Make XNU GREAT Little Again - Apple's Darwin Kernel Security Evolution

Explore Apple's ongoing efforts to refactor the Darwin Kernel and enhance XNU's security architecture in this 55-minute conference talk from Objective-See Foundation's OBTS v8.0. Discover how Apple has been systematically isolating security-sensitive components and moving XNU closer to its microkernel origins, particularly since the iPhone 12 era when Apple silicon introduced unprecedented kernel security enhancements unavailable on other platforms. Learn about the evolutionary progression of security technologies starting with foundational concepts like KTRR, advancing through APRR and PPL, and continuing to more recent innovations including SPRR, GXF, SPTM, TXM, exclaves, conclaves, and the new user mode TPRO. Gain insights into both the assembly-level implementation details and the integration of these features into XNU, AMFI, and other system components, while demystifying the numerous acronyms that define Apple's cutting-edge kernel security landscape.