Apple T2 Security Chip: Security Overview [pdf] • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple T2 Security Chip: Security Overview [pdf]

#31

Post by duxup » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 7:15 PM UTC

gh02t wrote: post #30

duxup wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish we had a physical switch that cut power to the camera and mic... I worked on some old networking equipment a while back that had a physical fail over switch. If you opened the cover you could watch the connection switch, fun stuff. Also very effective.

The description makes it sound like Apple is using a hardware interlock that I'd assume cuts power to the microphone via a MOSFET when the lid is closed. That's pretty much the same thing, just with a solid state switch instead of a mechanical contact.

That's pretty cool.

Re: Apple T2 Security Chip: Security Overview [pdf]

#32

Post by pwinnski » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 7:18 PM UTC

nabla9 wrote: post #29

voctor wrote: post #3

"All Mac portables with the Apple T2 Security Chip feature a hardware disconnect that ensures that the microphone is disabled whenever the lid is closed." It's interesting, I don't know if other brands do that?

Why you need security chip to ensure that?

To prevent nefarious software from listening in unknown to you.

Re: Apple T2 Security Chip: Security Overview [pdf]

#33

Post by jsgo » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 7:27 PM UTC

anyone who uses eGPUs (w/ Nvidia): whenever I setup my MBP shortly after buying (middle of this year), one of the steps required disabling Secure Boot and another security item via terminal. Is that still the case? Pretty sure my T2 chip is disabled due to this. Not a major loss if it must remain that way, but wasn't sure if it was just mitigating something that is no longer an issue.

Re: Apple T2 Security Chip: Security Overview [pdf]

#34

Post by Wowfunhappy » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 7:28 PM UTC

nabla9 wrote: post #29

voctor wrote: post #3

"All Mac portables with the Apple T2 Security Chip feature a hardware disconnect that ensures that the microphone is disabled whenever the lid is closed." It's interesting, I don't know if other brands do that?

Why you need security chip to ensure that?

I don't think you do, it's just an additional security feature that they put in the T2 PDF for some reason.

Re: Apple T2 Security Chip: Security Overview [pdf]

#35

Post by Wowfunhappy » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 7:30 PM UTC

duxup wrote: post #23

rubatuga wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is a valid use case, and no it seems like it won't work.

TY, interesting. Granted, I get that for security ... can't be bending the rules or it would just be the method use to circumvent it.

Also, since the mic would be covered by the lid, you probably wouldn't want to use it anyway under this scenario.

Re: Apple T2 Security Chip: Security Overview [pdf]

#36

Post by dpkonofa » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 7:33 PM UTC

rubatuga wrote: post #21

duxup wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does this mean you can't use it in a configuration with say one laptop, two external monitors, and lid closed... and still use the mic? I don't have a Mac so maybe that isn't a valid use anyway, but I do that with PCs all the time.

It is a valid use case, and no it seems like it won't work.

>seems like it won't work

Are you speculating here or do you have some kind of insight?

Re: Apple T2 Security Chip: Security Overview [pdf]

#37

Post by saagarjha » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 7:37 PM UTC

jsgo wrote: post #33

anyone who uses eGPUs (w/ Nvidia): whenever I setup my MBP shortly after buying (middle of this year), one of the steps required disabling Secure Boot and another security item via terminal. Is that still the case? Pretty sure my T2 chip is disabled due to this. Not a major loss if it must remain that way, but wasn't sure if it was just mitigating something that is no longer an issue.

> one of the steps required disabling Secure Boot and another security item via terminal

Probably SIP from Recovery Mode. This doesn't disable your T2 chip completely, since it's still necessary do things like control your camera and microphone or read from your SSD, but it disables certain protections.

Re: Apple T2 Security Chip: Security Overview [pdf]

#38

Post by duxup » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 7:45 PM UTC

dpkonofa wrote: post #36

rubatuga wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is a valid use case, and no it seems like it won't work.

>seems like it won't work Are you speculating here or do you have some kind of insight?

I think he is speculating, but any work around to bypass the rules related to the security chip would seem unlikely.

Re: Apple T2 Security Chip: Security Overview [pdf]

#39

Post by dsfyu404ed » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 7:47 PM UTC

nabla9 wrote: post #29

voctor wrote: post #3

"All Mac portables with the Apple T2 Security Chip feature a hardware disconnect that ensures that the microphone is disabled whenever the lid is closed." It's interesting, I don't know if other brands do that?

Why you need security chip to ensure that?

Because if you don't mention that you've got a hardware switch covering the mic someone will ask you why your security chip has this glaringly obvious hole in it.

Re: Apple T2 Security Chip: Security Overview [pdf]

#40

Post by lostgame » Tue, Oct 30, 2018, 7:48 PM UTC

saagarjha wrote: post #28

cududa wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t think the audio quality of the mic on a closed laptop is going to be something you’d actually want. Plus it likely only applies when the machine is entering sleep?

Older MacBook Pros had their microphones on the exterior of the laptop, on the left side, so I'd imagine the sound from that would be pretty decent. Newer Macs put it inside the speaker grill, I think, so this wouldn't really work.

Nope, since the first MacBook Pro the dual-microphones have been placed in the grill, with the PowerBooks and iBooks the single microphone was placed in the left side of the display panel in a small hole.

The white/black MacBooks, I believe, placed it near the iSight camera.