Bill recently emailed to warn us of a security vulnerability on iPhones and iPads. If your device is lost or stolen, all of your passwords and credit card details may be taken as well.
Q. Bill
Hi, I use an iPad and an iPhone. I recently just found all my passwords and login details under Settings, Safari, Passwords – meaning if I had of lost either my iPhone or iPad, anyone could have got all my passwords to all of my accounts. Could you write about this, explaining how to rectify the problem?
Thank you, Bill.
A. Hi Bill, thank you for your email and for alerting us to this.
If you use an iPhone or iPad and allow Safari to remember your login details – to save you from typing them in again and again – this information will be stored on your device.
The only security in place to stop anyone other than you from viewing this information is the passcode that you use to open your phone. So, if you don’t have a passcode lock on your phone, then anyone who has your phone can view all of this information.
The information that Safari can store includes your account names and passwords, full name and address, home phone number and credit card details.
If you have a passcode set for your device, then you don’t have much to worry about, although if your passcode is 1234 or 0000, you may want to change it to a new one.
If you don’t have a passcode, you have two options. You can either turn off this setting (known as AutoFill) and type in your information when it is needed, or you can setup a passcode for your device.
To turn off AutoFill, open the Settings app on your device and then tap Safari > Autofill. Now turn off the options for Use Contact Info, Names and Passwords, and Credit Cards.
To setup a passcode lock, open the Settings app; now scroll down and tap Passcode. If you wish to use a simple four-digit number as your passcode, turn on the Simple Passcode option, otherwise leave it turned off and you may use any letters, numbers or symbols in your passcode. Now tap Turn Passcode On and you can setup your passcode. Make sure you set your passcode to something you will not forget, as you will need it to access your device.
Do you have any technology related questions? Send them to [email protected]
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