Apple Details Touch ID And The A7′s Secure Enclave In Updated iOS Security Document

Apple has shared some information around how Touch ID and its Secure Enclave keeps information private in an updated security document newly posted to its “iPhone in Business” microsite. The new info provides an inside look at how exactly the Secure Enclave generates and communicates encrypted and temporary identification information to the rest of the system to make sure that fingerprint data is never exposed to anything beyond itself.

Each Secure Enclave is provisioned during fabrication with its own UID (Unique ID) that is not accessible to other parts of the system and is not known to Apple. When the device starts up, an ephemeral key is created, tangled with its UID, and used to encrypt the Secure Enclave’s portion of the device’s memory space.

Additionally, data that is saved to the file system by the Secure Enclave is encrypted with a key tangled with the UID and an anti-replay counter.

The Secure Enclave portion of the A7 chip is of course responsible for handling fingerprint data collected by the Touch ID sensor. Apple goes on to detail how the A7 processor helps gather the fingerprint data, but can’t actually read said information itself, and how the exchange that takes place between the A7 and the secure enclave is encrypted to prevent any hijacking of the data at that point.

Communication between the A7 and the Touch ID sensor takes place over a serial peripheral interface bus. The A7 forwards the data to the Secure Enclave but cannot read it. It’s encrypted and authenticated with a session key that is negotiated using the device’s shared key that is built into the Touch ID sensor and the Secure Enclave. The session key exchange uses AES key wrap- ping with both sides providing a random key that establishes the session key and uses AES-CCM transport encryption.

As for Touch ID itself, Apple details how the fingerprint-based unlocking and iTunes purchasing authorization tech works in a completely new section of the iOS Security document. It mostly explains what users likely already know about Touch ID: When it does and doesn’t work (i.e. after a restart), but also adds a few things that might not be clear from normal use – Touch ID unlocking stops working after an iPhone 5s has been left locked for 48 hours or more, for instance, requiring a text or number-based password input.

Apple also reiterates its firm “no third-parties” rule with Touch ID and fingerprint information, which is worth recalling given Samsung’s different take on the matter, with its Pass API announced earlier for platform developers.

Touch ID authentication and the data associated with the enrolled fingerprints are not
available to other apps or third parties

The document also includes previously revealed technical data around the Touch ID scanner itself, which takes an 88-by-88-pixel, 500-ppi raster scan of the finger being applied, which is then transmitted to the Secure Enclave, vectorized for the purposes of being analyzed and compared to fingerprints stored in memory, and then discarded. This info, it’s worth recalling, is never transmitted to Apple’s servers, nor is it stored in iCloud or the iTunes backup of a device.

Apple closes the section on Touch ID with a detailed, step-by-step explanation of how unlocking the smartphone with the tech works, which is worth a look if you’re unclear on the behind-the-scenes magic or security protections involved:

On devices with an A7 processor, the Secure Enclave holds the cryptographic class keys for Data Protection. When a device locks, the keys for Data Protection class Complete are discarded, and files and keychain items in that class are inaccessible until the user unlocks the device by entering their passcode.

On iPhone 5s with Touch ID turned on, the keys are not discarded when the device locks; instead, they’re wrapped with a key that is given to the Touch ID subsystem. When a user attempts to unlock the device, if Touch ID recognizes the user’s finger- print, it provides the key for unwrapping the Data Protection keys and the device is unlocked. This process provides additional protection by requiring the Data Protection and Touch ID subsystems to cooperate in order to unlock the device.

The decrypted class keys are only held in memory, so they’re lost if the device is rebooted. Additionally, as previously described, the Secure Enclave will discard the keys after 48 hours or 5 failed Touch ID recognition attempts.

Another new section details iCloud Keychain, the syncing service that stores your passwords for use across platforms. Apple notes the system is designed to prevent unauthorized access to iCloud Keychain stored information in the event of a compromised iCloud account, and to prevent third-party access to any passwords housed in the service.

Below is an excerpt of how iCloud makes sure that keychains are recovered only by authorized users, without even actually transmitting the local iOS security code to Apple itself.

iCloud provides a secure infrastructure for keychain escrow that ensures only authorized users and devices can perform a recovery. Topographically positioned behind iCloud are clusters of hardware security modules (HSM). These clusters guard the escrow records. Each has a key that is used to encrypt the escrow records under their watch, as described previously.

To recover a keychain, the user must authenticate with their iCloud account and password and respond to an SMS sent to their registered phone number. Once this is done, the user must enter their iCloud Security Code. The HSM cluster verifies that the user knows their iCloud Security Code using Secure Remote Password protocol (SRP); the
White Paper 26 iOS Security code itself is not sent to Apple. Each member of the cluster independently verifies that the user has not exceeded the maximum number of attempts that are allowed to retrieve their record, as discussed below. If a majority agree, the cluster unwraps the escrow record and sends it to the user’s device.

Apple has also added new information about iMessage, FaceTime encryption, single sign-on and Airdrop in terms of areas of interest to check out. If you’re a fan of learning how things work, or just want to know what steps Apple takes to protect any biometric information (and other data) it collects and transmits during normal iOS operation, the entire security document is definitely worth perusing.

