Introduction to Apple security assurance
As part of our commitment to security, Apple regularly engages with third-party organizations to certify and attest to the security of Apple’s hardware, software, and services. These internationally recognized organizations provide Apple with certifications that align with each major operating system release. In this way, they provide a measure of confidence—that is, security assurance—that the security needs of a system are being satisfied. For technical areas that aren’t accepted under mutual recognition arrangements (MRAs) or that lack mature security certification standards, Apple is engaged with developing appropriate security standards. Our mission is to drive globally accepted, comprehensive coverage of security certification across all Apple hardware, operating systems, apps, and services.
Certifications are often necessary to meet the requirements of legislation, regulation, and industry norms. Services like Apple School Manager and Apple Business Manager are covered under Apple’s ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27018 certifications. All customers, including government agencies and enterprise and education organizations deploying Apple devices, can use the hardware, operating system, software, and services certifications to support demonstrating compliance.
Hardware certifications
Because secure software requires a foundation of security built into hardware, all Apple devices—whether running iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS—have security capabilities designed into silicon. These include custom CPU capabilities that power system security features and silicon dedicated to security functions. The most critical component is the Secure Enclave coprocessor, which appears on all modern iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS devices, on all Mac computers with Apple silicon, and Intel-based Mac computers with the Apple T2 Security Chip. The Secure Enclave provides the foundation for encrypting data at rest, secure boot in macOS, and biometrics.
Apple’s commitment to security assurance starts with the certification of the foundational security components in silicon, from the hardware root of trust, to the secure boot enforcement, to the Secure Enclave providing secure key store, to the secure authentication with Touch ID and Face ID. The security features of Apple devices are made possible by the combination of silicon design, hardware, software, and services available only from Apple. Certification of these components is an important part of verifying the assurance that Apple provides.
For information on public certifications related to hardware and associated firmware components, see:
Software and app certifications
Apple maintains independent certifications and attestations over its operating system and apps in conformance with the U.S. Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2/-3 for cryptographic modules and Common Criteria for operating systems, apps, and device services. The coverage of operating systems includes iOS, iPadOS, macOS, sepOS, T2 firmware, tvOS, and watchOS. For apps, independent certification will initially include the Safari browser and Contacts apps, with more apps to be certified in the future.
For information on public certifications related to Apple operating systems, see:
For information on public certifications related to Apple apps, see:
Service certifications
Apple maintains security certifications to support our customers, from enterprise to education. These certifications enable Apple customers to address their regulatory and contractual obligations when using Apple services with Apple hardware and software. These certifications provide our customers with an independent attestation over Apple information security, environmental and privacy practices for Apple systems.
For information on public certifications related to Apple internet services, see:
For questions about Apple Security and Privacy Certifications, contact security-certifications@apple.com.