I managed to lose my password in a mixup with my password manager. It has taken me a few hours to work out how to reset it. Following the forgotten password link on the sign in page only takes you to a point where you are asked to reset the password on your iCloud user id. If they are one and the same that's ok. Mine aren't.
I eventually found the answer:
in the settings app choose developer
2 scroll to the end and choose the sandbox apple account
3. choose this and reset
General
RSS for tagPrioritize user privacy and data security in your app. Discuss best practices for data handling, user consent, and security measures to protect user information.
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Forums topic: Privacy & Security
Privacy Resources
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—
Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple
let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com"
Topic:
Privacy & Security
SubTopic:
General
When using Apple's Journal app through iPhone Mirroring, the user is allowed to authenticate via TouchID on the Mac instead of requiring you to unlock your phone, authenticate and then re-lock it to access it again in iPhone Mirroring.
Any other app that's using a call to authenticate via FaceID can't do this under iPhone Mirroring. Is there a new API call for this, or is it still a private API for Apple only?
Pretty much the headline. the func transactionHistory() needs to return the transaction location. This seems so rudimentary, yet it is missing from the docs. Unless I'm missing something, please add this feature or point me in the right direction.
Alternatively, is there a way for my app to get notified of the transaction immediately as it happens? I have to get transactions historically which leaves me with no way to determine where they happened in the past.
Topic:
Privacy & Security
SubTopic:
General
I want to implement webauthn using WKWebView for my mac application. I want to host the asaa file in the rpid. Below are my site configuration -
Main domain - example.com
Subdomain which has the sign-in view and where webauthn kicks in - signin.example.com
RPID - example.com
Where shall i host the asaa file at domain(example.com) or subdomain(signin.example.com)?
Topic:
Privacy & Security
SubTopic:
General
Tags:
Autofill
Authentication Services
Universal Links
WebKit
Like many/most developers, I gave Connect the info required to comply with the DSA. Perhaps unlike most, I always give unique email addresses so that I can easily track the source of abuse. Yesterday I finally had a phish come in to my DSA address claiming "Message blocked" and doing the standard click-to-login-for-details FOMO bait.
So, yep, DSA just becomes yet another public database that malicious actors can use to target you.
It would be really nice if Apple provided a way to supply our contact info only for legitimate business purposes. Mail Privacy Protection (or similar) for this would be a start.
Hey when I search for app that is hide. it shows the information in the app like a phone number I try everything I talk to two agents I’m not the only one who has this problem can you guy please fix up Siri suggested thank you
Topic:
Privacy & Security
SubTopic:
General
General:
Forums topic: Privacy & Security
Forums tag: Privacy
Developer > Security — This also covers privacy topics.
App privacy details on the App Store
UIKit > Protecting the User’s Privacy documentation
Bundle Resources > Privacy manifest files documentation
TN3181 Debugging an invalid privacy manifest technote
TN3182 Adding privacy tracking keys to your privacy manifest technote
TN3183 Adding required reason API entries to your privacy manifest technote
TN3184 Adding data collection details to your privacy manifest technote
TN3179 Understanding local network privacy technote
Handling ITMS-91061: Missing privacy manifest forums post
Share and Enjoy
—
Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple
let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com"
I’ve come to discover over the course of three weeks of trying to gain access to my original iTunes account that because of the old security protocols I cannot get access to my music. Apple has said there is no way to access that data without being able to send a reset to the old deleted email attached to that data. That said Cox deleted all of my emails when they migrated over to yahoo so I cannot send an email to reset password to gain access and Apple does not have a protocol in place even though it’s very clear. The current account is linked to the old account. Any of your developers out there have an idea on how I can get past this because the birthdate and the username are not matching up to what they should be. Appreciate your brain muscle guys. It’s a lifetime of music.
Topic:
Privacy & Security
SubTopic:
General
Using personal physical iPhone for simulations. Can't get Keychain to read or store AppleID name/email. I want to avoid hard reseting physical phone.
Logs confirm Keychain is working, but userIdentifier and savedEmail are not being stored correctly.
🔄 Initializing UserManager...
