2019 Security Guide reviews Apple biometrics and encryption technology upgrades

Apple has published its guide to security efforts it has made in biometrics, encryption and data protection, apps, service, and network transmissions, 9to5Mac reports.

The 150page 2019 Platform Security Guide touts Apple’s Find My device tracking technology, and a recent update to firmware security.

“To enhance Mac firmware security, Apple has leveraged an analog to page tables to block inappropriate access from peripherals, but at a point so early in the boot process that RAM hasn’t yet been loaded,” the report says. “And as attackers continue to increase the sophistication of their exploit techniques, Apple is dynamically controlling memory execution privileges for iPhone and iPad by leveraging custom CPU instructions — unavailable on any other mobile devices — to thwart compromise. Just as important as the innovation of new security capabilities, new features are built with privacy and security at their center of their design.”

A section on hardware security and biometrics covers the Secure Enclave, dedicated AES encryption engine, and Touch ID and Face ID technologies.

The section explains how cryptographic keys are generated, how Apple’s native biometric systems work when passcodes and passwords are required, and claims that the chances of a random person being able to unlock a user’s iPhone or other Apple device is 1 in 50,000 with Touch ID and 1 in 1,000,000 with Face ID, with a single template enrolled for each biometric.

How Face ID improves its matching and how biometric data is stored are also covered.

Other sections deal with system security, encryption and data protection, apps, services, network, developer kits, secure device management, and security certificates and programs.

Article Topics

Apple  |  biometric data  |  biometrics  |  consumer devices  |  data protection  |  data storage  |  encryption  |  privacy