I'm writing an app on macOS that stores passwords in the Keychain and later retrieves them using SecItemCopyMatching(). This works fine 90% of the time. However, occasionally, the call to SecItemCopyMatching() fails with errSecAuthFailed (-25293). When this occurs, simply restarting the app resolves the issue; otherwise, it will consistently fail with errSecAuthFailed.
What I suspect is that the Keychain access permission has a time limitation for a process. This issue always seems to arise when I keep my app running for an extended period.
Prioritize 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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Problem Statement:
Pre-requisite is to generate a PKCS#12 file using openssl 3.x or above.
Note: I have created a sample cert, but unable to upload it to this thread. Let me know if there is a different way I can upload.
When trying to import a p12 certificate (generated using openssl 3.x) using SecPKCS12Import on MacOS (tried on Ventura, Sonoma, Sequoia).
It is failing with the error code: -25264 and error message: MAC verification failed during PKCS12 import (wrong password?).
I have tried importing in multiple ways through,
Security Framework API (SecPKCS12Import)
CLI (security import <cert_name> -k ~/Library/Keychains/login.keychain -P "<password>”)
Drag and drop in to the Keychain Application
All of them fail to import the p12 cert.
RCA:
The issues seems to be due to the difference in the MAC algorithm.
The MAC algorithm used in the modern certs (by OpenSSL3 is SHA-256) which is not supported by the APPLE’s Security Framework. The keychain seems to be expecting the MAC algorithm to be SHA-1.
Workaround:
The current workaround is to convert the modern p12 cert to a legacy format (using openssl legacy provider which uses openssl 1.1.x consisting of insecure algorithms) which the SecPKCS12Import API understands.
I have created a sample code using references from another similar thread (https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/723242) from 2023.
The steps to compile and execute the sample is mentioned in the same file.
PFA the sample code by the name “pkcs12_modern_to_legacy_converter.cpp”.
Also PFA a sample certificate which will help reproduce the issue by the name “modern_certificate.p12” whose password is “export”.
Questions:
Is there a fix on this issue? If yes, pls guide me through it; else, is it expected to be fixed in the future releases?
Is there a different way to import the p12 cert which is resistant to the issue?
This issue also poses a security concerns on using outdated cryptographic algorithms. Kindly share your thoughts.
pkcs12_modern_to_legacy_converter.cpp
I am writing a MacOS app that uses the Apple crypto libraries to create, save, and use an RSA key pair. I am not using a Secure Enclave so that the private key can later the retrieved through the keychain. The problem I am running into is that on my and multiple other systems the creation and retrieval works fine. On a different system -- running MacOS 15.3 just like the working systems -- the SecKeyCreateRandomKey function appears to work fine and I get a key reference back, but on subsequent runs SecItemCopyMatching results in errSecItemNotFound. Why would it appear to save properly on some systems and not others?
var error: Unmanaged<CFError>?
let access = SecAccessControlCreateWithFlags(kCFAllocatorDefault,
kSecAttrAccessibleWhenUnlockedThisDeviceOnly,
.biometryAny,
&error)!
let tag = TAG.data(using: .utf8)! // com.example.myapp.rsakey
let attributes: [String: Any] = [
kSecAttrKeyType as String: KEY_TYPE, // set to kSecAttrKeyTypeRSA
kSecAttrKeySizeInBits as String: 3072,
kSecPrivateKeyAttrs as String: [
kSecAttrIsPermanent as String: true,
kSecAttrApplicationTag as String: tag,
kSecAttrAccessControl as String: access,
],
]
guard let newKey = SecKeyCreateRandomKey(attributes as CFDictionary, &error) else {
throw error!.takeRetainedValue() as Error
}
return newKey
This runs fine on both systems, getting a valid key reference that I can use. But then if I immediately try to pull the key, it works on my system but not the other.
let query = [ kSecClass as String: kSecClassKey,
kSecAttrApplicationTag as String: tag,
kSecReturnRef as String: true, ]
var item: CFTypeRef?
let status = SecItemCopyMatching(query as CFDictionary, &item)
let msg = SecCopyErrorMessageString(status, nil)
if status == errSecItemNotFound {
print("key not found")
}
guard status == errSecSuccess else { print("other retrieval error") }
return item as! SecKey
I've also tried a separate query using the secCall function from here (https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/710961) that gets ALL kSecClassKey items before and after the "create the key" function and it'll report the same amount of keys before and after on the bugged system. On the other machines where it works, it'll show one more key as expected.
