- Jul 24, 2018
The Apple T2 chip in the latest MacBook Pros offer a deeper level of security
Apple states, “The Apple T2 chip includes a Secure Enclave coprocessor that provides the foundation for secure boot and encrypted storage capabilities. It also consolidates many discrete controllers, including the system management controller, audio controller, and SSD controller, into one.”
A detailed study about the T2 chip shows that it consists of a built-in hardware encryption engine that encrypts all data stored on the MacBook Pro’s SSD. It enables owners to access their data through Apple’s FireVault platform with the user’s own personal key.
This is a full proof and a very secure method of data storage as the data cannot be accessed without the key. In addition to this, a hacker will not have access to the users’ stored data even if the SSD card is pulled out. It is necessary for the users to constantly keep making backups using Time Machine because if they move the SSD card from one MacBook Pro to another, the first device will suffer catastrophic failure.
Apple’s T2 chip handles the start-up process and it has been called “hardware root of trust.” It monitors every step and provides approval so that the process can move to the next stage. This process includes scanning the firmware, the system kernel, kernel extensions, and more.
Because of the T2 chip, the updated devices are not vulnerable to low-level attacks. Since only verified, trusted software will be launched during the startup process, owners have a lot more protection. With the 'Command-R' tool, owners can password-protect the firmware and enable/disable booting from external devices. It comes with 3 settings - full, medium and no.
Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar starts at $1,800 packing an eighth-generation Core i5 processor. The new 15-inch MacBook Pro start at $2,400 packing eighth-generation six-core chips.
Read more at www.digitaltrends.com