Apple Announces CryptoKit, Achieve A Level of Security Similar To Hardware Wallets (#GotBitcoin)
Apple to Unveil ‘CryptoKit’ Cryptographic Developer Package at Upcoming Conference. Apple Announces CryptoKit, Achieve A Level of Security Similar To Hardware Wallets (#GotBitcoin)
Apple will target cryptographic developer tools at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2019, the company revealed in the event program for June 5.
During a session scheduled for Wednesday at the ongoing event, titled “Cryptography and your Apps,” Apple will unveil a new tool dubbed “CryptoKit,” which will debut as an update in iOS 13.
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CryptoKit will focus primarily on developers, allowing them to build in more security functionality for apps with better support.
“System frameworks encrypt both data at rest and data in transit in a transparent way for you. This functionality is available by simply setting an attribute. However you may want to do more to protect your users’ data,” the event description reads. It continues:
“CryptoKit is a new Swift framework that makes it easier and safer than ever to perform cryptographic operations, whether you simply need to compute a hash or are implementing a more advanced authentication protocol.”
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The ongoing WWDC comes as social media users keep an increasing eye out for any hint Apple is changing its somewhat hands-off approach to the cryptocurrency industry itself.
Small moves, such as in-app SF symbols — those compatible with Apple’s San Francisco font — now including a bitcoin (BTC) logo, did not go unnoticed by commentators this week.
Last month, meanwhile, cryptocurrency wallet Spend integrated Apple Pay functionality, allowing users to fund contactless mobile payments with any one of around 20 cryptocurrencies.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak himself started a dedicated blockchain VC fund last year.
Apple Publishes Bitcoin Icons & ‘CryptoKit’; iPhone Crypto Wallet Coming?
Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) is underway, and while most of the focus is on iOS3, Apple quietly revealed a new upgrade for developers called CryptoKit.
Apple also released its new icon set for designers which feature four bitcoin logos.
It begs the question, what are Apple’s plans for cryptocurrency integration?
Apple Cryptokit: A Path To A Hardware Wallet?
CryptoKit provides developers with a new toolkit for cryptographic functionality. It means app developers can integrate operations like hashing, key generation, and encryption. In particular, CryptoKit will facilitate the use of public and private key management.
“Use public-key cryptography to create and evaluate digital signatures, and to perform key exchange. In addition to working with keys stored in memory, you can also use private keys stored in and managed by the Secure Enclave.”
Viktor Radchenko, founder of TrustWallet, said CryptoKit brings Apple one step closer to full hardware wallet functionality.
“Only a few steps away before you can turn your phone into a hardware wallet.”
Apple’s Frederic Jacobs, part of the cryptographic and security engineering team, said CryptoKit is “a fast and secure Swift API to perform cryptographic operations.”
Jacobs did not respond to a request for further comment at the time of publishing.
Apple Bitcoin Icons
The company also released the new San Francisco icon set designed for iOS3. Among the set of 1,000 icons are four bitcoin logos. Two circular BTC logos and two square. There are no ethereum logos or any other cryptocurrency.
The new icon set means developers can easily integrate bitcoin icons into their apps.
Apple Following Samsung’s Cryptocurrency Lead?
As CCN has extensively reported, Samsung has taken the initiative with cryptocurrency integration. The Samsung Galaxy S10 launched earlier this year with an integrated hardware wallet designed to store private keys.
Samsung is also reportedly readying crypto asset integration into Samsung Pay, a payment system with over 10 million users. And in May, CCN reported that Samsung plans to extend its hardware wallet into budget Galaxy models too.
Everything We Know About Cryptokit
Apple’s CryptoKit will allow developers to perform common cryptographic operations, such as:
“Compute and compare cryptographically secure digests” and “generate symmetric keys, and use them in operations like message authentication and encryption.”
For developers, it provides a toolkit to build more secure apps and frees apps from handling raw pointers.
The tech giant will reveal more about CryptoKit in a WWDC session on Wednesday.