In the Signing & Capabilities section of the project config, I have Keychain Sharing set up with a group like com.example.myapp where my key uses a tag like com.example.myapp.rsakey. The entitlements file has an associated entry for Keychain Access Groups with value $(AppIdentifierPrefix)com.example.myapp.
Attempting to DECRYPT a cipher message using the Apple API SecKeyCreateDecryptedData(privateKey, .rsaEncryptionOAEPSHA256, encryptedMessage). Decryption ALWAYS fails for every algorithm.
SecKeyCreateDecryptedDataWithParameters Error: `Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain Code=-50 "algid:encrypt:RSA:OAEP:SHA256: algorithm not supported by the key <SecKeyRef:('com.yubico.Authenticator.TokenExtension:5621CDF8560D4C412030886584EC4C9E394CC376DD9738B0CCBB51924FC26EB6') 0x3007fd150>" UserInfo={numberOfErrorsDeep=0, NSDescription=algid:encrypt:RSA:OAEP:SHA256: algorithm not supported by the key <SecKeyRef:('com.yubico.Authenticator.TokenExtension:5621CDF8560D4C412030886584EC4C9E394CC376DD9738B0CCBB51924FC26EB6') 0x3007fd150>}`
Decryption failed: SecKeyCreateDecryptedData returned nil.
Error: One or more parameters passed to a function were not valid.
When checking with SecKeyIsAlgorithmSupported(privateKey, .decrypt, <ANYalgorithm>) all algorithms fail. Btw - The privateKey does support decryption when retrieving the attributes.
Important to know:
The private key is a reference to an external private key placed in the iOS Keychain via a 3rd party CryptoTokenKit Extension app. When I perform, the SecKeyCreateSignature(...) and pass in the SAME privateKey reference, the OS automatically calls the 3rd party app to perform a successful signing with the private key that reside on a YubiKey.
Here's my code for obtaining the private key reference from an Identity:
func getKeyPairFromIdentity() -> (privateKey: SecKey, publicKey: SecKey)? {
let query = NSDictionary(
dictionary: [
kSecClass as String: kSecClassIdentity,
kSecAttrTokenID as String: self.tokenID!,
kSecReturnRef as String: kCFBooleanTrue as Any
]
)
var identityRef: CFTypeRef?
let status = SecItemCopyMatching(query, &identityRef)
if status == errSecSuccess, let identity = identityRef {
var privateKeyRef: SecKey?
let keyStatus = SecIdentityCopyPrivateKey(identity as! SecIdentity, &privateKeyRef)
if keyStatus == errSecSuccess, let privateKey = privateKeyRef {
let publicKey = SecKeyCopyPublicKey(privateKey)
if let publicKey = publicKey {
print("Private and public keys extracted successfully.")
return (privateKey, publicKey)
} else {
print("Failed to extract public key from private key.")
return nil
}
} else {
print("SecIdentityCopyPrivateKey: Private key not found error: \(keyStatus)")
return nil
}
} else {
print("SecIdentity not found or error: \(status)")
return nil
}
}
I keep getting invalid_client,
here is a test login: https://www.bella-booking.ch/_get_incl/test_apple_login.cfm
Any help appreciated.
NOTE: Everey other error, like wrong reroute or wrong client id, a different error will be sent frpm apple, after I checked all and crosschecked with jwt.io, it keep getting invalid_client.
Any clue?
If the response is correct, the token should be displayed on the page.
Thx
Topic:
Privacy & Security
SubTopic:
Sign in with Apple
I’d like to confirm something regarding the hosting of the apple-app-site-association (AASA) file.
We have a server that publicly hosts the AASA file and is accessible globally. However, this server sits behind an additional security layer (a security server/reverse proxy).
My question is:
Will this security layer affect Apple’s ability to access and validate the AASA file for Universal Links or App Clips?
Are there specific requirements (e.g. headers, redirects, TLS versions, etc.) that we need to ensure the security server does not block or modify?
Any guidance or best practices would be appreciated.
