The Secure Enclave is a dedicated secure subsystem integrated into Apple systems on chip (SoCs). The Secure Enclave is isolated from the main processor to provide an extra layer of security, and is designed to keep sensitive user data secure even if the Application Processor kernel becomes compromised. The Secure Enclave makes it close to impossible for hackers to decrypt sensitive information remotely, and also extremely hard even if they illegitimately gain full physical access to your device (in case of loss or theft). Because the Secure Enclave is a separate system, and because the phone's operating system never actually sees the decryption keys, it's incredibly difficult to decrypt your data without knowing your PIN code. The risk factor for the Secure Enclave is PIN codes - if your pin code is easy to guess, or simple enough to brute force, losing your phone might eventually lead to other parties getting access to your phone's data days or months later. Keep that in mind generally while deciding what assets should be included in "hot storage" access on your phone - but Vault12 does not rely on the PIN capability of Secure Enclave, in order to prevent such risks from affecting you. Third-party apps such as Vault12 Guard can also create and store strong cryptographic keys in the enclave to lock down data, but the apps never have access to the keys themselves. Instead, apps make requests for the Secure Enclave to encrypt and decrypt data. This means any information encrypted using the Secure Enclave is incredibly difficult to decrypt on any other device. When you store a private key in the Secure Enclave, you never actually handle the key, making it difficult for the key to become compromised. Instead, you instruct the Secure Enclave to create the key, securely store it, and perform operations with it. You receive only the output of these operations, such as encrypted data or a cryptographic signature verification outcome. Many attempts have been made to hack the Secure Enclave, however, none have succeeded in remotely retrieving anyone's keys. In 2017 a hacker was able to decrypt the Secure Enclave firmware. However he was unable to gain access to any private keys, so there was no actual exploit. In 2020 a well-known group of Chinese hackers discovered an "unpatchable" exploit on the Secure Enclave chip used by older Apple devices. While it is unclear what was possible with this specific vulnerability, direct access to the physical phone was required to conduct a hack. Apple has already fixed the security breach in A12, A13 and M1 chips. More details on Apple's Security architecture is available in its annual Platform Security Guide.