Apple announced 3 new security features including iMessage contact key verification. In addition to iMessage contact key verification, Apple has announced two more new security features coming in 2023 to protect your Apple ID account and iCloud data.
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Apple has announced three new security features that will improve iMessage privacy, strengthen the protection of your Apple ID account and your data in iCloud. Features will become available later in December 2022 and January 2023 when iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, and macOS 13.1 are released. Here are the functions:
- iMessage contact key verification.
- Security keys for Apple ID.
- Improved iCloud data protection.
iMessage contact key verification and Apple ID security keys will become available worldwide in 2023.
Improved iCloud data protection is now available in iOS 16.2 Release candidate in the US. The feature will become publicly available by the end of this year.
iMessage contact key verification
You may have noticed that in messengers like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal, you can tap the security code at the bottom of the chat to check if you are really only chatting with who you think you are.
iMessage contact key verification is a similar feature. Apple understands that most users will never experience cyberattacks, but will still allow anyone who wants to use this feature.
If you enable the feature, you will receive a notification that someone has hacked your chat. You can also compare the contact code in person via FaceTime or another secure call.
Security keys for Apple ID
You should secure your Apple ID account with two-factor authentication, which requires you to enter one-time codes after you authenticate on new devices. You will soon be able to authenticate with a physical wireless security key.
NFC security keys like YubiKey and Yubico will support this feature. Thanks to this feature, even the most experienced hackers will not be able to crack your Apple ID. At least that’s what Apple claims.
Improved iCloud data protection
Most of your data stored in iCloud is protected by two-way encryption. This means that no one can view them unless they have a decryption key that is only available to you on your device. However, data from many Apple apps that are also stored in iCloud still use weaker encryption.
If you turn on iCloud Enhanced Data Protection, there will be 23 categories that are encrypted two-way instead of 14. Finally, you can securely protect your notes, backups, messages and photos.
Once the feature is enabled, Apple will no longer store decryption keys on its servers. As a result, you will need your password, contact, or recovery key to access this data. You will need to add at least one recovery contact before enabling this feature. If you disable it, the decryption keys will be stored on Apple’s servers.
The feature does not protect Health and Maps data, as they are already protected by two-way encryption. The only important categories that still can’t be securely protected are mail, contacts, and calendar. This is due to the integration of these categories with global systems, according to Apple.
