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41 lines
2.6 KiB
Markdown
41 lines
2.6 KiB
Markdown
# The Network
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This page aims to provide an overview of how the Find My-network works on a technical level.
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It does this by explaining in detail what data the tags are broadcasting, how this is picked up
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by surrounding iDevices, and how generated location reports can be retrieved.
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```{note}
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While official AirTags (and compatible 3rd party tags) use the same principles as described
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in this document, they also offer a key rotation feature. To learn more about
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how this works, please check out the dedicated [AirTags](#11-AirTags) page.
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```
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## Overview
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Simply said, the FindMy-network works by having accessories such as AirTags broadcast a unique signal over bluetooth.
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Any nearby iDevice, such as iPhones or iPads, are able to receive this signal. Once the device is aware of the nearby
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accessory, it will upload its current location to Apple's servers, from where it can be retrieved by the owner of the accessory.
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Apple has put a lot of effort into making the network as private as possible. By utilizing encryption,
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it is possible for finder devices to encrypt their location with a key that the accessory is broadcasting
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before sending it to Apple. This public key allows encryption of certain data, but not decryption. In order
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to download location reports for the accessory, we therefore need the private key corresponding to said public key.
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These keys, together called a key pair, were generated and exchanged when the accessory was first paired and are now
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stored on the owner's devices. By downloading the correct encrypted location reports and then locally decrypting
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said reports using the private key, users are able to track their devices without Apple ever being able to read the location.
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_An overview of the FindMy-network. Source: [SEEMOO-LAB](https://www.petsymposium.org/2021/files/papers/issue3/popets-2021-0045.pdf)_.
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Fetching (encrypted) location reports still requires an Apple account. It is worth noting however, that anyone can download
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anyone else's location reports for any of their devices; however, due to the encryption scheme discussed above,
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doing this would be rather useless as none of the retrieved reports could be decrypted. This scheme allows devices
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to operate without being linked to a specific Apple account. The below dependency diagram visually explains how this entire
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system hinges on the availability of the private key; without it, location reports could not be retrieved and decrypted.
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_A dependency diagram of data in the network. An arrow pointing from A to B means that in order
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to retrieve B, we first require A._
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