Description

Abstract of final thesis:

The Apple Watch provides the ability to automatically unlock a device running macOS when in proximity. The underlying proprietary protocol is called Auto Unlock (AU) and differs from other smart locking techniques. It uses a combination of two wireless technologies: Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and IEEE 802.11, to facilitate secure proximity detection. In this work we analyze the protocol by using reverse engineering and dynamic debugging. We show that AU uses both standardized protocols as well as proprietary techniques to implement a secure distance bounding protocol. With this knowledge, we discuss attack vectors and conduct a successful Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack on the protocol. Furthermore, we provide a starting point to allow implementations on other platforms by specifying the protocol and establish the foundation for further attacks.