- Jan 8, 2011
- 22,361
The new T2 chip in Apple's MacBook Pro provides a secure boot, even for Windows installations on a Mac.
What is the T2 chip?
What does the T2 chip do?
Keep on reading: The MacBook Pro’s T2 chip boosts enterprise security
What is the T2 chip?
The successor to the T1, Apple’s T2 chip enables secure boot and encrypted storage on the machine. It first appeared on the iMac Pro.
What does the T2 chip do?
What encryption features does the T2 provide?The most widely reported task handled by the T2 chip is the provision of “Hey, Siri” support for the first time on a Mac. That’s not all the chip does, of course. It also controls Touch ID (using a secure enclave) and the Touch Bar, and it integrates numerous tasks that once required multiple controllers, such as the system management controller (SMC), image signal processor, ambient light sensor, and audio and solid-state drive (SSD) controllers.
What should be of most interest to enterprise users is that chip's built-in support for on-the-fly encryption and secure boot.
Encryption matters. The T2 chip carries a built-in hardware encryption engine that encrypts all the data stored on the SSD, using security keys that are unique to each Mac.
That means all the data stored on the Mac can be read only by the Mac itself, while Apple’s existing FileVault protection means you can ensure that in order to access any of the data on your Mac, you must also use your own personal key, known only by you.
Data on the SSD is encrypted with 256-bit AES protection.
Keep on reading: The MacBook Pro’s T2 chip boosts enterprise security