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Behind the Scenes of iOS Security

Black Hat · talk · Watch on YouTube

Security & hackingCryptographyConsumer devices & gadgets

What it is

Apple security head Ivan Krstic gives a Black Hat 2016 talk on iOS security, covering HomeKit, Auto Unlock and iCloud Keychain. He explains key hierarchies and how data can stay safe even in adversarial clouds.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN repeatedly recommends it as the deepest public look at how iCloud Keychain and Apple's device and cloud security are designed.

  • 9 people recommended it
  • 11 different months
  • 7 strong recommendations
  • first 2016, last 2026

What HN commenters said

  1. “if you haven't watched the talk at Black Hat I'd highly recommend it”

    Covers device key exchange and iCloud security with SEP keys.

    karlshea, 2018-01 · Strong recommendation · in “Apple, in Sign of Health Ambitions, Adds Medical Records Feature for iPhone”

  2. “I tried 1Password but finally resolved to use iCloud keychain after watching this BlackHat 2016 video”

    Convinced commenter to switch from 1Password to iCloud keychain.

    Twisell, 2019-09 · Strong recommendation · in “Ask HN: How comfortable do you feel using cloud-based password managers?”

  3. “That alone convinced me. Apple knows what it is doing when it comes to device security.”

    Convinced the commenter that Apple knows device security.

    dilippkumar, 2024-02 · Strong recommendation · in “Apple confirms it's breaking iPhone web apps in the EU on purpose”

  4. “the second half of this Blackhat talk by Apple's head of Security Engineering & Architecture (SEAR) is really great”

    Deep dive on iCloud Keychain security engineering in second half.

    jesseendahl, 2025-07 · Strong recommendation · in “UK backing down on Apple encryption backdoor after pressure from US”

  5. “You can (and should) watch”

    Full details on how iCloud is protected.

    eddyg, 2026-01 · Strong recommendation · in “Microsoft gave FBI set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops”

  6. “For a really in-depth dive about the iOS class keys system he mentions I recommend this 2016 blackhat talk”

    In-depth dive on iOS class keys from Apple's head of security.

    arkadiyt, 2016-11 · Recommendation · in “The limitations of Android N Encryption”

  7. “Check out Cloud Key Vault, it’s a pretty cool solution for keychain (password) backups designed for adversarial clouds.”

    Cloud Key Vault design for keychain backups in adversarial clouds.

    abalone, 2018-02 · Recommendation · in “Apple moves to store iCloud keys in China, raising human rights fears”

  8. “where he explains the mechanism they use to secure credentials stored in the cloud”

    Mechanism for securing credentials stored in the cloud.

    xmodem, 2018-05 · Recommendation · in “Apple iMac Pro and Secure Storage”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: ios security, icloud keychain, secure enclave, cloud key vault, black hat

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