Mac OS X 10.4 Help

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Storing sensitive information in your keychain

You can use your keychain to securely store sensitive information unrelated to your computer, such as personal identification numbers (PINs) for a bank account, credit card numbers, confidential notes, cryptographic keys, X509 certificates, and any other information that you want to keep private.

  1. Open Keychain Access, located in /Applications/Utilities.
  2. Click Show Keychains if the Keychains list is not open, then select the keychain you want to use (if your keychain is locked, click the lock icon then enter your keychain password to unlock it).
  3. Choose File > New Secure Note Item.
  4. Type a name for the note that will help you remember what it is.
  5. Type the information you want to preserve in the Note box, or paste text you've copied or cut from another document.
  6. Click Add.

To view the contents of the note, select Secure Notes in the Category list and double-click the note. Select Show Note. You'll be asked for your keychain password if you haven't selected "Always allow access to this item" in the Access Control pane.

IMPORTANT: It's a good idea to leave "Always allow access to this item" unselected for most items in your keychain. This provides greater security for your information.

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