For many years, Apple has positioned its products as the safest and most private ones available, including iPhones, iPads, and Mac PCs. Last week, it strengthened that effort with a new function called iPhone Lockdown Mode that will be released this fall and is intended to combat targeted hacking attempts like the Pegasus malware, which some governments are alleged to have used on human rights activists, attorneys, politicians, and journalists worldwide. Additionally, Apple announced a $10 million grant and a $2 million bug bounty to support additional studies into this emerging danger.
iPhone Lockdown Mode Will Protect Your Privacy
According to the tech giant, iPhone Lockdown Mode is intended to activate “extreme” security on its phones, including blocking message attachments and link previews, potentially hackable online surfing tools, and incoming FaceTime calls from obscene numbers. Apple devices cannot be installed with new remote management software while they are in iPhone Lockdown Mode, and they will not accept accessory connections until the device is unlocked. In the autumn, as part of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura, the new capability will be made freely available to the general public. It is currently available in test software being used by developers this summer.
Along with the new iPhone Lockdown Mode, which Apple describes as an “extreme” step, the corporation also announced a $10 million donation to the Ford Foundation’s Dignity and Justice Fund in support of human rights and the fight against social repression. The business’s initiatives to strengthen device security come as the IT sector has to deal with more and more targeted assaults from repressive regimes throughout the globe. Attacks like those utilizing Pegasus are aimed at passive intelligence collection, in contrast to broad ransomware or virus operations, which frequently aim to spread indiscriminately the farthest and quickest via residential and business networks.