Prioritize user privacy and data security in your app. Discuss best practices for data handling, user consent, and security measures to protect user information.

All subtopics
Posts under Privacy & Security topic

Post

Replies

Boosts

Views

Created

How is an iOS app on the App Store able to detect other apps?!?!
A client asked why we can't detect other apps installed on a device without an MDM profile, we explained this isn't possible due to privacy and security restrictions on iOS. A regular app cannot find other apps that are installed unless part of the same group. The client then told us to download SpyBuster (on the App Store) which somehow is collecting a list of Bundle IDs or names of all installed apps somehow. We were skeptical, but sure enough, the app showed us a list of apps we had installed. How is it doing this?!?! No MDM profile associated with the app. No special permissions requested. No access to anything shown in privacy & security in settings. Is there a special entitlement we're not aware of? Just seems like they must be using a private API call to get this info but that would of course mean it should be pulled from the App Store. We'd love to have this capability in our apps if it's legit and accepted by App Store review. Thanks!
8
0
1.1k
Jul ’24
Different PRF output when using platform or cross-platform authentication attachement
Hello, I am using the prf extension for passkeys that is available since ios 18 and macos15. I am using a fixed, hardcoded prf input when creating or geting the credentials. After creating a passkey, i try to get the credentials and retrieve the prf output, which works great, but i am getting different prf outputs for the same credential and same prf input used in the following scenarios: Logging in directly (platform authenticator) on my macbook/iphone/ipad i get "prf output X" consistently for the 3 devices When i use my iphone/ipad to scan the qr code on my macbook (cross-platform authenticator) i get "prf output Y" consistently with both my ipad and iphone. Is this intended? Is there a way to get deterministic prf output for both platform and cross-platform auth attachements while using the same credential and prf input?
15
0
1.1k
Sep ’24
Something odd with Endpoint Security & was_mapped_writable
I'm seeing some odd behavior which may be a bug. I've broken it down to a least common denominator to reproduce it. But maybe I'm doing something wrong. I am opening a file read-write. I'm then mapping the file read-only and private: void* pointer = mmap(NULL, 17, PROT_READ, MAP_FILE | MAP_PRIVATE, fd, 0); I then unmap the memory and close the file. After the close, eslogger shows me this: {"close":{"modified":false,[...],"was_mapped_writable":false}} Which makes sense. I then change the mmap statement to: void* pointer = mmap(NULL, 17, PROT_READ, MAP_FILE | MAP_SHARED, fd, 0); I run the new code and and the close looks like: {"close":{"modified":false, [....], "was_mapped_writable":true}} Which also makes sense. I then run the original again (ie, with MAP_PRIVATE vs. MAP_SHARED) and the close looks like: {"close":{"modified":false,"was_mapped_writable":true,[...]} Which doesn't appear to be correct. Now if I just open and close the file (again, read-write) and don't mmap anything the close still shows: {"close":{ [...], "was_mapped_writable":true,"modified":false}} And the same is true if I open the file read-only. It will remain that way until I delete the file. If I recreate the file and try again, everything is good until I map it MAP_SHARED. I tried this with macOS 13.6.7 and macOS 15.0.1.
3
0
717
Oct ’24
ASWebAuthenticationSession Async/Await API
Is there any particular reason why ASWebAuthenticationSession doesn't have support for async/await? (example below) do { let callbackURL = try await webAuthSession.start() } catch { // handle error } I'm curious if this style of integration doesn't exist for architectural reasons? Or is the legacy completion handler style preserved in order to prevent existing integrations from breaking?
2
1
654
Oct ’24
Whether non-Apple Store mac apps can use passkey?
Our desktop app for macos will be released in 2 channels appstore dmg package on our official website for users to download and install Now when we debug with passkey, we find that the package name of the appstore can normally arouse passkey, but the package name of the non-App Store can not arouse the passkey interface I need your help. Thank you
2
0
748
Oct ’24
Gatekeeper refuses to start application from downloaded DMG
