Apple to Offer ‘Lockdown Mode’ Against Spyware

Apple has put out two initiatives to help users fend off digital threats such as state-sponsored mercenary spyware, the tech giant announced in a company blog post Wednesday (July 6).

Lockdown Mode, as one of them is called, will be an optional offering that aims to protect users who face “grave, targeted threats” against digital security — a small number of people, the post said.

The new feature will help those who face a unique danger because of “who they are or what they do.” Those users might be targeted by “sophisticated” digital threats like those from NSO Group or other private companies working on mercenary spyware.

Some of the protections include blocking most messages, disabling various web technologies, blocking many Apple services like invitations and service requests, and generally limiting functionalities so that the attack surface is much more limited.

“Apple makes the most secure mobile devices on the market,” said Ivan Krstić, Apple’s head of security engineering and architecture. “Lockdown Mode is a groundbreaking capability that reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting users from even the rarest, most sophisticated attacks.

“While the vast majority of users will never be the victims of highly targeted cyberattacks, we will work tirelessly to protect the small number of users who are. That includes continuing to design defenses specifically for these users, as well as supporting researchers and organizations around the world doing critically important work in exposing mercenary companies that create these digital attacks.”

In addition, there will also be a $10 million grant from Apple which will go toward the Dignity and Justice Fund, which the Ford Foundation established, to help bolster cybersecurity research and address vulnerabilities.

Cybersecurity has been a big issue as of late, with a White House directive from last year saying there were almost 300 cybersecurity holes that leave the government’s older computer systems vulnerable, PYMNTS wrote.

Read more: White House: Federal Computers Vulnerable to Cyberattacks

Some of them say there’s a need to update or replace outdated versions of software, many of which haven’t been regularly updated in years.