Apple's Secure Enclave targeted in patent infringement lawsuit

Non-practicing entity Identity Security on Monday filed a lawsuit against Apple, claiming the tech giant's Secure Enclave technology, present in nearly every major product line, infringes on four owned patents.

Lodged with the patent holder-friendly U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Identity Security's suit takes issue with Apple's Secure Enclave, an on-device technology that protects sensitive user data by isolating it in a dedicated subsystem. The system is integrated into Apple's system-on-chip designs currently deployed in iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Apple TV and HomePod.Identity Security claims Apple's implementation of a secure enclave in its various hardware solutions infringes on U.S. Patent Nos. 7,493,497, 8,020,008, 8,489,895 and 9,507,948, each of which details methods of improving user security by creating a digital identity that resides on a unique microprocessor device. Password and biometric protection are also mentioned in the intellectual property, as is encryption and the possibility of integrating such solutions with digital payments.

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