Apple has announced a new feature for iCloud, designed to improve encryption.
Advanced-Data Protection expands on the end-to-end encryption of the iCloud service, ensuring device backups, Messages backups, Photos, and more follow the same rigorous protocols.
Apple already offers end-to-end encryption for 14 data categories as part of its iCloud service, including essential services like health data and keychain access, and now, the update adds the same level of security to iCloud drive, messages backups, voice memos, wallet passes, Siri shortcuts, photos, notes, reminders, and more.
Speaking of the news, Apple said: “iCloud encrypts your data to keep it secure. Advanced-Data Protection uses end-to-end encryption to ensure that iCloud data types listed here can only be decrypted on your trusted devices, protecting your information even in the case of a data breach in the cloud.”
The new Advanced Data Protection service will be opt-in; users must head to Settings and manually enable the feature. When you do, nobody will hold the keys to decrypting the data that’s locked behind the iCloud encryption, including Apple. Users will need one of their trusted devices, like an iPhone, Mac, or iPad, to unlock.
Ivan Krstić, Apple’s head of security engineering and architecture, added: “Advanced Data Protection is Apple’s highest level of cloud data security, giving users a choice to protect the vast majority of their most sensitive iCloud data with end-to-end encryption so that it can only be decrypted on their trusted devices.”
Are you looking forward to this new feature? Let us know and check back soon for more.
