Apple Quietly Upgraded A12 and A13 Chips Last Fall With New Secure Storage Component
Apple quietly upgraded its A12, A13, and S5 products last fall with a second generation secure storage component, according to an official support document.
The change was spotted by Twitter user Andrew Pantyukhin…
“Apparently, there was a security reason serious enough to change the production of all A12 and A13 devices in the fall of 2020. Also, TIL, the secure enclave in iPhones *does not* include key storage Exploding head So many questions!“
Here’s what Apple says in the support document…
Devices first released in Fall 2020 or later are equipped with a 2nd-generation Secure Storage Component. The 2nd-generation Secure Storage Component adds counter lockboxes. Each counter lockbox stores a 128-bit salt, a 128-bit passcode verifier, an 8-bit counter, and an 8-bit maximum attempt value. Access to the counter lockboxes is through an encrypted and authenticated protocol.
It’s quite unusual for Apple to make changes to its chips once production has started. It’s also unclear if the new chips are being used for devices launched prior to September 2020 or just devices launched September 2020. Those would include the HomePod mini, iPad 8, and Apple Watch SE.
Check out the support document linked below for more details…