Thanks!
We are experiencing a significant issue with macOS security alerts that began on July 9th, at approximately 4:40 AM UTC. This alert is incorrectly identifying output files from our snippet tests as malware, causing these files to be blocked and moved to the Trash. This is completely disrupting our automated testing workflows.
Issue Description:
Alert: We are seeing the "Malware Blocked and Moved to Trash" popup window.
Affected Files: The security alert triggers when attempting to execute .par files generated as outputs from our snippet tests. These .par files are unique to each individual test run; they are not a single, static tool.
System-Wide Impact: This issue is impacting multiple macOS hosts across our testing infrastructure.
Timeline: The issue began abruptly on July 9th, at approximately 4:40 AM UTC. Before that time, our tests were functioning correctly.
macOS Versions: The problem is occurring on hosts running both macOS 14.x and 15.x.
Experimental Host: Even after upgrading an experimental host to macOS 15.6 beta 2, the issue persisted.
Local execution: The issue can be reproduced locally.
Observations:
The security system is consistently flagging these snippet test output files as malware.
Since each test generates a new .par file, and this issue is impacting all generated files, the root cause doesn't appear to be specific to the code within the .par files themselves.
This issue is impacting all the snippet tests, making us believe that the root cause is not related to our code.
The sudden and widespread nature of the issue strongly suggests a change in a security database or rule, rather than a change in our testing code.
Questions:
Could a recent update to the XProtect database be the cause of this false positive?
Are there any known issues or recent changes in macOS security mechanisms that could cause this kind of widespread and sudden impact?
What is the recommended way to diagnose and resolve this kind of false positive?
We appreciate any guidance or assistance you can provide. Thank you.
When we enable 3rd party authentication plugin using SFAuthorization window, then when user performs Lock Screen and then unlock the MAC. Now after unlock, if user tries to open Keychain Access, it is not getting opened.
When trying to open Keychain Access, we are prompted for credentials but after providing the credentials Keychians are not getting opened.
This is working on Sonoma 14.6.1 , but seeing this issue from macOS Sequoia onwards.
Are there any suggested settings/actions to resolve this issue?
Problem Description:
In our App, When we launch the web login part using ASWebAuthentication + Universal Links with callback scheme as "https", we are not receiving callback.
Note:
We are using "SwiftUIWebAuthentication" Swift Package Manager to display page in ASWebAuth.
But when we use custom url scheme instead of Universal link, app able to receive call back every time.
We use ".onOpenURL" to receive universal link callback scheme.
I am new to swift development, and it's possible that I'm missing something fundamental/obvious. If so, I apologize in advance. My team is developing an application for iPadOS using SwiftUI, and I'm trying to accomplish something similar to what the original inquirer is asking for in this thread: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/725152. The only difference is that I'm trying to use a PIV smart card to achieve authentication to a server rather than digitally sign a document.
Unfortunately, I'm getting stuck when attempting to run the list() function provided in the accepted answer to the post mentioned above. When attempting to call SecItemCopyMatching(), I'm getting a -34018 missing entitlement error. I've attempted to add the com.apple.token to my app's keychain-access-groups entitlements, but this does not resolve the issue. I have checked the entitlements in my built app, per the recommendation in the troubleshooting guide here: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/114456. The entitlement for com.apple.token is indeed present in the plist. Based on other documentation I've read, however, it seems that the explicit declaration of com.apple.token should not even be required in the entitlements.
Is there something obvious that I'm missing here that would prevent my app from accessing the token access group?
Hi,
I’d like to confirm something regarding the hosting of the apple-app-site-association (AASA) file.
We have a server that publicly hosts the AASA file and is accessible globally. However, this server sits behind an additional security layer (a security server/reverse proxy).
My question is:
Will this security layer affect Apple’s ability to access and validate the AASA file for Universal Links or App Clips?
Are there specific requirements (e.g. headers, redirects, TLS versions, etc.) that we need to ensure the security server does not block or modify?
Any guidance or best practices would be appreciated.
Due to business requirements, we need to transfer our app Gem Space for iOS from our current Apple Developer account to a new account.
We have a major concern regarding our users and the data associated with the app.
