How to use and configure the iCloud Keychain or iCloud Keychain in OS X Mavericks

Today we will talk about an acquaintance, something unknown: iCloud Keychain or iCloud Keychain, which creates and synchronizes passwords through iCloud. This is the tool that we will break down and explain below even though we have already seen a breakthrough this summer. Many of my acquaintances they don't trust this tool at all that creates and stores our passwords for us both in iOS and OS X. We can even store our credit card numbers if we want, but we all know that this type of data is really confidential and does not generate trust among users to have it saved in some places, but we will try to change this distrust we have about iCloud Keychain for a: I will try! Even if it is not with the data of our card ...

Really iCloud Keychain is more secure than using the same password over and over again for all, since this method of password storage uses AES 256-bit encryption and it is very difficult for someone to see or decrypt our passwords. The greatest advantage it offers us is that we will never forget the different passwords because they are stored in the cloud automatically and are synchronized with the devices that we want.

How to configure the iCloud keychain on our Mac

The first thing to start with the process is to have our iCloud account to store and synchronize the data. We're going to System preferences> iCloud and select the keychain.

Now it will ask us for the password of our iCloud account and when we enter it it asks us the four-digit security code. This is a code in simple format, but we can change it for a more complicated password by clicking on the button 'Advanced'. Once the code has been entered twice, click on next.

Now we will ask for a phone number in which to be able to receive an SMS to verify the identity when using this iCloud security code and in case we eliminate the synchronization with the keychain and then we want to activate it again. Ready, we already have the iCloud Keychain configured on the Mac.

How the iCloud keychain works on our Mac

At the moment it only works with the Safari browser so we will have to use this browser to synchronize our passwords or card data, etc.

On your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, go to Settings and click on the iCloud tab. There you will see the keychain option, which you will have to enable so that all your passwords are synchronized with iCloud. Each and every one of the passwords or card data can be modified or deleted entering Safari from our iDevice> passwords and autofill 

Highlight that for iCloud Keychain to sync, you must use the same iCloud account on all devices. Now you can have all your passwords synchronizeds and so you won't have to worry about forgetting them.

How to disable the iCloud keychain on our Mac

This is very simple: we will only have to enter System Preferences> iCloud uncheck the iCloud Keychain selection and it will ask us if we want to save or delete the data. Then we can deactivate the Keychain on all our devices and the data from your iCloud Keychain will be kept locally on your devices but outside of Apple's servers and will stop synchronizing between devices.

We select what interests us and we accept.

The decision to give confidence to the iCloud Keychain or iCloud Keychain is yours alone but it is a really safe system to keep our private data. As a recommendation for iOS devices is to have it protected by password lock, thus, in case of theft or loss, it is more complicated for them to steal all this data and others that we have stored.

More information - Feel more secure with iCloud Keychain