Apple is constructing security safeguards for users of the most important data.
Coming to the iPhone, iPad, and Mac is “Lockdown Mode.”
The new function will be introduced to iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura in the autumn, according to a post on the Apple Newsroom website. The new function is a “extreme, optional defense for the extremely limited percentage of consumers who confront major, targeted threats to their digital security,” according to the business.
The functionality is specifically made for the small percentage of customers who may encounter “very targeted intrusions,” according to Ivan Krsti, Apple’s head of Security Engineering and Architecture.
“The most secure mobile devices are those made by Apple. A ground-breaking feature, Lockdown Mode demonstrates our ongoing dedication to safeguarding users from even the rarest, most sophisticated assaults. We will make unrelenting efforts to defend the small minority of users who are the victims of highly targeted cyberattacks, even if the great majority of users will never be. This entails continuing to develop defenses specifically for these users as well as assisting academics and groups working tirelessly to expose mercenary firms behind these cyberattacks.”
Users will have access to the following protections when the functionality debuts in the fall:
- Messages: All attachment kinds besides photos are restricted. Some features, like link previews, are disabled.
- Web browsing: Unless the user excludes a trusted site from Lockdown Mode, some advanced web technologies, such as just-in-time (JIT) JavaScript compilation, are disabled.
- Apple products: If the user hasn’t already made contact with the initiator through call or request, all incoming invitations and service requests, including FaceTime calls, are denied.
- When iPhone is locked, wired connections to a computer or device are disabled.
While Lockdown Mode is activated, configuration profiles cannot be installed and the device cannot be enrolled in mobile device management (MDM).
As part of the Apple Security Bounty program, Apple raised the reward from $1 million to $2 million for researchers who are able to get around “Lockdown Mode” over time. According to the business, it is the highest payout feasible for a similar program in the sector.
In order to “assist groups that investigate, expose, and prevent highly targeted cyberattacks,” Apple is also donating $10 million to the Dignity and Justice Fund.
The press release mentioned above contains further information regarding everything that was announced.