/1 How do Apple Pay and Google Pay handle sensitive card info? The diagram below shows the differences. Both approaches are very secure, but the implementations are different. To understand the difference, we break down the process into two flows.
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/2 1. Registering your credit card flow 2. Basic payment flow
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/3 1️⃣ The registration flow is represented by steps 1~3 for both cases. 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐲: It doesn’t store any card info. It passes the card info to the bank. Bank returns a token called DAN (device account number). iPhone then stores DAN into a special hardware chip.
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/4 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐲: When you register the credit card with Google Pay, the card info is stored in the Google server. Google returns a payment token to the phone.
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/5 2️⃣ When you click the “Pay” button on your phone, the basic payment flow starts. Here are the differences: 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐲: For iPhone, the e-commerce server passes the DAN to the bank.
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/6 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐲: The e-commerce server passes the payment token to the Google server. Google server looks up the card info and passes it to the bank. In the diagram, the red arrow means the credit card info is available on the public network, although it is encrypted.
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/7 👉 Over to you: Apple needs to discuss the DAN details with banks. It takes time and effort, but the benefit is that the credit card info is on the public network only once. If you are an architect and have to choose between security and cost, which solution do you prefer?

Sep 21, 2022 · 3:53 PM UTC

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/8 I hope you've found this thread helpful. Follow me @alexxubyte for more. Like/Retweet the first tweet below if you can:
Alex Xu @alexxubyte
21 Sep 2022
/1 How do Apple Pay and Google Pay handle sensitive card info? The diagram below shows the differences. Both approaches are very secure, but the implementations are different. To understand the difference, we break down the process into two flows.
Show this thread
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Replying to @alexxubyte
In Apple Pay, DAN is stored to device chip. Can we break down the data stored in chip by unlocking or dismantle the iPhone ? If my phone is stolen, intruder can read the DAN and do the transaction through e-commerce
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Sure but the same situation applies for a stolen google phone, they're just acting as an in-between so it's you contacting your bank vs. you contacting google.
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Replying to @alexxubyte
@threadreaderapp Unroll pl
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Replying to @alexxubyte
As a user, definitely prefer the Apple method where they don't store my actual card details.
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Replying to @alexxubyte
@DataTwingler bookmark. #ApplePay #GooglePay #Comparison
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Replying to @alexxubyte
What is the risk of sharing the DAN with the e-commerce server? Could it be used more than once without the user consent?
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Replying to @alexxubyte
As an security architect that’s the real question. I’d chose Apple’s implementation. In GPay implementation there are more security risk factors. Great thread.👍
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Replying to @alexxubyte
To me, network exposure threat is the same as both approaches would require TLS to be broken. Time window is irrelevant at scale. But Apple one is preferable since on GPay card info is stored in two places instead of one
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Replying to @alexxubyte
Always security and privacy.
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