Apple Platform Security
- Welcome
- Intro to Apple platform security
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- Encryption and Data Protection overview
- Passcodes and passwords
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- Data Protection overview
- Data Protection
- Data Protection classes
- Keybags for Data Protection
- Protecting keys in alternate boot modes
- Protecting user data in the face of attack
- Sealed Key Protection (SKP)
- Activating data connections securely in iOS and iPadOS
- Role of Apple File System
- Keychain data protection
- Digital signing and encryption
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- Services security overview
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- Apple Pay security overview
- Apple Pay component security
- How Apple Pay keeps users’ purchases protected
- Payment authorization with Apple Pay
- Paying with cards using Apple Pay
- Contactless passes in Apple Pay
- Rendering cards unusable with Apple Pay
- Apple Card security
- Apple Cash security
- Tap to Pay on iPhone
- Secure Apple Messages for Business
- FaceTime security
- Glossary
- Document revision history
- Copyright

Apple SoC security
Apple-designed silicon forms a common architecture across all Apple products and now powers Mac as well as iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Apple Watch. For over a decade, Apple’s world-class silicon design team has been building and refining Apple systems on chip (SoCs). The result is a scalable architecture designed for all devices that leads the industry in security capabilities. This common foundation for security features is only possible from a company that designs its own silicon to work with its software.
Apple silicon has been designed and fabricated to specifically enable the system security features detailed below.
Feature | A10 | A11, S3 | A12, S4 | A13, S5 | A14, A15, S6, S7 | M1 Family |
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Note: Page Protection Layer (PPL) requires that the platform execute only signed and trusted code; this is a security model that isn’t applicable in macOS.
Apple-designed silicon also specifically enables the Data Protection capabilities detailed below.
Feature | A10 | A11, S3 | A12, S4 | A13, S5 | A14, A15, S6, S7, M1 Family |
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Alternate boots of DFU, Diagnostics, and Update - Class A, B, and C data protected |
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