iOS 14 will tell you if your iPhone password isn't strong enough

News
By published

iOS 14 will help lock down your passwords from opportunistic hackers

iOS 14
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Apple's iOS 14 is getting a big security upgrade that will alert you to whether your passwords saved in the iCloud Keychain have been leaked.  

iOS 14 will also alert iPhone users if their passwords are simply too easy to guess, reported 9to5Mac. That means people who habitually reuse passwords or opt for easy ones will get an alert from the iCloud Keychain, which works across iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and macOS Big Sur.

The new iCloud Keychain security features will serve up prompts that flag if a password is too easy to guess, if lots of people use the same password, or if it has a ‘123’ sequence in it (these are common in passwords and thus easy to guess). And it will also verify passwords that have been compromised in a data breach, which will lead to a prompt to change your password as well as make you aware of other accounts and services that may have been compromised by a data breach. 

“Safari securely monitors your saved passwords, automatically keeping an eye out for passwords that may have been involved in a data breach,” Apple said about the boosted iCloud Keychain security. 

“To do this, Safari uses strong cryptographic techniques to regularly check derivations of your passwords against a list of breached passwords in a secure and private way that doesn’t reveal your password information — even to Apple. If Safari discovers a breach, it can help you upgrade to Sign in with Apple when available, or automatically generate a new secure password.” 

While iOS is generally seen as being fairly secure, it’s by no means invulnerable to security breaches and cyber attacks. But by adding in such security check-up features into iOS 14 and the rest of its upcoming operating system refreshes, Apple seems to be taking on all the heavy-lifting of good password hygiene for its users.

Roland Moore-Colyer
Roland Moore-Colyer

Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at Tom’s Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he’s also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face.