✅ Saved testKeychain to Keychain: Test Value
✅ Retrieved testKeychain from Keychain: Test Value
🔍 Keychain Test - Retrieved Value: Test Value
⚠️ Keychain Retrieve Warning: No stored value found for userIdentifier
⚠️ Keychain Retrieve Warning: No stored value found for savedEmail
🔍 Debug - Retrieved from Keychain: userIdentifier=nil, savedEmail=nil
⚠️ No stored userIdentifier in Keychain. User needs to sign in.
📦 Converting User to CKRecord: Unknown, No Email
✅ User saved locally: Unknown, No Email
✅ User saved to CloudKit: Unknown, No Email
Below UserManager.swift if someone can help troubleshoot. Or step by step tutorial to configure a project and build a User Login & User Account creation for Apple Only app.
import Foundation
import CloudKit
import AuthenticationServices
import SwiftData
@MainActor
class UserManager: ObservableObject {
@Published var user: User?
@Published var isLoggedIn = false
@Published var errorMessage: String?
private let database = CKContainer.default().publicCloudDatabase
init() {
print("🔄 Initializing UserManager...")
// 🔍 Keychain Debug Test
let testKey = "testKeychain"
KeychainHelper.shared.save("Test Value", forKey: testKey)
let retrievedValue = KeychainHelper.shared.retrieve(forKey: testKey)
print("🔍 Keychain Test - Retrieved Value: \(retrievedValue ?? "nil")")
fetchUser() // Continue normal initialization
}
// ✅ Sign in & Save User
func handleSignIn(_ authResults: ASAuthorization) {
guard let appleIDCredential = authResults.credential as? ASAuthorizationAppleIDCredential else {
errorMessage = "Error retrieving Apple credentials"
print("❌ ASAuthorization Error: Invalid credentials received")
return
}
let userIdentifier = appleIDCredential.user
let fullName = appleIDCredential.fullName?.givenName ?? retrieveSavedName()
var email = appleIDCredential.email ?? retrieveSavedEmail()
print("🔍 Apple Sign-In Data: userIdentifier=\(userIdentifier), fullName=\(fullName), email=\(email)")
// 🔄 If Apple doesn't return an email, check if it exists in Keychain
if appleIDCredential.email == nil {
print("⚠️ Apple Sign-In didn't return an email. Retrieving saved email from Keychain.")
}
// ✅ Store userIdentifier & email in Keychain
KeychainHelper.shared.save(userIdentifier, forKey: "userIdentifier")
KeychainHelper.shared.save(email, forKey: "savedEmail")
let newUser = User(fullName: fullName, email: email, userIdentifier: userIdentifier)
saveUserToCloudKit(newUser)
}
func saveUserToCloudKit(_ user: User) {
let record = user.toRecord()
Task {
do {
try await database.save(record)
DispatchQueue.main.async {
self.user = user
self.isLoggedIn = true
self.saveUserLocally(user)
print("✅ User saved to CloudKit: \(user.fullName), \(user.email)")
}
} catch {
DispatchQueue.main.async {
self.errorMessage = "Error saving user: \(error.localizedDescription)"
print("❌ CloudKit Save Error: \(error.localizedDescription)")
}
}
}
}
// ✅ Fetch User from CloudKit
func fetchUser() {
let userIdentifier = KeychainHelper.shared.retrieve(forKey: "userIdentifier")
let savedEmail = KeychainHelper.shared.retrieve(forKey: "savedEmail")
print("🔍 Debug - Retrieved from Keychain: userIdentifier=\(userIdentifier ?? "nil"), savedEmail=\(savedEmail ?? "nil")")
guard let userIdentifier = userIdentifier else {
print("⚠️ No stored userIdentifier in Keychain. User needs to sign in.")
return
}
let predicate = NSPredicate(format: "userIdentifier == %@", userIdentifier)
let query = CKQuery(recordType: "User", predicate: predicate)
Task { [weak self] in
guard let self = self else { return }
do {
let results = try await self.database.records(matching: query, resultsLimit: 1).matchResults
if let (_, result) = results.first {
switch result {
case .success(let record):
DispatchQueue.main.async {
let fetchedUser = User(record: record)
self.user = User(
fullName: fetchedUser.fullName,
email: savedEmail ?? fetchedUser.email,
userIdentifier: userIdentifier
)
self.isLoggedIn = true
self.saveUserLocally(self.user!)
