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New Jamf app unlocks Macs via Face ID on iPhone

Jamf Unlock for iPhone and iPad

Last updated

Enterprise customers using Jamf to manage Macs now have a Jamf Unlock app for iPhone, which allows user authentication using Face ID.

Apple device management firm Jamf has launched Jamf Unlock to provide corporate users with "passwordless Mac authentication," using just the new app. It's part of the firm's Jamf Connect system, which is meant to give each user a quick way to access all of their company Apple devices.

"Jamf Connect expands secure identity and access to resources with Jamf Unlock, passwordless authentication from an iPhone app to securely unlock Mac and the resources needed to be productive," says the company. "Jamf Unlock helps admins and security teams overcome the enormous challenge of keeping a remote and hybrid workforce secure and protected, while also providing a seamless end user experience."

Overall, the Jamf Connect system gives each user one "single et of cloud-identity credentials." Jamf Unlock is now one method those users can have to unlock their Macs.

Jamf Unlock is a free download on the iOS App Store. Jamf Connect costs $2 per device, per month, or $24 per device, per year. Business Plan organizations pay $12 per user, per year, for all Jamf products.

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2 Comments

emig647 20 Years · 2446 comments

The same Jamf that would lock up my mac every time I did a ‘carthage update’? Yah I’m still good. 

rob53 13 Years · 3312 comments

So Jamf has written a backdoor into its MDM software. That's interesting. I assume this operates like an old style RSA token system but even that required a logon and the token (two-factor). What this system appears to do is allow the person managing the system access to every connected client since once you give the user access via the unlock software, the administrator by default also has it. I wonder if this also gives the admin access to all the user's security keys. Glad I'm not having to deal with this anymore because it would require a lot of testing before I would have approved it.