This password is automatically stored in your iCloud keychain, so you don’t even have to remember it.

You can also add passwords that you already have to the keychain.

However, one of the best features is the password reuse warning.

It is important never to use the same password for multiple accounts. Reusing passwords allows hackers breaking into one account to gain access to others.

Your passwords saved in Safari will notify you when you have two passwords that match and suggest you change them.

How to set up iCloud Keychain

First, you need to make sure you are using an Apple device running iOS 7.0.3 or later or OS X 10.9 or later for Macs.

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, do the following:

• Tap Settings > [your name] > iCloud (on iOS 10.2 or earlier it’s just Settings > iCloud)
• Tap Keychain
• Tap the slider to turn on iCloud Keychain

For Mac devices, you need to do the following:

• Click the Apple menu in the top left
• Choose System Settings
• Choose iCloud
• Select keychain

How to view iCloud Keychain passwords

On an iPhone running iOS 11 or later:

• Tap Settings > Accounts & Passwords > App & Website Passwords
• Use Touch ID or Face ID when prompted
• Tap a website to see your password

On an iPhone running iOS 10.3 or earlier:

• Tap Settings > Safari > Passwords
• Use Touch ID or Face ID to enter your device passcode
• Tap a website to see your password

On a Mac running OS X Mavericks 10.9 or later:

• Choose Safari > Preferences
• Click Passwords
• Choose a website to view your passwords
• At the bottom of the window, select Show passwords for selected websites
• Enter your Mac password

Apple passkeys

Apple has even gone a step further and done away with passwords entirely.

It’s called Passkeys and was added in the last one iOS So first check if you have iOS 16 by going to Settings > General > Software update.

Instead of signing up (or logging in) to a website with a password, you use a passkey.

This is a digital key that you don’t need to remember.

And you simply authenticate who you are using your fingerprint (Touch ID) or face (Face ID) on an iPhone or Mac.

It’s just as quick to sign up and means you have a login that simply can’t be guessed or leaked.

Your passkeys are stored on your devices but synced across multiple gadgets using Apple’s iCloud Keychain – which already exists to track passwords.

Nobody can read your passkeys, including Apple.

And it means you can’t be tricked into providing a password by phishing — because you don’t have any information to share.

The ultimate plan is to make passkeys work on non-Apple devices as well, including Windows laptops and Android phones.

Both Microsoft and Google have been developing passwordless systems for years.

The best tips and hacks for phones and gadgets

Looking for tips and hacks for your phone? Want to find these secret features in social media apps? We’ve got you covered…

Get the latest news about WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and other tech gadgets here.

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science Team? Email us at tech@the-sun.co.uk