Apple; screenshot by CNET
For years, Apple praised the security built into its iPhones and iPads. More than a decade ago, he added ways to encrypt information on the iPhone. In 2010, it introduced messages encrypted with iMessage. And in 2013, introduced TouchID biometric sensors to help people unlock phones. Over the years, it has been able to bring these technologies to the Mac as well – but now, with its new M1 chips for the MacMini, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, it will be able to boost those efforts.
On its website on Thursday, Apple updated its Platform Security documents, describing how Mac computers now work in much more similar ways to their iPhone counterparts. The documents delve into essential details of how various security systems on computers and phones talk to each other and how they are designed to protect Apple’s user privacy.
“Secure software requires a security foundation built into the hardware,” said Apple in its security update, which was nearly 200 pages long. “That’s why Apple devices – running iOS, iPadOS, MacOS, TVOS or WatchOS – have security features designed on silicon.”
Apple is increasingly marketing its products as being designed to protect user privacy.
Angela Lang / CNET
It may seem strange to a company as secret as Apple to share so many details about almost everything. The technology giant is as well known for its marketing as for its devices, and although the company shares some technical details about its products on its website, it is aimed at the general public.
The security information on the platform, however, is different. Apple said it started publishing this information to business customers more than a decade ago. But the company soon learned that the security researchers it works with identify vulnerabilities on your devices I also found it useful. That’s why you’ll find terms like “kernel integrity protection” and “pointer authentication codes”, which are part of the company’s various security systems.
Apple is not the only company that works with security researchers, of course. In the past decade, the technology industry in general has instituted “insect reward“programs to pay outside researchers to encourage them to help identify vulnerabilities on their devices. Companies like Microsoft, Google and Facebook have paid large sums and publicly thanked some security experts for identifying security issues before they were widely exploited by hackers. Apple itself pays up to $ 1.5 million for such rewards.
Encouraging use
Apple said that part of the way it designs security systems is to encourage people to use them, or to keep them running in the background, without people needing to know how they work and what to do to use them.
For example, iMessage has built-in encryption – users do not need to activate it. And also built its TouchID fingerprint sensor and FaceID facial unlocking system to encourage people to use their encryption systems, which are activated when people set a password. Before building TouchID, for example, Apple said that less than 49% of people used passwords on their phones. After its introduction, 92% of people did.
“This is important because a strong password or password forms the basis for how a user’s iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple Watch cryptographically protects user data,” said Apple in its security document.