Still Too Early To Predict Apple’s Crypto Plans
It’s too early to draw any conclusions about Apple’s cryptocurrency plans, if there are any. But at least Apple is providing the tools for cryptocurrency developers to build on iOS. For now, consider this the start of a much longer story. Apple Announces CryptoKit, Achieve, Apple Announces CryptoKit, Achieve
Apple Crypto
Framework:
Perform Cryptographic Operations Securely And Efficiently
Use Apple Cryptokit To Perform Common Cryptographic Operations:
- Compute and compare cryptographically secure digests.
- Use public-key cryptography to create and evaluate digital signatures, and to perform key exchange. In addition to working with keys stored in memory, you can also use private keys stored in and managed by the Secure Enclave.
- Generate symmetric keys, and use them in operations like message authentication and encryption.
Prefer CryptoKit over lower-level interfaces. CryptoKit frees your app from managing raw pointers, and automatically handles tasks that make your app more secure, like overwriting sensitive data during memory deallocation.
Topics
Essentials
Complying with Encryption Export Regulations
Declare the use of encryption in your app to streamline the app submission process.
Performing Common Cryptographic Operations
Use CryptoKit to carry out operations like hashing, key generation, and encryption.
Cryptographically Secure Hashes:
A type that performs cryptographically secure hashing.
An implementation of Secure Hashing Algorithm 2 (SHA-2) hashing with a 512-bit digest.
An implementation of Secure Hashing Algorithm 2 (SHA-2) hashing with a 384-bit digest.
An implementation of Secure Hashing Algorithm 2 (SHA-2) hashing with a 256-bit digest.
Message Authentication Codes:
A hash-based message authentication algorithm.
A symmetric cryptographic key.
Ciphers:
A container for Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) ciphers.
An implementation of the ChaCha20-Poly1305 cipher.
Public-Key Cryptography:
An elliptic curve that enables X25519 key agreement and ed25519 signatures.
An elliptic curve that enables NIST P-521 signatures and key agreement.
An elliptic curve that enables NIST P-384 signatures and key agreement.
An elliptic curve that enables NIST P-256 signatures and key agreement.
A representation of a device’s hardware-based key manager.
A key agreement result from which you can derive a symmetric cryptographic key.
Errors:
Errors related to symmetric-key encryption.
General CryptoKit errors.
Legacy Algorithms:
A container for older, cryptographically insecure algorithms.
Updated: 11-9-2021
Tim Cook Says He Owns Cryptocurrency And He’s Been ‘Interested In It For A While’
Apple CEO Tim Cook said he personally owns cryptocurrency on Tuesday after he was asked at the DealBook conference if he owns bitcoin or ethereum.
“I do. I think it’s reasonable to own it as part of a diversified portfolio,” Cook told Andrew Ross Sorkin in a recorded interview.
“I’m not giving anyone investment advice by the way.”
Cook said that he had been interested in cryptocurrency “for a while” and that he had been researching the topic.
However, Cook said that his interest was from a “personal point of view” and dismissed suggestions that that Apple might take cryptocurrency in exchange for products as tender.
Cook also rejected the possibility of Apple buying cryptocurrency with corporate funds as an investment.
“I wouldn’t go invest in crypto, not because I wouldn’t invest my own money, but because I don’t think people buy Apple stock to get exposure to crypto,” Cook said.
In August, Cook received 5 million shares of Apple stock worth $750 million at the time. He will get additional grants of Apple stock through 2026, of which the number of shares of depends on Apple stock performance. He has said he plans to donate his entire fortune to charity.
Bitcoin and ether hit all-time highs on Tuesday morning.
Apple doesn’t currently have any cryptocurrency products or services. It does allow crypto wallet apps on its iPhone App Store, but it also prohibits mining apps.
Apple has released financial services through its Wallet App, which includes contactless Apple Pay, peer-to-peer payments, and the Apple Card credit card.
If Apple does introduce cryptocurrency products or services, they are many years away. An Apple Pay executive said in 2019 said that the company saw “long-term potential” in cryptocurrency.
Cook said on Tuesday that while Apple was looking at cryptocurrency technology, it’s “not something we have immediate plans to do.”
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