Hello, I have an application which uses a helper[1] to download[2] files. When files download is a DMG and user mounts the image to run the application from this DMG it doesn't pass Gatekeeper. It presents the "Application XYZ.app can't be opened.". Same file downloaded via Safari shows a different dialog, the "XYZ.app is an app downloaded from the internet. Are you sure you want to open it?" In the system log I see this line: exec of /Volumes/SampleApp/SampleApp.app/Contents/MacOS/SampleApp denied since it was quarantined by Download\x20Helper and created without user consent, qtn-flags was 0x00000187 The application is running sandboxed and hardened, the main application has com.apple.security.files.downloads.read-write entitlement. Everything is signed by DeveloperID and passes all checks[3]. I tried to check the responsible process[4] of the helper. Then trivial stuff like download folder access in System Settings/Privacy & Security/Files & Folders. Everything seems to be fine. For what it worths the value of quarantine attribute is following: com.apple.quarantine: 0087;6723b80e;My App; The Safari downloaded one posses: com.apple.quarantine: 0083;6723b9fa;Safari;02162070-2561-42BE-B30B-19A0E94FE7CA Also tried a few more ways and got to 0081 with Edge and 0082 with a sample app with similar setup. Not sure if that has any meaning. What could I be doing wrong that Gatekeeper right away refuses to run the application from DMG instead of showing the dialog like in other cases? [1] The executable is in application bundle located in Contents/Helpers/DownloadHelper.app in the main application bundle. [2] Nothing fancy, curl + regular POSIX file operations [3] codesign, syspolicy_check, spctl [4] launchctl procinfo pid
13
0
1.4k
Oct ’24
Mac Issue with Developer ID certificate and Sign in with Apple capability
Hello I have a problem with provisionprofile file. I have created Identifier with Sign in with Apple capability turned on, created Profile with Developer ID selected and now I try to export archive with generated Developer ID provision file but it says "Profile doesn't support Sign in with Apple" Also interesting thing that default provisions like macOS App Development Mac App Store Connect don't show such error when I try to export archive Maybe this problem is only related to Developer ID provision and Direct Distribution doesn't support Sign in with Apple, but I havent found proves about this idea
2
1
483
Nov ’24
ASCredentialProvider/ProvidesTextToInsert macOS support
Hi, ASCredentialProvider had been almost identically implemented on both iOS and macOS so far, but the ProvidesTextToInsert feature was only added to iOS. It would have been a crucial point to make Credential Providers available in all textfields, without users having to rely on developers correctly setting roles for their Text Fields. It's right now impossible to paste credentials into Notes, or some other non-password text box both in web and desktop apps for example, in a seamless, OS-supported way without abusing Accessibility APIs which are understandably disallowed in Mac App Store apps. Or just pasting an SSH key, or anything. On macOS this has so many possibilities. It could even have a terminal command. It's even more interesting that "Passwords..." is an option in macOS's AutoFill context menu, just like on iOS, however Credential Providers did not gain this feature on macOS, only on iOS. Is this an upcoming feature, or should we find alternatives? Or should I file a feature request? If it's already in the works, it's pointless to file it.
1
0
467
Nov ’24
Is there a way to hide the 'Save to another device' option during iOS WebAuthn registration?
Hello, I am currently implementing a biometric authentication registration flow using WebAuthn. I am using ASAuthorizationPlatformPublicKeyCredentialRegistrationRequest, and I would like to know if there is a way to hide the "Save to another device" option that appears during the registration process. Specifically, I want to guide users to save the passkey only locally on their device, without prompting them to save it to iCloud Keychain or another device. If there is a way to hide this option or if there is a recommended approach to achieve this, I would greatly appreciate your guidance. Also, if this is not possible due to iOS version or API limitations, I would be grateful if you could share any best practices for limiting user options in this scenario. If anyone has experienced a similar issue, your advice would be very helpful. Thank you in advance.
