Image credit – iFixit
Apple had recently announced its new MacBook Air which represents a pretty huge update that we’ve seen to the lineup in a while. One of those major changes they made was introducing Touch ID to the laptop, as well as the T2 secure enclave that stores fingerprint data, encryption keys, and more.
However as it turns out, the T2 chip will also help prevent your laptop’s microphone from being hijacked by hackers to eavesdrop on your conversations. Many have expressed concerns about their webcams and microphones being hacked for eavesdropping purposes, which is why it’s not surprising to see people taping up their webcams and microphones when not in use.
However according to Apple’s recently-published security guide (via TechCrunch), it has been revealed that the T2 chip comes with a microphone disconnect feature that actually physically disconnects the microphone when the laptop’s 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.”
While this doesn’t make your MacBook Air completely safe against hacking, it should help make it harder for whoever is trying to snoop in on you. As for the webcam, it seems that Apple doesn’t think that disconnecting it is necessary as it would be completely obscured when the lid is shut anyway.
Filed in . Read more about Hack, Laptops, Macbook Air and Security.