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authentication

How to recognise a genuine password request

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Authentication dialogs for Macs with and without support for Touch ID, in recent versions of macOS including Tahoe, and how to tell whether a request in Terminal is genuine.

December 18, 2025 Macs, Technology

Is that authentication request genuine or fake?

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Authentication dialogs differ on Macs with Touch ID support, although they can still use a traditional format. Here are different versions of the dialog and explanations.

October 23, 2024 Macs, Technology

How to tell genuine password requests from fakes

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Malware tries to trick you into providing it your password. How to recognise genuine requests from those fakes.

March 8, 2024 Macs, Technology

Explainer: Passwords and passkeys

Contrasts how passwords and passkeys work, and how passkeys can be protected using iCloud, and Apple’s iCloud keychain escrow.

October 22, 2022 Macs, Technology

Biometric security and AI: dangerous partners

We can quantitate the risks of cracking conventional passwords. AI-based systems using biometrics are known to be brittle, and to have exploitable blind spots. Can we trust them in security systems?

February 2, 2018 General, Macs, Technology

How does your keychain work?

Authentication dialogs to permit access to your keychain are supplied by the macOS security system, and follow a strict pattern.

April 3, 2017 Macs, Technology

Which password? When to enter your user password, and when to use your Apple ID

Have you ever entered the password for your Mac instead of that for your Apple ID? This should help make it clearer which you need to use.

December 26, 2015 Macs, Technology

Q&A: Why hide the Home Library folder?

Why did Apple hide the Library folder in my Home folder?

November 1, 2015 Macs, Technology

Q&A: Sudo outside Terminal

Is there a sudo facility outside Terminal?

September 1, 2015 Macs, Technology

Let me in: authentication and authorisation

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Access controls require confirmation of who you are, and verification that you are permitted to use the system or services.

July 16, 2015 Macs, Technology

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