print("✅ User loaded from CloudKit: \(fetchedUser.fullName), \(fetchedUser.email)")
}
case .failure(let error):
DispatchQueue.main.async {
print("❌ Error fetching user from CloudKit: \(error.localizedDescription)")
}
}
}
} catch {
DispatchQueue.main.async {
print("❌ CloudKit fetch error: \(error.localizedDescription)")
}
}
}
}
// ✅ Save User Locally
private func saveUserLocally(_ user: User) {
if let encoded = try? JSONEncoder().encode(user) {
UserDefaults.standard.set(encoded, forKey: "savedUser")
UserDefaults.standard.set(user.fullName, forKey: "savedFullName")
UserDefaults.standard.set(user.email, forKey: "savedEmail")
print("✅ User saved locally: \(user.fullName), \(user.email)")
} else {
print("❌ Local Save Error: Failed to encode user data")
}
}
// ✅ Retrieve Previously Saved Name
private func retrieveSavedName() -> String {
return UserDefaults.standard.string(forKey: "savedFullName") ?? "Unknown"
}
// ✅ Retrieve Previously Saved Email
private func retrieveSavedEmail() -> String {
return KeychainHelper.shared.retrieve(forKey: "savedEmail") ?? UserDefaults.standard.string(forKey: "savedEmail") ?? "No Email"
}
// ✅ Sign Out
func signOut() {
isLoggedIn = false
user = nil
UserDefaults.standard.removeObject(forKey: "savedUser")
print("🚪 Signed Out")
}
}
Topic:
Privacy & Security
SubTopic:
General
Tags:
Sign in with Apple
Authentication Services
iCloud Keychain Verification Codes
Hello,
I've developed a macOS app with an AutoFill Credential Provider extension that functions as a passkey provider. In the registration flow, I want my app to appear as a passkey provider only when specific conditions are met.
Is there a way to inspect the request from the web before the passkey provider selection list is displayed to the user, determine whether my app can handle it, and then use that result to instruct the OS on whether to include my app in the passkey provider selection list?
Alternatively, is there a way to predefine conditions that must be met before my app is offered as a passkey provider in the selection list?
Thanks!
Topic:
Privacy & Security
SubTopic:
General
Tags:
Extensions
Autofill
Authentication Services
Passkeys in iCloud Keychain
Hi Apple team,
For our iPhone app (App Store build), a small subset of devices report DCAppAttestService.isSupported == false, preventing App Attest from being enabled.
Approx. impact: 0.23% (352/153,791)
iOS observed: Broadly 15.x–18.7 (also saw a few anomalous entries ios/26.0, likely client logging noise)
Device models: Multiple generations (iPhone8–iPhone17); a few iPad7 entries present although the app targets iPhone
Questions
In iPhone main app context, what conditions can make isSupported return false on iOS 14+?
Are there known device/iOS cases where temporary false can occur (SEP/TrustChain related)? Any recommended remediation (e.g., DFU restore)?
Could you share logging guidance (Console.app subsystem/keywords) to investigate such cases?
What fallback policy do you recommend when isSupported == false (e.g., SE-backed signature + DeviceCheck + risk rules), and any limitations?
We can provide sysdiagnose/Console logs and more case details upon request.
Thank you,
—
Step1. Update system.login.screensaver authorizationdb rule to use “authenticate-session-owner-or-admin”( to get old SFAutorizationPluginView at Lock Screen ). Here I will use my custom authorization plugin.
Step 2. Once the rule is in place, logout and login, now click on Apple icon and select “Lock Screen”.
Is there a way programmatically to update the Lock Icon and the test getting displayed on the first Unlock screen? When I write a custom authorisation plug-in, I am getting control of the text fields and any consecutive screen I add from there on. But all I want is to update the lock icon and text fields on 1st unlock display itself. Can you please suggest how I can achieve this? Here is the screenshot with marked areas I am looking control for.
This is on macOS, not iOS. Not sure if that should make a difference?
