macOS

Page updated: 2024-03-27

macOS - History

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macOS 14 Sonoma

Available since 26th September, 2023.

• CryptoTokenKit: Yes
• Tokend: Not supported
• Net iD compability: Net iD Enterprise will no longer work, use Net iD Client (the next generation Net iD PKI middleware)

https://blog.apdu.fr/posts/2023/09/macos-sonoma-and-smart-cards-status/

Update:
https://blog.apdu.fr/posts/2024/02/macos-sonoma-bug-scardcontrol-part-2/

macOS 13 Ventura

Available since 24th October, 2022.

• CryptoTokenKit: Yes
• Tokend: Not supported
• Net iD compability: Net iD Enterprise will no longer work, use Net iD Client (the next generation Net iD PKI middleware)

https://ludovicrousseau.blogspot.com/2022/11/macos-ventura-and-smart-cards-status.html

macOS 12 Monterey

Available since 25th October, 2021.

• CryptoTokenKit: Yes
• Tokend: Not supported
• Net iD compability: Net iD Enterprise will no longer work, use Net iD Client (the next generation Net iD PKI middleware)

https://ludovicrousseau.blogspot.com/2021/11/macos-monterey-and-smart-cards-status.html

NOTE:
If your Mac was delivered with Monterey (12.x) from factory and not upgraded from Catalina or Big Sur to Monterey you can (will) have problems with login to the OS with smart cards and YubiKeys together with Net iD Client. However, this was fixed in Monterey 12.5 (released in July 2022) when upgrading from 12.4. Later we have heard from customers making fresh installs af 12.5 saw this problems again, solved by upgrade to 12.5.1 or 12.6.

macOS 11 Big Sur

Available since 12th November, 2020.

• CryptoTokenKit: Yes
• Tokend: Not supported
• Net iD compability: Net iD Enterprise will no longer work, use Net iD Client (the next generation Net iD PKI middleware)

https://ludovicrousseau.blogspot.com/2020/11/macos-big-sur-and-smart-cards-status.html

macOS 10.15 Catalina

Available since 7th October, 2019.

• CryptoTokenKit: Yes
• Tokend: Must be manually enabled
• Net iD compability: Net iD Enterprise works fine with tokend (consider upgrading to Net iD Client and leave tokend)

https://ludovicrousseau.blogspot.com/2019/10/macos-catalina-and-smart-cards-status.html

macOS 10.14 Mojave

Available since 24th September, 2018.

• CryptoTokenKit: Yes
• Tokend: Yes
• Net iD compability: Net iD Enterprise works fine with tokend (consider upgrading to Net iD Client when avaliable)

https://ludovicrousseau.blogspot.com/2018/09/macos-mojave-and-smart-cards-status.html

macOS 10.13 High Sierra

Available since 25th September, 2017.

• CryptoTokenKit: Yes
• Tokend: Yes
• Net iD compability: Net iD Enterprise works fine with tokend (consider upgrading to Net iD Client when avaliable)

https://ludovicrousseau.blogspot.com/2017/09/macos-high-sierra-and-smart-cards-status.html

macOS 10.12 Sierra

Available since 20th September, 2016.

• CryptoTokenKit: Yes
• Tokend: Yes

https://ludovicrousseau.blogspot.com/2016/09/macos-sierra-and-smart-cards-status.html

Quote: (Ludovic Rousseau)
"In macOS Sierra (v10.12) Apple introduced the CryptoTokenKit plugin mechanism. This new mechanism is used to replace the tokend mechanism that was deprecated since OS X Lion (v10.7) in 2011. The CryptoTokenKit API was introduced in OS X Yosemite (v10.10). What is new with macOS Sierra is that a smart card manufacturer can provide a plugin to use the smart card through the Crypto Token Kit API."

OS X 10.11 El Capitan

Available since 30th September, 2015.

• CryptoTokenKit: Yes
• Tokend: Yes

https://ludovicrousseau.blogspot.com/2015/10/os-x-el-capitan-and-smart-cards-status.html

OS X 10.10 Yosemite

Available since October 16th, 2014.

• CryptoTokenKit: Yes, introduced in Yosemite
• Tokend: Yes

Note: Since Yosemite (10.10) the PC/SC layer is no more a fork of pcsc-lite.

https://ludovicrousseau.blogspot.com/2014/11/os-x-yosemite-and-smart-cards-status.html

OS X 10.9 Mavericks

Available since 22th October 2013.

• CryptoTokenKit: No
• Tokend: Yes

OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion

Available since July 25th 2012.

• CryptoTokenKit: No
• Tokend: Yes

2 months after the release of Mountain Lion, Apple released a new (beta) tokend package installer for Mountain Lion (10.8).

This installs the Tokend modules which no longer ship from Apple as part of Mac OS X beginning with OS X Lion (v10.7).
Note that this installer will ONLY install onto OS X Mountain Lion v10.8. The Tokend modules installed are: BELPIC, CAC, CACNG, JPKI and PIV

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion

Available since 2011.

• CryptoTokenKit: No
• Tokend: Yes

https://ludovicrousseau.blogspot.com/2011/08/mac-os-x-lion-and-smart-cards-status.html

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Evolution of Apple pcsc-lite (from Jaguar to Mavericks)

https://ludovicrousseau.blogspot.com/2014/03/evolution-of-apple-pcsc-lite-from.html