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Windows Phone will still be in Android and iPhone's shadow four years from now

Even though Windows Phone is definitely making inroads and is considered to be the fastest-growing smartphone operating system, in 2013 its market share came in at less than 4 percent, according to research firms IDC and Strategy Analytics. Consumers are (still) much in love with Android smartphones and iPhones, giving Windows Phone too little attention.

In its latest smartphone market forecast, IDC claims that Windows Phone will still lurk in the shadows four years from now, as its market share in 2018 is estimated to climb to just seven percent. Shipments of devices running the tiled mobile OS are expected to reach 121.8 million units, which would be a huge improvement over the roughly 35 million units in 2013, but still not nearly enough to catch up to Apple's iPhones or Android smartphones, which shipments IDC estimates will reach 249.6 and 1,321.1 million units, respectively.

"Windows Phone stands to grow the fastest among the leading smartphone operating systems, with continued support from Nokia as well as the addition of nine new Windows Phone partners", says  IDC. "Most of these new vendors come from emerging markets and could help bring the Windows Phone experience to customers there".

Currently, Nokia is the largest Windows Phone vendor, with a market share of 89.3 percent . The Finnish maker's commitment is understandable when we consider Nokia is primarily a Windows Phone manufacturer, unlike HTC and Samsung which devote their efforts to Android and place Windows Phone in second, or third, place. As Microsoft adds more vendors things can possibly change, but for the time being the bulk of Windows Phone sales will still come from Nokia. And this means the tiled smartphone OS' performance is almost entirely tied to Lumia sales. If Nokia has a bad quarter, so does Windows Phone. This will not change until Lumia's market share decreases significantly.

As Microsoft becomes the largest vendor, following the acquisition of Nokia's phone-making business, the responsibility of giving Windows Phone more and more consumer appeal falls almost entirely in its hands.

Maybe, But Not Likely

Windows Phone would be able to grab a higher market share in 2018, but, based on the data IDC provides, this growth will be impossible to materialize given the huge number of Android smartphones that are estimated to ship then. And, even though iPhones are not as popular in comparison, Apple will still ship at least twice as many smartphones as all Windows Phone vendors, combined.

Based on the data that is included in the table above, Windows Phone shipments will need to top 173.85 million units to break the 10 percent market share barrier in 2018, which is 52.05 million units more than estimated (way more than the 2013 shipments to be added on top to reach the milestone).

Android, iOS and BlackBerry are expected to cede market share to Windows Phone and other smartphone OSs by 2018, which can, in part, be accounted to penetration and saturation as the market is no longer expected to grow significantly, only by 8.3 percent in 2017 (and, less in the year after, if the trend is accurate). In 2014, shipments are estimated to reach 1.2 billion units, 200 million more than in 2013.

Cheap Sells, Definitely

"2014 will be an enormous transition year for the smartphone market", notes IDC's Ryan Reith. "Not only will growth decline more than ever before, but the driving forces behind smartphone adoption are changing. New markets for growth bring different rules to play by and 'premium' will not be a major factor in the regions driving overall market growth".

I have often mentioned the smartphone average selling price (ASP), as it is a good indicator of where sales are going and which types of devices are most popular. The lower the ASP, the higher the preference towards cheaper smartphones is. In 2018, the ASP is expected to drop to $260, which is considerably lower than the $335 from 2013.

"In order to reach the untapped demand within emerging markets, carriers and OEMs will need to work together to bring prices down", says IDC's Ramon Llamas. "Last year we saw a total of 322.5 million smartphone units ship for under $150 and that number will continue to grow going forward. We've already seen numerous smartphone announcements targeting this priceband this year, with some as low as $25. Just as the dynamics have changed for overall smartphone growth, so have the dynamics for smartphone pricing in the markets where continued growth is expected. Not all vendors will want to get into this space, but those that do must make deliberate choices about their strategies in order to succeed".

Basically what Llamas is saying is this: go cheap and be ready to pay the price for embracing this strategy if it all goes south. The commoditization of smartphones will make them hugely affordable as time goes by, but that will come at a cost to vendors as they will have very low margins per unit. They will have to either sell a huge number of units to make up for it to strive, or find alternative ways of generating revenue, like offering paid services. A change of dynamics can have disastrous consequences for some companies, if they do not adapt their strategies to account for the continuing drop in ASP.

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Nike hiring Android SDK developers suggests more compatibility lies ahead

Nike has announced it is advertising for Android SDK developers, suggesting the long-term monogamous relationship with Apple could be coming to an end.Thanks to the Bluetooth LE functionality offered by Apple, Nike has previously used iOS as the only mobile platform compatible with its devices such as the Fuel Band SE and running trainer sensors.However, the release of Android KitKat has now brought Bluetooth LE connectivity to the Android platform and it looks like Nike is ready to jump on board.The listing advertises for nine Android developers to join Nike, one of which is a job on the Nike+ APR team to build an Android SDK “for use in any Android application that integrates with Nike+", to help build the "future of activity measurement for internal and external clients".Current Nike apps use the Android SDK so the Android SDK build job is an important one, as it means a new Nike Android SDK to allow Android devices and third-party movement sensors to use Nike.It might even mean we see an Android-specific app similar to Move for the iPhone 5S. Either way, it looks like it should be an interesting year for Nike and Android.

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