I have a GUI app and a command line tool (that will run a daemon) that I need to share credentials between. The keys/certs will be stored using the GUI app. But, both tools need to utilize them.
guard let accessControl = SecAccessControlCreateWithFlags(
nil,
kSecAttrAccessibleWhenPasscodeSetThisDeviceOnly,
[.privateKeyUsage],
nil
) else {
throw KeychainCertError.keychainError(errSecAuthFailed, "Failed to create access control for private key")
}
// Define Key Pair Attributes
let privateKeyAttributes: [String: Any] = [
kSecAttrIsPermanent as String: true,
kSecAttrApplicationTag as String: privateLabel.data(using: .utf8)!,
kSecAttrLabel as String: privateLabel,
// kSecAttrAccessControl as String: accessControl,
kSecAttrAccessGroup as String: keychainAccessGroup
]
With the kSecAttrAccessControl commented out, I am able to generate a private key and generate a self signed certificate that is stored on the user login keychain. If I uncomment that line, I get an error to the affect of "Keychain error (-26275): Failed to generate key pair: A required entitlement isn't present"
Also, to share the credentials, don't they need to be NOT on the user keychain for the daemon to access them?
Any ideas what I am doing wrong? I think I'm a bit over my head here with the the security, crypto kit and openssl. 😁
This post is an extension to Importing Cryptographic Keys that covers one specific common case: importing a PEM-based RSA private key and its certificate to form a digital identity.
If you have questions or comments, start a new thread in Privacy & Security > General. Tag your thread with Security so that I see it.
Share and Enjoy
—
Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple
let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com"
Importing a PEM-based RSA Private Key and its Certificate
I regularly see folks struggle to import an RSA private key and its corresponding certificate. Importing Cryptographic Keys outlines various options for importing keys, but in this post I want to cover one specific case, namely, a PEM-based RSA private key and its corresponding certificate. Together these form a digital identity, represented as a SecIdentity object.
IMPORTANT If you can repackage your digital identity as a PKCS#12, please do. It’s easy to import that using SecPKCS12Import. If you can switch to an elliptic curve (EC) private key, please do. It’s generally better and Apple CryptoKit has direct support for importing an EC PEM.
Assuming that’s not the case, let’s explore how to import a PEM-base RSA private key and its corresponding certificate to form a digital identity.
Note The code below was built with Xcode 16.2 and tested on the iOS 18.2 simulator. It uses the helper routines from Calling Security Framework from Swift.
This code assumes the data protection keychain. If you’re targeting macOS, add kSecUseDataProtectionKeychain to all the keychain calls. See TN3137 On Mac keychain APIs and implementations for more background to that.
Unwrap the PEM
To start, you need to get the data out of the PEM:
/// Extracts the data from a PEM.
///
/// As PEM files can contain a large range of data types, you must supply the
/// expected prefix and suffix strings. For example, for a certificate these
/// are `"-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----` and `-----END CERTIFICATE-----`.
///
/// - important: This assumes the simplest possible PEM format. It does not
/// handle metadata at the top of the PEM or PEMs with multiple items in them.
func dataFromPEM(_ pem: String, _ expectedPrefix: String, _ expectedSuffix: String) -> Data? {
let lines = pem.split(separator: "\n")
guard
let first = lines.first,
first == expectedPrefix,
let last = lines.last,
last == expectedSuffix
else { return nil }
let base64 = lines.dropFirst().dropLast().joined()
guard let data = Data(base64Encoded: base64) else { return nil }
return data
}
IMPORTANT Read the doc comment to learn about some important limitations with this code.
Import a Certificate
When adding a digital identity to the keychain, it’s best to import the certificate and the key separately and then add them to the keychain. That makes it easier to track down problems you encounter.
To import a PEM-based certificate, extract the data from the PEM and call SecCertificateCreateWithData:
/// Import a certificate in PEM format.
