When I try to access information when using Keychain Access I am required to type in my system password, but am not able to use fingerprint recognition. The same is true under terminal when I use sudo.
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Wm F Seabrook
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Can I Use Fingerprint Instead Of Password On Keychain Access & Sudo?
Comments: 3 Responses to “Can I Use Fingerprint Instead Of Password On Keychain Access & Sudo?”
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It probably is by design. Using Touch ID is a lower-level security measure. It is used in cases where a password is overkill. Accessing Keychain is pretty high security, so I can see why you should have to enter a password.
But surely this isn't a problem, as you should rarely need to access Keychain that way.
Thank you for your response, Gary.
Surely Apple introduced fingerprint recognition to be more secure than a password rather than less. Passwords can be hacked or intercepted with key-logging.
Not clear what you mean "rarely need to access". if macOS introduces an application surely it should be consistent with the rest of the operating system. Terminal gives us access to Darwin (or Unix) but I would expect it to take advantage of hardware enhancements.
Wm: That's not true. Passwords are more secure than Touch ID. That is why you have to "enable" Touch ID when you reboot a device by entering your password, and why you have to use a password for very secure actions. Don't confuse "perfect fingerprint recognition" with Touch ID, which is more akin to a 6-digit passcode in terms of security.
What makes your devices more secure because of Touch ID is that people will feel free to use security more and software can use it in more situations. Without, people are more likely to not have passcodes on their phones or passwords on their computers because of the hassle.
What I mean by rarely need to access is that it is rare that a typical user needs to launch Keychain Access and authenticate with a password. A typical user may not do it more than a few times a month or even a few times a year, or perhaps never. And a typical user will never use Terminal or sudo.