I agree with you there. Securing applications through hashing is not only a legitimate action, but it’s also an important security measure.
And the Warden process is basically a less efficient version a classic Checksum test that most Tech savy or Unix users have implemented for decades.
My beef there is with the way which it is implemented.
Traditionally, you would import the keys from multiple trustworthy sources, then compare the app hash locally. This is efficient and private.
Now what are the reasons to get this flow backwards? Literally none, from a security perspective.
Sending hashes and receiving approval statuses is far less secure than retrieving keys and run the check locally.
i.e. if the checksum is performed on your pc there is nothing short of a blue pill style software that would allow you to trick the Warden…
But when we are utilising network to send and receive this information, there is a plethora of methods available to get around it.
And I really doubt Apple isn’t aware of that.
Exactly.
And I can’t believe that Apple just made a “bad call”, when the consequence of such is that they gather a lot of personal data, exactly when bulk personal data is at it’s peak value.
But what really baffles me is the lack of encryption.
I honestly doubt anyone in charge of that system’s design would ever make such a mistake… unless that was intentional behaviour.
(Which, come to think, would be far too convenient given the legal hardships Apple is facing this year, be it with the FBI or with Corellium)