1
0
1.1k
Nov ’24
How to Restrict Passkey Authentication to FaceID or TouchID Only
Hi everyone, I'm looking for a way to configure Passkey on iOS so that authentication is only possible using FaceID or TouchID. Specifically, I want to disable the use of passcodes and QR codes for authentication. Additionally, is there a method to detect if the authentication was done using a passcode or QR code? Thanks for your help!
1
0
534
Nov ’24
Passkey Associated domain error 1004
iOS18.1.1 macOS15.1.1 xcode16.1 Error Domain=com.apple.AuthenticationServices.AuthorizationError Code=1004 "Unable to verify webcredentials association of ********** with domain ******************. Please try again in a few seconds." Our domain must query with VPN, so I set webcredentials:qa.ejeokvv.com?mode=developer following: "If you use a private web server, which is unreachable from the public internet, while developing your app, enable the alternate mode feature to bypass the CDN and connect directly to your server. To do this, add a query string to your associated domains entitlement, as shown in the following example: :?mode= " but it still not working, even after I set mode=developer. Please help!!!!
4
2
998
Nov ’24
ASWebAuthenticationSession + https iOS <17.4
Hi everyone, I am trying to use ASWebAuthenticationSession to authorize user using OAuth2. Service Webcredentials is set. /.well-known/apple-app-site-association file is set. When using API for iOS > 17.4 using new init with callback: .https(...) everything works as expected, however i cannot make .init(url: ,callbackURLScheme: ....) to work. How can i intercept callback using iOS <17.4? Do I really need to use universal links? callbackURL = https://mydomain.com/auth/callback
1
0
469
Nov ’24
AutoFill Unavailable - The developer needs to update it to work with this feature.
I have had a password autofill app extension in production for years. It still works fine. Except when the user taps a username or password textfield and selects "AutoFill" from the context menu. They are shown a modal error dialog, stating: "AutoFill Unavailable - The developer needs to update it to work with this feature." I cannot find any help on this issue. The AutoFill extension works fine when tapping the "Passwords" bar above the iOS keyboard. Any pointers would be appreciated.
2
1
767
Dec ’24
"My App" would like to access data from other apps pop up
Hi All, I have a finder sync extension that passes data back to my main app. It currently writes to a plist file in my group container folder. Since updating to macOS 15, I have been getting this pop-up every time I trigger this writing to the plist after the finder sync extension loads. This is how I write to the plist from my finder sync extension: let appGroupDefaults = UserDefaults(suiteName: "group.team_id.Finder-Sync-Extension-Test-Project") let items = FIFinderSyncController.default().selectedItemURLs() DispatchQueue.main.async { let url = items?.first?.absoluteString var file = items?.first?.lastPathComponent if let defaults = appGroupDefaults{ defaults.set(url, forKey: "targetURL") defaults.synchronize() } self.showWindow(with: NSExtensionContext()) } This is how I read the plist from my main app: if let defaults = UserDefaults(suiteName: "group.team_id.Finder-Sync-Extension-Test-Project") { defaults.synchronize() if let clickedUrl = defaults.string(forKey: "targetURL") { window = NSWindow(contentRect: NSScreen.main?.frame ?? .zero, styleMask: [.miniaturizable, .closable, .resizable, .titled], backing: .buffered, defer: false) window?.title = "My App" window?.makeKeyAndOrderFront(nil) textField.stringValue = clickedUrl window?.contentView?.addSubview(textField) } } It is fine if this popup happens once and the user's choice gets remembered. I just don't want it to happen every time. Any help on if this is the correct way to pass data between the finder sync extension and the main app or on how to get macOS to remember the choice of the user would be great. Thanks, James
2
0
540
Dec ’24
LAContext and smart cards
In one of our applications we use LAContext's evaluatePolicy:localizedReason:reply: to authenticate a user. This works pretty well with both username/password and Touch ID. Now we have a request to add support for smart cards and I wonder if this is possible using LAContext. Otherwise I would use Authentication Services, although that might be a bit overkill since we don't need to request any rights, we just want to see that the user has been successfully authenticated. Or is there a better way? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Marc
