How secure is Apple Pay?
With the launch of the new payment service Apple Pay in the USA, the question arises how secure this service is at all. We will show you how Apple Pay works and whether the payment service is really secure.
This is how the Apple Pay payment service works
Apple Pay is a new payment service from Apple, with which you should be able to pay quickly and easily. The new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 3 and the upcoming Apple Watch currently support the service.
- So that the whole thing really works, first deposit your credit card in the Passbook app. You can do this with a simple photo, for example.
- Thanks to NFC, you don't even have to open an app to pay. It is enough if you hold your device to the payment devices and then pay with the fingerprint on the home button.
Apple Pay is really that secure
With Apple Pay, it's easy to pay, but the question remains whether it's really secure.
- The special thing about Apple Pay is encryption and transmission: your credit card is only saved in the Passbook app and is not transferred to Apple or the stores. You pay using a "Device Account Number", which is stored encrypted on the device. As a result, your iDevice only transmits this non-identifiable code and not your actual account number.
- About Touch ID: A person's fingerprint is unique - and should therefore be secure. However, the owner's fingerprint is present multiple times on the device, so that other people can easily access the fingerprint and use it to pay.
- Another weak point is the synchronization: If you save something on the iOS device, it is automatically transferred to your other devices via the iCloud. This theoretically makes it possible for cyber criminals to get your data.
- Conclusion: Basically all important data is encrypted and the special "Device Account Number" ensures sufficient security. A small residual risk remains even with Apple's payment service.
Payment alternative to Apple Pay: Telekoms MyWallet in the video
Alternatively, you can already pay by NFC with MyWallet from Telekom. We show you how the service works in practice in a video.
In the next practical tip, we will show you how you can scan your credit card data in iOS 8.