Apple's New T2 Security Chip Will Prevent Hackers From Eavesdropping On Your Microphone (techcrunch.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Buried in Apple's latest range of MacBooks -- including the MacBook Pro out earlier this year and the just-announced MacBook Air -- is the new T2 security chip, which helps protect the device's encryption keys, storage, fingerprint data and secure boot features. Little was known about the chip until today. According to its newest published security guide, the chip comes with a hardware microphone disconnect feature that physically cuts the device's microphone from the rest of the hardware whenever the lid is closed. "This disconnect is implemented in hardware alone, and therefore prevents any software, even with root or kernel privileges in macOS, and even the software on the T2 chip, from engaging the microphone when the lid is closed," said the support guide. The camera isn't disconnected, however, because its "field of view is completely obstructed with the lid closed." Apple said the new feature adds a "never before seen" level of security for its Macs, without being quite so blunt as to say: Macs get malware too.

Comments

Errr Title?

[thegarbz]

Title: Apple's New T2 Security Chip Will Prevent Hackers From Eavesdropping On Your Microphone
Summary: "This disconnect is implemented in hardware alone, and therefore prevents [snip] even the software on the T2 chip, from engaging the microphone when the lid is closed,"

So...

Re:T2 chip?

[Rick Schumann]

Is the T2 chip really needed to implement a simple hardware disconnect?

No, but since it must be a totally proprietary ASIC, they threw in an analog switch, tied it's enable line to the state of the lid switch, and routed the microphone signal through the analog switch, then provide a 'MIC_OUT' pin to go to whatever handles audio.