13
0
809
Dec ’24
Can't get SecKeyCreateWithData to work with private key from my App Store Connect account.
I've tried all kinds of ways to get a SecKeyRef from the .p8 file I downloaded from my App Store Connect account. The key itself looks OK, as openssl gives this result: openssl asn1parse -in 359UpAdminKey.p8 0:d=0 hl=3 l= 147 cons: SEQUENCE 3:d=1 hl=2 l= 1 prim: INTEGER :00 6:d=1 hl=2 l= 19 cons: SEQUENCE 8:d=2 hl=2 l= 7 prim: OBJECT :id-ecPublicKey 17:d=2 hl=2 l= 8 prim: OBJECT :prime256v1 27:d=1 hl=2 l= 121 prim: OCTET STRING [HEX DUMP]:30... My method for creating the key is: '- (SecKeyRef)privateKeyFromP8:(NSURL *)p8FileURL error:(NSError **)error { // Read the .p8 file NSData *p8Data = [NSData dataWithContentsOfURL:p8FileURL options:0 error:error]; if (!p8Data) { return NULL; } // Convert P8 to base64 string, removing header/footer NSString *p8String = [[NSString alloc] initWithData:p8Data encoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding]; NSArray *lines = [p8String componentsSeparatedByString:@"\n"]; NSMutableString *base64String = [NSMutableString string]; for (NSString *line in lines) { if (![line containsString:@"PRIVATE KEY"]) { [base64String appendString:line]; } } // Decode base64 to raw key data NSData *keyData = [[NSData alloc] initWithBase64EncodedString:base64String options:0]; if (!keyData) { if (error) { *error = [NSError errorWithDomain:@"P8ImportError" code:1 userInfo:@{NSLocalizedDescriptionKey: @"Failed to decode base64 data"}]; } return NULL; } // Set up key parameters NSDictionary *attributes = @{ (__bridge NSString *)kSecAttrKeyType: (__bridge NSString *)kSecAttrKeyTypeECSECPrimeRandom, (__bridge NSString *)kSecAttrKeyClass: (__bridge NSString *)kSecAttrKeyClassPrivate, (__bridge NSString *)kSecAttrKeySizeInBits: @256 }; // Create SecKeyRef from the raw key data CFErrorRef keyError = NULL; SecKeyRef privateKey = SecKeyCreateWithData((__bridge CFDataRef)p8Data, (__bridge CFDictionaryRef)attributes, &amp;keyError); if (!privateKey &amp;&amp; keyError) { *error = (__bridge_transfer NSError *)keyError; NSError *bridgeError = (__bridge NSError *)keyError; if (error) { *error = bridgeError; // Pass the bridged error back to the caller } NSLog(@"Key Error: %@", bridgeError.localizedDescription); } return privateKey; } ` I get this error from SecKeyCreateWithData The operation couldn’t be completed. (OSStatus error -50 - EC private key creation from data failed) Filed a DTS incident, but they won't be back until after the New Year. I've tried all kinds of things. Various AI chatbots, etc. Nothing seems to be working. I'm sure the problem is something elementary, but have spent hours on this with no luck. Help, please.
1
0
641
Dec ’24
accessing Items.data
Hi Guys, I want to access items.data file from this location **/Library/Caches/com.apple.findmy.fmipcore/Items.data ** Can anyone hlep me how to decrypt this file as this is encrypted now. Any help on this is highly appreciated. I want to access my own airtag data and this is the only way i believe. Thanks in advance.
1
0
416
Dec ’24
Secure Phone After Hacked
Hello! Few month ago i did get hacked on my pc and then my android and iphone. Did get at notice that payments couldent draw. lucky I only had 240kr on lunar card that it did draw 200kr to a gift card. Did get mail from skrill that a account whas created with one of my Gmail’s. Tryed to log them out but window did keep close. Gmail did flag like crazy and wanted me to change pw. how the fuck when I lost control of my phone?!?!??! Just lock it god Damn. let’s make it short! I shared network to pc from my phone With usb. I don’t just think it whas a attacker program as Gmail did flag. I think I did get mirror linked on my android and maybe my iphone. Had a real struggle to reset my pc and phones before it worked. My iPhone drains battery like crazy and feels laggy sometimes. A non registered number whas added to two Gmail’s that they did try to change pw multiple times. did notice I Linux pc activity on my fb and some other stuff. My iphone do reboot still sometimes and every second reboot wifi/bluet can’t be activated and mobile share change pw as the original one did look. Next reboot all work and are the same again. Iam scared that iam still hacked or havent removed him from everything. How can I make sure that Iam still not mirror linked and that he or she can’t access anything? Sorry for the long text but iam scared as fuck.
0
0
351
Dec ’24