Show HN: MicroMDM – Open Source MDM Server for Apple Devices (opens in new tab)

Could per-app VPNs be used without DEP? If so, could they be used with MicroMDM, native iOS IPSEC client and an open-source VPN server, or is a 3rd-party VPN client like Cisco required for per-app VPN?

Duo very nicely gave multiple shout outs in their post. Including to zalmoxes (above), as well as my co-presenter and I. Sadly the traditional vendors in the space don’t have a track record of caring about security engineering. I’m glad that Duo’s latest research emphasizes the importance of authenticating the device enrollment process in particular. We touched on this in our whitepaper^, but it wasn’t a primary focus of our research and we didn’t tie it back to the shortcomings of DEP’s lack of verification around device identity. Extremely happy to see more focus on this stuff.

^See the vendor security checklist section of our whitepaper. Specifically, the bit about using an HMAC within the SCEP payload.

Full transparency: I’m cofounder/CSO of a security focused product in the MDM space (fleetsmith.com).

I think Apple is happy with the current state of MDM servers--several good 3rd-party options, both self-hosted and cloud.

I'm not sure it would be worthwhile setting up for personal use -- the policies it lets you set aren't doing anything other than ensuring you're following best practices (like setting a screen lock) so you don't gain anything over just doing that, and the direct management tools aren't any finer-grained than you can get from Google's Find My Device.

I'm not sure you're able to set up a linked "for work" profile without MDM; that might be a benefit if you want compartmentalisation.

If you have a lot of devices (think 10+) I guess it could be useful to keep them aligned. It could also be useful as training on how to centrally manage devices.

But I would not recommend using a MDM unless you have a specific reason. Personal devices that you have physical control over are easy to manage locally on the device. Adding a MDM also adds another attack vector, if the MDM is compromised all your devices are at risk.

I don't own anything apple, so I'm unlikely to ever run this MDM, but, if a good Android one came to my attention.. maybe? I'm geeky enough to enjoy doing it, even if it comes with no real benefits to me.

I think the major benefit is that this way you control the MDM, and you don't risk that a MDM gets installed on your phone unexpectedly, sort of like a rootkit.

The nice part is I can use the same profile on a Mac too.