///
/// - important: See ``dataFromPEM(_:_:_:)`` for some important limitations.
func importCertificatePEM(_ pem: String) throws -> SecCertificate {
guard
let data = dataFromPEM(pem, "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----", "-----END CERTIFICATE-----"),
let cert = SecCertificateCreateWithData(nil, data as NSData)
else { throw NSError(domain: NSOSStatusErrorDomain, code: Int(errSecParam), userInfo: nil) }
return cert
}
Here’s an example that shows this in action:
let benjyCertificatePEM = """
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
MIIC4TCCAcmgAwIBAgIBCzANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQsFADAfMRAwDgYDVQQDDAdNb3Vz
ZUNBMQswCQYDVQQGEwJHQjAeFw0xOTA5MzAxNDI0NDFaFw0yOTA5MjcxNDI0NDFa
MB0xDjAMBgNVBAMMBUJlbmp5MQswCQYDVQQGEwJHQjCCASIwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEB
BQADggEPADCCAQoCggEBAOQe5ai68FQhTVIgpsDK+UOPIrgKzqJcW+wwLnJRp6GV
V9EmifJq7wjrXeqmP1XgcNtu7cVhDx+/ONKl/8hscak54HTQrgwE6mK628RThld9
BmZoOjaWWCkoU5bH7ZIYgrKF1tAO5uTAmVJB9v7DQQvKERwjQ10ZbFOW6v8j2gDL
esZQbFIC7f/viDXLsPq8dUZuyyb9BXrpEJpXpFDi/wzCV3C1wmtOUrU27xz4gBzi
3o9O6U4QmaF91xxaTk0Ot+/RLI70mR7TYa+u6q7UW/KK9q1+8LeTVs1x24VA5csx
HCAQf+xvMoKlocmUxCDBYkTFkmtyhmGRN52XucHgu0kCAwEAAaMqMCgwDgYDVR0P
AQH/BAQDAgWgMBYGA1UdJQEB/wQMMAoGCCsGAQUFBwMCMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBCwUA
A4IBAQAyrArH7+IyHTyEOrv/kZr3s3h4HWczSVeiO9qWD03/fVew84J524DiSBK4
mtAy3V/hqXrzrQEbsfyT7ZhQ6EqB/W0flpVYbku10cSVgoeSfjgBJLqgJRZKFonv
OQPjTf9HEDo5A1bQdnUF1y6SwdFaY16lH9mZ5B8AI57mduSg90c6Ao1GvtbAciNk
W8y4OTQp4drh18hpHegrgTIbuoWwgy8V4MX6W39XhkCUNhrQUUJk3mEfbC/yqfIG
YNds0NRI3QCTJCUbuXvDrLEn4iqRfbzq5cbulQBxBCUtLZFFjKE4M42fJh6D6oRR
yZSx4Ac3c+xYqTCjf0UdcUGxaxF/
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
"""
print(try? importCertificatePEM(benjyCertificatePEM))
If you run this it prints:
Optional(<cert(0x11e304c10) s: Benjy i: MouseCA>)
Import a Private Key
To import a PEM-base RSA private key, extract the data from the PEM and call SecKeyCreateWithData:
/// Import an 2048-bit RSA private key in PEM format.
///
/// Don’t use this code if:
///
/// * If you can switch to an EC key. EC keys are generally better and, for
/// this specific case, there’s support for importing them in Apple CryptoKit.
///
/// * You can switch to using a PKCS#12. In that case, use the system’s
/// `SecPKCS12Import` routine instead.
///
/// - important: See ``dataFromPEM(_:_:_:)`` for some important limitations.
func importRSA2048PrivateKeyPEM(_ pem: String) throws -> SecKey {
// Most private key PEMs are in PKCS#8 format. There’s no way to import
// that directly. Instead you need to strip the header to get to the
// `RSAPrivateKey` data structure encapsulated within the PKCS#8. Doing that
// in the general case is hard. In the specific case of an 2048-bit RSA
// key, the following hack works.
let rsaPrefix: [UInt8] = [
0x30, 0x82, 0x04, 0xBE, 0x02, 0x01, 0x00, 0x30,
0x0D, 0x06, 0x09, 0x2A, 0x86, 0x48, 0x86, 0xF7,
0x0D, 0x01, 0x01, 0x01, 0x05, 0x00, 0x04, 0x82,
0x04, 0xA8,
]
guard
let pkcs8 = dataFromPEM(pem, "-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----", "-----END PRIVATE KEY-----"),
pkcs8.starts(with: rsaPrefix)
else { throw NSError(domain: NSOSStatusErrorDomain, code: Int(errSecParam), userInfo: nil) }
let rsaPrivateKey = pkcs8.dropFirst(rsaPrefix.count)
return try secCall { SecKeyCreateWithData(rsaPrivateKey as NSData, [
kSecAttrKeyType: kSecAttrKeyTypeRSA,
kSecAttrKeyClass: kSecAttrKeyClassPrivate,
] as NSDictionary, $0) }
}
IMPORTANT This code only works with 2048-bit RSA private keys. The comments explain more about that limitation.
