Access security tokens and the cryptographic assets they store.
SDKs
- iOS 13.0+
- macOS 10.10+
- Mac Catalyst 13.0+
- tvOS 13.0+
Overview
You use the CryptoTokenKit framework to easily access cryptographic tokens. Tokens are physical devices that can be built in to the system, located on attached hardware (like a smart card), or accessible through a network connection. Tokens store cryptographic objects like keys and certificates. They also may perform operations—for example, encryption or digital signature verification—using these objects. You use the framework to work with a token’s assets as if they were part of your system, even though they remain secured by the token.
You can also use the framework to enable a token for two-factor authentication in macOS. Authentication services manage associations between users and identities stored on a token, granting users access when the appropriate token is present and unlocked. You supply a token driver in the form of an app extension that bridges the gap between authentication services and the underlying token hardware.
Note
When you want to manage the associations between users and tokens on a given computer, use the sc
command line utility. See the sc
man page for details.