Re:Tell HN: iCloud Password Sync turns on by itself on iOS 17
by kalleboo on Friday December 15, 2023 @08:35PM
(#38660952)
The platform security guide PDF (May 2022) on the page you linked is a lot more detailed and explains it better https://help.apple.com/pdf/security/en_US/apple-platform-sec...
The escrow is only an additional layer of security - your device still has to decrypt the downloaded keychain contents using your password AFTER proving to escrow that you're allowed to download the encrypted keychain using device or SMS 2FA or an iCloud security code.
https://support.apple.com/guide/security/secure-icloud-keych...
Did they announce this change? It's a pretty major UI departure. In particular, if you have one Apple device and loose it, the 2022 article implies you can recover your keychain, but the 2023 article says you're completely screwed.
A lot of people rely on iCloud backup. It seems like there should be a device-wide toggle that lets you choose between the two behaviors for things like passwords, health data, and all the other E2E apps.