How can I disable the previous passwords feature?

howdytom
howdytom
Community Member
in iOS

How I can permanently remove previous passwords in iPassword (iOS).
Moreover how can I disable the previous passwords feature? I don’t want to store a password archive on my iPhone.

1Password Version: 5.4.1
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: Not Provided
Sync Type: Not Provided

Comments

  • hawkmoth
    hawkmoth
    Community Member
    edited May 2015

    Do you have the desktop version? There you have an option to hide the previously used passwords. In iOS, they are hidden by default. But I don't know of a way to delete them or to turn off saving them.

  • howdytom
    howdytom
    Community Member

    Thanks hawkmoth,

    Yes, I am also using the Desktop version. Hiding isn’t a option. Why do I have to keep all my previous passwords? I don't want to.

  • hawkmoth
    hawkmoth
    Community Member

    One of the AgileBits folks will have to answer the Why question. I'm not on the inside as a community forum volunteer. I don't work for AgileBits.

  • Megan
    Megan
    1Password Alumni
    edited May 2015

    Hi @howdytom,

    Why do I have to keep all my previous passwords?

    There are a couple of reasons it's handy to keep previous passwords around:

    • If you update your password in 1Password first, there's always a (slim) chance that the update won't go through on the website (for example, if you've used a password that is too long or has unacceptable characters in it). Then the password listed in your 'previous passwords' section, will actually still be needed until you find a password that fits the requirements of the site.
    • To avoid password re-use. If you're not using our strong password generator (for example, I use a phrase for my iCloud password so that it's easier to type when Apple shows me that pop-up), it can be handy to see the passwords that I've already used, so that my new password is sufficiently different.

    Essentially, it's just an extra little safety net. When dealing with your important data, we think it's definitely better to be safe than sorry.

    I don't want to.

    If you really, really don't want to see those previous passwords, you can try using the 'Duplicate' option (in 1Password for Mac) to copy the entry. It will duplicate all aspects of the entry except for attachments and the password history. Unfortunately, this little trick will not work with 1Password for Windows, as the password history will be copied when you duplicate the entry.

    I'm curious: could you tell me a little bit more about why you do not want to have these previous passwords in your entries?

  • howdytom
    howdytom
    Community Member
    edited May 2015

    Okay I see. It some situation it might be handy to keep all passwords in one place. However I am sorry, I disagree with you. I am a bit surprised about your question why I do not want to have these previous passwords. Storing all previous passwords on your phone is a massive security issue.

    I know for most 1Password folks it might no big deal. There should be definitely option to manually or automatically delete all previous passwords. It's a basic feature. Using the "Duplicating option" for existing entries is not very convenient.

  • Ben
    Ben
    edited May 2015

    Hi @howdytom,

    I'm not sure I see how it could be a security issue. What sort of attack vector would be able to exploit that?

    An attacker would first have to be able to decrypt your 1Password data... And if they can do that then the current password is going to be a lot more valuable to them than historical passwords. I'm not sure how it is at all valuable to know my PIN used to be 1234, if it is no longer, especially if it took the exact same steps to find out that my current PIN is 6789.

    In any event, we appreciate the feedback. It is not currently possible to disable this feature or scrub records en masse, but we'll take your suggestion into consideration.

    Thanks!

    Ben

This discussion has been closed.