Technology giant Apple has unveiled a new “innovative” and “extreme” feature that will be released in a few months.
Technology giant Apple has unveiled a new “extreme” measure designed to protect iPhone, iPad and Mac users from “sophisticated digital threats.”
In an announcement Thursday morning, Australia time, Apple introduced a new “lock mode” designed to help protect users who could be targeted by hackers.
With the launch in the coming months, the lock mode “is an optional and extreme protection for the very small number of users who face serious and targeted threats to their digital security.”
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“Apple makes the most secure mobile devices on the market. Lock mode is an innovative capability that reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting users from even the rarest and most sophisticated attacks,” said the head of engineering and architecture at Apple. Apple security spokesman Ivan Krstić in a statement.
“While the vast majority of users will never be the victims of highly targeted cyber attacks, we will work tirelessly to protect the small number of users who are.
“This includes continuing to design defenses specifically for these users, as well as supporting researchers and organizations around the world who are doing important work to expose the mercenary companies that create these digital attacks.”
Apple said the blocking mode would help specific users, such as journalists, human rights defenders or political dissidents, who could be “personally targeted” by companies developing state-sponsored mercenary spyware such as NSO Group, which went create “Pegasus” software that can take away digital attacks and has been linked to several major piracy scandals.
It comes after two Israeli companies took advantage of Apple’s software weaknesses to hack iPhones, Apple sued NSO Group in response and the company landed on a commercial blacklist.
According to Apple, activating the lock mode in iOS 16, iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura “further tightens the device’s defenses and strictly limits certain features, drastically reducing the attack surface that could be exploited by highly targeted mercenary spyware “.
It will work by blocking most attachments sent to the iPhone Messages app, disabling certain complex web technologies, and blocking incoming invitations and service requests if the user has not previously sent a call or request to the initiator.
The digital giant has also announced a $ 2 million reward for researchers who find a way to bypass the lock mode, in order to further strengthen the security measure.
Apple also makes a $ 10 million grant to support organizations that investigate, expose, and prevent highly targeted cyberattacks, including those created by private companies that develop state-sponsored mercenary spyware.
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