Here’s an example that shows this in action:
let benjyPrivateKeyPEM = """
-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----
MIIEvgIBADANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAASCBKgwggSkAgEAAoIBAQDkHuWouvBUIU1S
IKbAyvlDjyK4Cs6iXFvsMC5yUaehlVfRJonyau8I613qpj9V4HDbbu3FYQ8fvzjS
pf/IbHGpOeB00K4MBOpiutvEU4ZXfQZmaDo2llgpKFOWx+2SGIKyhdbQDubkwJlS
Qfb+w0ELyhEcI0NdGWxTlur/I9oAy3rGUGxSAu3/74g1y7D6vHVGbssm/QV66RCa
V6RQ4v8MwldwtcJrTlK1Nu8c+IAc4t6PTulOEJmhfdccWk5NDrfv0SyO9Jke02Gv
ruqu1FvyivatfvC3k1bNcduFQOXLMRwgEH/sbzKCpaHJlMQgwWJExZJrcoZhkTed
l7nB4LtJAgMBAAECggEBAKOPF6ED776SZgrliEog/dmXrhABB6jXybytyw+CRkuP
dXhrRmr+isZ9Y0gTzMN4+dILVgW4EozzoP0/sgZ04oWwDqQS30eU2qzRRzMbo+3k
oYsZXeu3nhxcYppwXIDsfAEd/ygMFzaadRPKYhrFykR2rA/dpLYCvW2tfm5SuULp
RxnKykFlVi8yVT64AovVm0XGOy/QTO5BBbUdftvZY9QCjGn/IEL8QFEz0rxZsb2L
s0HgVMUcB1My38RksZQRKLMWCtqLqWnez3oCnPka+dxFQj5RU//vNtRoVh1ExbmW
txHz48v00AKQvaudC4ujIspZlY8+UPdYQT0TNjhsfoUCgYEA+7yEvyCgRtYwUNm6
jHTg67LoSldHwENOry63qGZp3rCkWBkPXle7ulgRtuw+e11g4MoMMAgkIGyIGB/Z
6YvnQGmJCTMw+HHIyw3k/OvL1iz4DM+QlxDuD79Zu2j2UIL4maDG0ZDskiJujVAf
sFOy4r36TvYedmd7qgh9pgpsFl8CgYEA5/v8PZDs2I1wSDGllGfTr6aeQcxvw98I
p8l/8EV/lYpdKQMFndeFZI+dnJCcTeBbeXMmPNTAdL5gOTwDReXamIAdr93k7/x6
iKMHzBrpQZUMEhepSd8zdR1+vLvyszvUU6lvNXcfjwbu7gJQkwbA6kSoXRN+C1Cv
i5/w66t0f1cCgYBt02FWwTUrsmaB33uzq4o1SmhthoaXKsY5R3h4z7WAojAQ/13l
GwGb2rBfzdG0oJiTeZK3odWhD7iQTdUUPyU0xNY0XVEQExQ3AmjUr0rOte/CJww9
2/UAicrsKG7N0VYEMFCNPVz4pGz22e35T4rLwXZi3J2NqrgZBntK5WEioQKBgEyx
L4ii+sn0qGQVlankUUVGjhcuoNxeRZxCrzsdnrovTfEbAKZX88908yQpYqMUQul5
ufBuXVm6/lCtmF9pR8UWxbm4X9E+5Lt7Oj6tvuNhhOYOUHcNhRN4tsdqUygR5XXr
E8rXIOXF4wNoXH7ewrQwEoECyq6u8/ny3FDtE8xtAoGBALNFxRGikbQMXhUXj7FA
lLwWlNydCxCc7/YwlHfmekDaJRv59+z7SWAR15azhbjqS9oXWJUQ9uvpKF75opE7
MT0GzblkKAYu/3uhTENCjQg+9RFfu5w37E5RTWHD2hANV0YqXUlmH3d+f5uO0xN7
7bpqwYuYzSv1hBfU/yprDco6
-----END PRIVATE KEY-----
"""
print(try? importRSA2048PrivateKeyPEM(benjyPrivateKeyPEM))
If you run this it prints:
Optional(<SecKeyRef algorithm id: 1, key type: RSAPrivateKey, version: 4, 2048 bits (block size: 256), addr: 0x600000c5ce50>)
Form a Digital Identity
There are two common ways to form a digital identity:
SecPKCSImport
SecItemCopyMatching
SecPKCSImport is the most flexible because it gives you an in-memory digital identity. You can then choose to add it to the keychain or not. However, it requires a PKCS#12 as input. If you’re starting out with separate private key and certificate PEMs, you have to use SecItemCopyMatching.