The user data is currently stored using an App Group with the identifier, for example: "group.com.app.sharedData"
According to some information we’ve found, it might be possible to complete the transfer by removing the App Group from the old account and creating a new one with the same identifier in the new account.
However, other sources suggest that App Group containers are owned by the specific team, and data stored in the container may become inaccessible after the app is transferred to a different team. This raises concerns about the possibility of users losing access to their data after updating the app from the new account.
Could you please clarify the expected behavior of App Groups in this case?
Do we need to perform any kind of data migration, and if so, could you please provide detailed guidance on how to do it safely and without impacting user data access?
Topic:
Privacy & Security
SubTopic:
General
Hi. We're writing Authorization Plugin and started with NullAuthPlugin compilation. When tried to run it on VM (Sonoma 14.6, SIP enabled), we're going into the following issue:
`2025-03-08 13:38:20.699503-0800 0xdcb0 Error 0x0 0 0 kernel: (AppleMobileFileIntegrity) [com.apple.MobileFileIntegrity:library_validation_failure] Library Validation failed: Rejecting '/Library/Security/SecurityAgentPlugins/NullAuthPlugin.bundle/Contents/MacOS/NullAuthPlugin' (Team ID: ABCD12EF34, platform: no) for process 'SecurityAgentHel(2094)' (Team ID: N/A, platform: yes), reason: mapping process is a platform binary, but mapped file is not'
As I understand, the platform binary is the one signed with Apple signature, which indeed is unavailable for us.
How can we avoid this issue and run the plugin? Perhaps we're missing some build setting requirement?
Dear Apple Developer Technical Support,
We are currently following the official Apple documentation “TN3159: Migrating Sign in with Apple users for an app transfer” to carry out a Sign in with Apple user migration after successfully transferring several apps to a new developer account.
Here is a summary of our situation:
Under the original Apple developer account, we had five apps using Sign in with Apple, grouped under a shared primary app using App Grouping.
Recently, we transferred three of these apps to our new Apple developer account via App Store Connect.
After the transfer, these three apps are no longer associated with the original primary App ID. We reconfigured individual Services IDs for each app in the new account and enabled Sign in with Apple for each.
More than 24 hours have passed since the app transfer was completed.
Now we are attempting to follow the migration process to restore user access via the user.migration flow. Specifically, we are using the following script to request an Apple access token:
url = "https://appleid.apple.com/auth/token"
headers = {"Content-Type": "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"}
data = {
"grant_type": "client_credentials",
"scope": "user.migration",
"client_id": "com.game.friends.ios.toptop.sea", # New Services ID in the new account
"client_secret": "<JWT signed with new p8 key>"
}
response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, data=data)
However, the API response consistently returns:
{
"error": "invalid_client"
}
We have verified that the following configurations are correct:
The client_secret is generated using the p8 key from the new account, signed with ES256 and correct key_id, team_id, and client_id.
The client_id corresponds to the Services ID created in the new account and properly associated with the migrated app.
The scope is set to user.migration.
The JWT payload contains correct iss, sub, and aud values as per Apple documentation.
The app has been fully transferred and reconfigured more than 24 hours ago.
Problem Summary & Request for Support:
According to Apple’s official documentation:
“After an app is transferred, Apple updates the Sign in with Apple configuration in the background. This can take up to 24 hours. During this time, attempts to authenticate users or validate tokens may fail.”
However, we are still consistently receiving invalid_client errors after the 24-hour waiting period. We suspect one of the following issues:
The transferred apps may still be partially associated with the original App Grouping or primary App ID.
Some Sign in with Apple configuration in Apple’s backend may not have been fully updated after the transfer.
Or the Services ID is not yet fully operational for the transferred apps in the new account.
We kindly request your assistance to:
Verify whether the transferred apps have been completely detached from the original App Grouping and primary App ID.
Confirm whether the new Services IDs under the new account are fully functional and eligible for Sign in with Apple with user.migration scope.
Help identify any remaining configuration or migration issues that may cause the invalid_client error.
If necessary, assist in manually ungrouping or clearing any residual App Grouping relationships affecting the new environment.
We have also generated and retained the original transfer_sub identifiers and are fully prepared to complete the sub mapping once the user.migration flow becomes functional.
Thank you very much for your time and support!
