Apple’s T2 security chip jailbreak • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple’s T2 security chip jailbreak

#261

Post by jonny_eh » Wed, Sep 30, 2020, 4:42 PM UTC

akvadrako wrote: post #198

peteretep wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Filevault and by extension Touch ID are more or less crippled Sorry, what does this sentence mean? That someone with physical access to my machine can now unencrypt my FileVault encrypted hard drive?

The Secure Enclave on the T2 chip was used to store secrets that were supposed to stay inaccessible, even to someone with physical access. If you use a strong password to encrypt your drive you should still be safe, unless Apple did something really stupid. The password is used as a one-way hash to generate the key. However if you can login with Touch ID and they find a way to use known SE exploits, it's compromised.…

Isn't a password always required to decrypt on a cold boot?

Re: Apple’s T2 security chip jailbreak

#262

Post by duhi88 » Wed, Sep 30, 2020, 4:42 PM UTC

parliament32 wrote: post #256

deepstack wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some one from Apple, I'm sure you read this. Please answer this ASAP. I rely on mac and FileValute for professional use at work. Need to know the state of this exploit.

>FileVault for professional use Probably not the best choice :) you never want to use proprietary software if security is a concern

What is a non-proprietary solution for full-disk encryption?

Re: Apple’s T2 security chip jailbreak

#263

Post by dkonofalski » Wed, Sep 30, 2020, 4:48 PM UTC

kmeisthax wrote: post #215

rswail wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where and how do you see the T2 chip being the mechanism that Apple stops reselling of hardware? Yes it could be used that way. But they have never even indicated that they've been thinking of using the secure enclave for that purpose.

It's not an intentional anti-resale feature, but it does make repair a lot harder, because it locks (or at least, can lock) specific hardware components to the motherboard. This means if something on the laptop breaks, you can't repair it without the T2 chip knowing about it and potentially refusing to work. Apple has at least told their authorized repair partners that failing to register the repair with Apple may br…

But isn't the repair being harder a net-benefit for the consumer? It's not like the repair is arbitrarily harder. It's harder because the repairs in question deal with the TouchID sensor and the SSD, like you said. I wouldn't want someone being able to access my data just by replacing a component on the computer that then bypassed all the security systems present on the computer. It's the same situation as when replaced displays on iPhones were causing issues because repair shops weren't moving over the TouchID sensor. The cost of that security is that I need to have my data backed up but that's a best practice anyways for anyone that values their data.

Re: Apple’s T2 security chip jailbreak

#264

Post by nitrogen » Wed, Sep 30, 2020, 4:50 PM UTC

curiousgal wrote: post #117

Causality1 wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You guys are fighting the good fight for everything that owning hardware and being a user used to mean. Thank you.

I never understood this sentiment, if people choose to pay their way into a walled garden, why should they still care about hardware ownership/repairabilty, etc.?

For the same reason some people will buy a BMW and swap out the exhaust or add a turbo with their own two hands. Because it gives them the combination of customization, challenge, and capabilities they want.

Re: Apple’s T2 security chip jailbreak

#265

Post by williamscales » Wed, Sep 30, 2020, 4:50 PM UTC

duhi88 wrote: post #262

parliament32 wrote: post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>FileVault for professional use Probably not the best choice :) you never want to use proprietary software if security is a concern

What is a non-proprietary solution for full-disk encryption?

luks

Re: Apple’s T2 security chip jailbreak

#266

Post by RussianCow » Wed, Sep 30, 2020, 4:53 PM UTC

jonny_eh wrote: post #261

akvadrako wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Secure Enclave on the T2 chip was used to store secrets that were supposed to stay inaccessible, even to someone with physical access. If you use a strong password to encrypt your drive you should still be safe, unless Apple did something really stupid. The password is used as a one-way hash to generate the key. However if you can login with Touch ID and they find a way to use known SE exploits, it's compromised.…

Isn't a password always required to decrypt on a cold boot?

Yes, but that doesn't help you if someone steals your MacBook when it's asleep.

Re: Apple’s T2 security chip jailbreak

#267

Post by snarf21 » Wed, Sep 30, 2020, 4:54 PM UTC

saberience wrote: post #152

aunali1 wrote: post #35

Hi guys, I am part of the team working on all things T2. [1] The checkra1n support is just in a PoC state, it will successfully exploit and boot the T2. The payload support is partially broken, but being worked on. Additionally, we have SSH working over usbmuxd from a tethered device [2] and SSH working from macOS on device, with an SDK in the works [3]. Some key takeaways from the T2 being jailbroken: - Custom Bootl…

Why do you believe it's moral for you to do work which is making people's data less secure, helping law authority crack iPhones, etc?

So only the NSA should be able to do this and then also keep it a secret?

Re: Apple’s T2 security chip jailbreak

#268

Post by Nextgrid » Wed, Sep 30, 2020, 4:55 PM UTC

parliament32 wrote: post #256

deepstack wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some one from Apple, I'm sure you read this. Please answer this ASAP. I rely on mac and FileValute for professional use at work. Need to know the state of this exploit.

>FileVault for professional use Probably not the best choice :) you never want to use proprietary software if security is a concern

I disagree. There are times when either no open-source solution is available, or the open-source solution is unmaintained, or not popular (thus not under much scrutiny) and you don't have the resources (time and skill) to audit it yourself.

As long as the incentives of the developer of the security scheme and the end-user are aligned (so no backdoors), I would trust a widespread, proprietary solution which appears to stand up to significant attacks (the solution being widespread means there are lots of efforts underway to crack it) more than an open-source implementation that nobody uses.

Re: Apple’s T2 security chip jailbreak

#269

Post by neycoda » Wed, Sep 30, 2020, 4:57 PM UTC

The only way to truly secure something is to make it inaccessible. You can't pick the lock of a door if it's a wall, you know.

Re: Apple’s T2 security chip jailbreak

#270

Post by nitrogen » Wed, Sep 30, 2020, 4:59 PM UTC

sgt wrote: post #23

aneutron wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. This would "in theory" allow Doom to be running outside of the "prescribed parameters".

So the monsters would actually leave the touchbar. This sounds really risky, folks

Just don't shoot the cacodemon labeled "init (1)" and you should be fine.