Note macOS also has SecIdentityCreateWithCertificate, but it has some seriously limitations. First, it’s only available on macOS. Second, it requires the key to be in the keychain. If you’re going to add the key to the keychain anyway, you might as well use SecItemCopyMatching.
To form a digital identity from a separate private key and certificate:
Add the certificate to the keychain.
Add the private key to the keychain.
Call SecItemCopyMatching to get back a digital identity.
Here’s an example of that in action:
/// Imports a digital identity composed of separate certificate and private key PEMs.
///
/// - important: See ``dataFromPEM(_:_:_:)`` for some important limitations.
/// See ``importRSA2048PrivateKeyPEM(_:)`` for alternative strategies that are
/// much easier to deploy.
func addRSA2048DigitalIdentityPEMToKeychain(certificate: String, privateKey: String) throws -> SecIdentity {
// First import the certificate and private key. This has the advantage in
// that it triggers an early failure if the data is in the wrong format.
let certificate = try importCertificatePEM(certificate)
let privateKey = try importRSA2048PrivateKeyPEM(privateKey)
// Check that the private key matches the public key in the certificate. If
// not, someone has given you bogus credentials.
let certificatePublicKey = try secCall { SecCertificateCopyKey(certificate) }
let publicKey = try secCall { SecKeyCopyPublicKey(privateKey) }
guard CFEqual(certificatePublicKey, publicKey) else {
throw NSError(domain: NSOSStatusErrorDomain, code: Int(errSecPublicKeyInconsistent))
}
// Add the certificate first. If that fails — and the most likely error is
// `errSecDuplicateItem` — we want to stop immediately.
try secCall { SecItemAdd([
kSecValueRef: certificate,
] as NSDictionary, nil) }
// The add the private key.
do {
try secCall { SecItemAdd([
kSecValueRef: privateKey,
] as NSDictionary, nil) }
} catch let error as NSError {
// We ignore a `errSecDuplicateItem` error when adding the key. It’s
// possible to have multiple digital identities that share the same key,
// so if you try to add the key and it’s already in the keychain then
// that’s fine.
guard error.domain == NSOSStatusErrorDomain, error.code == errSecDuplicateItem else {
throw error
}
}
// Finally, search for the resulting identity.
//
// I originally tried querying for the identity based on the certificate’s
// attributes — the ones that contribute to uniqueness, namely
// `kSecAttrCertificateType`, `kSecAttrIssuer`, and `kSecAttrSerialNumber` —
// but that failed for reasons I don't fully understand (r. 144152660). So
// now I get all digital identities and find the one with our certificate.
let identities = try secCall { SecItemCopyMatching([
kSecClass: kSecClassIdentity,
kSecMatchLimit: kSecMatchLimitAll,
kSecReturnRef: true,
] as NSDictionary, $0) } as! [SecIdentity]
let identityQ = try identities.first { i in
try secCall { SecIdentityCopyCertificate(i, $0) } == certificate
}
return try secCall(Int(errSecItemNotFound)) { identityQ }
}
IMPORTANT This code is quite subtle. Read the comments for an explanation as to why it works the way it does.