Topic:
Privacy & Security
SubTopic:
Sign in with Apple
Tags:
Sign in with Apple REST API
Sign in with Apple
Having trouble decrypting a string using an encryption key and an IV.
var key: String
var iv: String
func decryptData(_ encryptedText: String) -> String?
{
if let textData = Data(base64Encoded: iv + encryptedText) {
do {
let sealedBox = try AES.GCM.SealedBox(combined: textData)
let key = SymmetricKey(data: key.data(using: .utf8)!)
let decryptedData = try AES.GCM.open(sealedBox, using: key)
return String(data: decryptedData, encoding: .utf8)
} catch {
print("Decryption failed: \(error)")
return nil
}
}
return nil
}
Proper coding choices aside (I'm just trying anything at this point,) the main problem is opening the SealedBox. If I go to an online decryption site, I can paste in my encrypted text, the encryption key, and the IV as plain text and I can encrypt and decrypt just fine.
But I can't seem to get the right combo in my Swift code. I don't have a "tag" even though I'm using the combined option. How can I make this work when all I will be receiving is the encrypted text, the encryption key, and the IV. (the encryption key is 256 bits)
Try an AES site with a key of 32 digits and an IV of 16 digits and text of your choice. Use the encrypted version of the text and then the key and IV in my code and you'll see the problem. I can make the SealedBox but I can't open it to get the decrypted data. So I'm not combining the right things the right way. Anyone notice the problem?
Topic:
Privacy & Security
SubTopic:
General
Hi Forum,
We’re building a security-focused SDK for iOS that includes SIM Binding and SIM Swap detection to help prevent fraud and unauthorised device access, particularly in the context of banking and fintech apps.
We understand that iOS limits access to SIM-level data, and that previously available APIs (such as those in CoreTelephony, now deprecated from iOS 16 onwards) provide only limited support for these use cases.
We have a few questions and would appreciate any guidance from the community or Apple engineers:
Q1. Are there any best practices or Apple-recommended approaches for binding a SIM to a device or user account?
Q2. Is there a reliable way to detect a SIM swap when the app is not running (e.g., via system callback, entitlement, or background mechanism)?
Q3. Are fields like GID1, GID2, or ICCID accessible through any public APIs or entitlements (such as com.apple.coretelephony.IdentityAccess)? If so, what is the process to request access?
Q4. For dual SIM and eSIM scenarios, is there a documented approach to identify which SIM is active or whether a SIM slot has changed?
Q5. In a banking or regulated environment, is it possible for an app vendor (e.g., a bank) to acquire certain entitlements from Apple and securely expose that information to a security SDK like ours? What would be the compliant or recommended way to structure such a partnership?
Thanks in advance for any insights!
Hi team, is there a native way to detect if a change has been made to biometrics using FaceID or TouchID? Thanks in advance.
I have a custom NSWindow that I want to exclude from screen capture by setting its sharing state to kCGWindowSharingStateSharingNone. The goal is to prevent this window from appearing in the content captured by ScreenCaptureKit.
[window setSharingType:NSWindowSharingType::NSWindowSharingNone];
However, on macOS 15.4+ (Sequoia), the window is still captured by ScreenCaptureKit and appears in the shared content.
Does anyone know if kCGWindowSharingStateSharingNone is still effective with ScreenCaptureKit on macOS 15.4 and later?
I’m implementing a custom Authorization right with the following rule:
<key>authenticate-user</key>
<true/>
<key>allow-root</key>
<true/>
<key>class</key>
<string>user</string>
<key>group</key>
<string>admin</string>
The currently logged-in user is a standard user, and I’ve created a hidden admin account, e.g. _hiddenadmin, which has UID≠0 but belongs to the admin group.
From my Authorization Plug-in, I would like to programmatically satisfy this right using _hiddenadmin’s credentials, even though _hiddenadmin is not the logged-in user.
My question:
Is there a way to programmatically satisfy an authenticate-user right from an Authorization Plug-in using credentials of another (non-session) user?
Hey everyone,
I'm working on a password manager app for iOS and I'm trying to implement the new iOS 18 feature that lets users enable autofill directly from within the app. I know this exists because I've seen it in action in another app. They've clearly figured it out, but I'm struggling to find any documentation or info about the specific API.
Has anyone else had any luck finding this? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance!