Apple has updated its Platform Security Guide, providing more information about how the Unlock with Apple Watch feature in iOS 14.5 and Touch ID on the iMac Magic Keyboard works.
The company routinely updates the security guide to incorporate information about new features. The Platform Security Guide contains detailed and in-depth information about Apple s privacy and security mechanisms.
For example, the update on Monday sheds new light on the secure channel between the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and the Secure Enclave in an M1iMac.
According to Apple, that channel is established in the factory by using a unique key shared between the iMac and the keyboard. Apple says it s the same mechanism that s used to create a channel between a Secure Enclave and a built-in fingerprint sensor.
The feature uses the same mechanism as auto unlock for Mac. The guide states that a mutually authenticated station-to-station (STS) protocol that uses long-term keys that are established when the feature is enabled. Once two devices are paired, unique and ephemeral keys are negotiated for each unlock request.
Apple says the tunnel is negotiated directly between the Secure Enclave is both devices. That means all cryptographic material is kept within that secured box.
The distance between the two devices must also be two to three meters or less. An iPhone must also have been unlocked at least once since the Apple Watch was placed on a user s wrist and unlocked. The Apple watch must not be in bedtime mode, and sensors must be able to determine whether the nose and mask of the user are covered.
Apple s biggest ever Platform Security guide stresses commitment to user privacy
As Apple CEO Tim Cook keeps mentioning during events, Apple believes privacy is a fundamental human right, and the document reiterates commitment to user data privacy.
Ketan Pratap | February 19, 2021 | Updated 08:36 IST
Apple says that the Platform Security guide covers its entire product range.
Highlights
Apple has outlined its latest Platform Security update with iOS 14, macOS Big Sur, and Apple Silicon.
The almost 200-page document is the company s biggest ever update.
Notably, most of the things document covers has been announced previously, with some exceptions.
Apple published its 2021 update to Platform Security guide on Friday with its biggest ever document with deep-dive across iOS 14.3, iPadOS 14.3, macOS Big Sur 11.1, tvOS 14.3, and watchOS 7.2. The 200-page document provides a comprehensive overview of the latest security advancements across different devices.
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Apple released its 2021 Platform Security guide, Thursday, outlining its current and year-ahead agenda for its device hardware, software and silicon security.
This year’s 192-page report is beefed-up, compared to past reports, with a wealth of new insights into how Apple is tackling security and privacy within its entire mobile, desktop and cloud ecosystem. Previous Platform Security updates have taken a piecemeal approach to address Apple’s security universe, said Rich Mogull, analyst and CEO with Securosis.
“This is the most comprehensive platform security update we have ever seen from Apple,” he told Threatpost.
Top 2021 Apple Platform Security report themes include what Apple’s M1 silicon means for Mac security; the latest developments around its Blast Door security technology used in iMessages; and transparency around Secure Enclave – a dedicated secure subsystem integrated into Apple systems-on-a-chip (SoC).