Further reading
For more information about the APIs and techniques used above, see:
Importing Cryptographic Keys
On Cryptographic Keys Formats
SecItem: Fundamentals
SecItem: Pitfalls and Best Practices
Calling Security Framework from Swift
TN3137 On Mac keychain APIs and implementations
Finally, for links to documentation and other resources, see Security Resources.
Revision History
2025-02-13 Added code to check for mismatched private key and certificate.
2025-02-04 First posted.
I am experiencing an issue with Apple Sign-In on Vision Pro. When I build and run the app from Xcode, everything works fine—after signing in, the app returns to the foreground as expected.
However, when I launch the app directly on Vision Pro (not from Xcode), after completing the sign-in process, the app does not reopen from the background automatically. Instead, it closes, and I have to manually tap the app icon to reopen it.
Has anyone else encountered this issue? Is there a way to ensure the app properly resumes after sign-in without requiring manual intervention?
We have an app that has failed during the app review for the Japanese market but has been accepted in several other markets successfully.
We need the user's name in native Katakana format as we need it to be displayed in our restaurant Point of Sale systems for workers to be able to read and understand.
We use 'Sign up with Apple', but when doing so, if this returns an anglicised given and family name, we have to request the customer supply their Katakana format name so that our in-store systems and staff can process and fulfil their orders.
When the App Review process automatically tests the app, it uses "Apple John" as a customer's name. Since this is not a Japanese name, we ask for it again in the correct format, or we cannot allow the user to register.
This contravenes Apple's rules, and thus, our app is rejected. If the Apple identity used belonged to a user more typical of the target market, it would work as required.
Does anyone else have this issue, and how did you work around it?
Tim
Topic:
Privacy & Security
SubTopic:
General
Tags:
Internationalization
Sign in with Apple
App Submission
Hi everyone,
I’m developing a health-related mobile app and considering using EAS Update to deliver over-the-air (OTA) updates for JavaScript code and assets. Before implementing this, I want to ensure that this approach complies with Apple App Store policies, especially given the sensitivity of health-related apps.
Here are my concerns:
Does using EAS Update (OTA) align with Apple’s guidelines regarding app updates and dynamic behavior changes?
Are there specific rules or restrictions for health apps using OTA updates that I should be cautious of?
Could this approach be flagged as violating Apple’s policies on app integrity, especially those requiring updates to go through the App Store review process?
I’d greatly appreciate any insights, advice, or references to Apple’s official documentation regarding OTA updates for apps distributed through the App Store.
Thanks in advance for your help!
I'm facing a bug about App Tracking Transparency permission, my app still shows this permission popup before, and that version was still working fine. I don't understand why today it doesn't show the permission popup anymore, is anyone else having the same problem?
When trying to check if a certificate has been revoked with SecPolicyCreateRevocation (Flags: kSecRevocationUseAnyAvailableMethod | kSecRevocationRequirePositiveResponse) and SecTrustEvaluateWithError I always get the result error code errSecIncompleteCertRevocationCheck, regardless if the certificate was revoked or not.
Reproduction: Execute the program from the attached Xcode project (See Feedback FB21224106).
Error output:
Error: Error Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain Code=-67635 ""revoked.badssl.com","E8","ISRG Root X1" certificates do not meet pinning requirements" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription="revoked.badssl.com","E8","ISRG Root X1" certificates do not meet pinning requirements, NSUnderlyingError=0x6000018d48a0 {Error Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain Code=-67635 "Certificate 0 “revoked.badssl.com” has errors: Failed to check revocation;" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Certificate 0 “revoked.badssl.com” has errors: Failed to check revocation;}}}
To me it looks like that the revocation check just fails („Failed to check revocation;“), no further information is provided by the returned error.
In the example the certificate chain of https://revoked.badssl.com (default code) and https://badssl.com is verified (to switch see comments in the code).
I have a proxy configured in the system, I assume that the revocation check will use it.
On the same machine, the browsers (Safari and Google Chrome) can successfully detect if the certificate was revoked (revoked.badssl.com) or not (badssl.com) without further changes in the system/proxy settings.
Note: The example leaks some memory, it’s just a test program.
Am I missing something?
Feedback: FB21224106