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macrael | 3 months ago

Apple actually attests to signatures of every single binary they install on their machines, before soft booting into a mode where no further executables can be installed: https://security.apple.com/documentation/private-cloud-compu...

We don't _quite_ have the funding to build out our own custom OS to match that level of attestation, so we settled for attesting to a hash of every file on the booted VM instead.

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jiveturkey|3 months ago

> Apple actually attests to signatures

But (based on light reading, forgive errors) the only way to attest them is to ask _Apple_! It reminds me what i call e2e2e encryption. iMessage is secure e2e but you have to trust that Apple is sending you the correct keys. (There's some recent update, maybe 1-2 years old, where you can verify the other party's keys in person I think? But it's closed software, you _still_ have to trust that what you're being shown is something that isn't a coordinated deception.)

Apple claims to operate the infrastructure securely, and while I believe they would never destroy their business by not operating as rigorously as they claim, OTOH they gave all the data to China for Chinese users, so YMMV. And their OS spams me with ads for their services. I absolutely hate that.

Again, anyway, I am comfortable putting my trust in Apple. My data aren't state secrets. But I wouldn't be putting my trust in random cloud operator based on your known-invalid claim of physical protection. Not if the whole point is to protect against an untrustworthy operator. I would much sooner trust a nitro enclave.

brookst|3 months ago

You should read the PCC paper: https://security.apple.com/blog/private-cloud-compute/

You are not in fact trusting Apple at all. You are trusting some limited number of independent security researchers, which is not perfect, but the system is very carefully designed to give Apple themselves no avenue to exploit without detection.

astrange|3 months ago

> OTOH they gave all the data to China for Chinese users, so YMMV

This is true for the same reason that American data is in the US. China is frequently a normal and competent country and has data privacy laws too.