Episode 450: Device Attestation and CAs in 2026

PKI can be a real adventure, from dealing with minting certificates, to their whole lifecycle, all the way down to who trusts what and why. We're here this week with Smallstep's CEO Mike Malone to talk about device attestation, their latest projects, and everything about how we learn to better trust each other when we can, and what to do when we can't.

• Tom Bridge - @[email protected]
• Marcus Ransom - @marcusransom

Guests:

• Mike Malone - LinkedIn

Links:

• https://smallstep.com/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_Certificate_Management_Environment
• https://letsencrypt.org/docs/client-options/
• https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/07/30/3124136/0/en/Smallstep-and-Jamf-Partner-to-Deliver-Hardware-Backed-Device-Identity-for-Enterprise-Managed-Apple-Fleets.html
• Apple JNUC 2025 Presentation on Apple Platform Security https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Wj2Oc-LUMQ
• https://smallstep.com/product/ai-and-mcp/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zooko_Wilcox-O%27Hearn

Sponsors:

• Iru
• Fleet Device Management
• Meter
• Primo
• Watchman Monitoring

If you're interested in sponsoring the Mac Admins Podcast, please email [email protected] for more information.

Get the latest about the Mac Admins Podcast, follow us on Twitter! We're @MacAdmPodcast!

The Mac Admins Podcast has launched a Patreon Campaign! Our named patrons this month include Weldon Dodd, Damien Barrett, Justin Holt, Chad Swarthout, William Smith, Stephen Weinstein, Seb Nash, Dan McLaughlin, Joe Sfarra, Nate Cinal, Jon Brown, Dan Barker, Tim Perfitt, Ashley MacKinlay, Tobias Linder Philippe Daoust, AJ Potrebka, Adam Burg, & Hamlin Krewson