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search for password in keychain

Is there a way to search for a particular password across the Keychain app? My son let me know that he was able to find one of my passwords, because I logged on to something on his laptop.


It made me curious as to how many times I've used this password, and I'd like to change them. I went into keychain and did a search for that password, and nothing came up. (To test if this was just coincidence, I typed in another password that I know is still in use, and it didn't come up either.


This would be great for security if we know a password has been compromised, that we can find it in keychain, and replace it.


(BTW: I'm using OS Mojave 10.14.6, so maybe this is something that is found in future iterations)

Posted on Feb 21, 2022 1:22 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Feb 23, 2022 4:32 PM

Robb Manning wrote:

I want to first say thank you for responding to my question, you didn't have to, and I appreciate your time.

No, I don't think you do understand what I meant. Because what I'm saying, is that I WANT to change my password, and I said that FIVE times, where do you get the notion that I "seemingly" to want to salvage it?

I've went through Apple security recommendations, and for all of those recommendations, that particular password wasn't used for any of them. No red flags come up for Apple that say, "your son knows your password."

haveibeenpwned is a great tool, unfortunately it still doesn't help me figure out where all I've used that password. And I'd be extremely concerned if it had that capability.

No, there's no way to search through Passwords to find all of the occurrences of a particular password.


7 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Feb 23, 2022 4:32 PM in response to Robb Manning

Robb Manning wrote:

I want to first say thank you for responding to my question, you didn't have to, and I appreciate your time.

No, I don't think you do understand what I meant. Because what I'm saying, is that I WANT to change my password, and I said that FIVE times, where do you get the notion that I "seemingly" to want to salvage it?

I've went through Apple security recommendations, and for all of those recommendations, that particular password wasn't used for any of them. No red flags come up for Apple that say, "your son knows your password."

haveibeenpwned is a great tool, unfortunately it still doesn't help me figure out where all I've used that password. And I'd be extremely concerned if it had that capability.

No, there's no way to search through Passwords to find all of the occurrences of a particular password.


Feb 21, 2022 1:32 PM in response to Robb Manning

There’s no global password search.


Passwords are optionally saved when used.


Best change your passwords to new and unique values, as who knows how far these current passwords have gotten.


Enable two-factor authentication on your Apple ID, and ensure that unexpected computers and devices are not marked as trusted in your iCloud listing of computers and devices associated with your Apple ID.


Compromised passwords are listed in the Apple security recommendations, and details of breached and compromised accounts are available at:

https://haveibeenpwned.com/


As for finding passwords used on a Mac within Safari, check the Safari password preferences on the system(s) involved, and view the passwords there. Or better, change the passwords involved, as it seems entirely possible your passwords are already copied.

Feb 21, 2022 2:16 PM in response to MrHoffman

You might have mis-understood me. I'm not looking for a particular password across the internet, i just want to find it in my Keychain app that's found in utilities (that's integrated with Safari).


It wasn't part of a larger security breach, it was just found out by my 14 year old kid.


I know I need to change my password, that's why I'm asking this question. The problem is, I have passwords for (I don't even know how many) hundreds of websites, I can't go through them all one by one to find out which ones use this particular password, it would take days. That's why I'm asking if there is a simple way to search through all of my passwords for that one particular password. (Both of the Keychain app and Safari password preferences have a search bar, but it doesn't look like they allow me to search by password).


Sorry for the confusion. I hope this clarifies what I'm asking.

Feb 21, 2022 3:00 PM in response to Robb Manning

I understood well what you meant.


Change your password.


It’s been compromised.


Definitely compromised locally, and—inferring from what has been posted—potentially compromised further.


Inferring your investment in this particular password implies it may also have been re-used elsewhere, and which puts the account and that associated password at higher risk of exposure from server breaches elsewhere, and exposure to endemic credentials-stuffing attacks.


You’re seemingly trying to salvage an exposed password.


I’m suggesting ways to fix this problem and to avoid a much bigger mess with this and other passwords.


Check for this and other passwords of yours that may have been compromised via the Apple security recommendations and via haveibeenpwned, and change those, too—these tools are the exposed-password search.

Feb 23, 2022 6:50 AM in response to MrHoffman

I want to first say thank you for responding to my question, you didn't have to, and I appreciate your time.


No, I don't think you do understand what I meant. Because what I'm saying, is that I WANT to change my password, and I said that FIVE times, where do you get the notion that I "seemingly" to want to salvage it?


I've went through Apple security recommendations, and for all of those recommendations, that particular password wasn't used for any of them. No red flags come up for Apple that say, "your son knows your password."


haveibeenpwned is a great tool, unfortunately it still doesn't help me figure out where all I've used that password. And I'd be extremely concerned if it had that capability.





Feb 23, 2022 7:26 AM in response to Robb Manning

There is no means to do what you want, as passwords can be hashed and unreadable, can be tokens or certificates and unreadable, and can be in keychain or potentially other storage for various apps which may or may not be available. Even assuming access into Keychain is accessible (and is not enabled for and shared cis iCloud Keychain), you’ll be looking in encrypted data across multiple logins, if there are Macs involved here, and as thenpassword can have already been copied elsewhere and deleted.


Change your major and your important passwords to new and unique values, and clean up the security recommendations.


Changing your password will render saved copies of the password elsewhere useless.


Apps using tokens will need to have those tokens revoked, unfortunately—some social media sets use tokens to “approve” app access, and Apple uses something similar with “trusted” devices. These are tougher to find and revoke.


Once a password has escaped, there’s no means to put it back, and no means to find where it’s gotten to—until it’s misused. (Two-factor gives you one last chance to avoid catastrophe, with a breached password, where that’s available.)


search for password in keychain

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