Apple is preparing a new “Lockdown Mode” for iPhones, iPads, and Macs that’s designed to stymie hacking attempts from professional spyware companies.
The upcoming Lockdown Mode restricts various processes on the device that can be exploited for malicious purposes, and it's intended to thwart companies such as NSO Group, which specialize in developing zero-day exploits to help governments hack smartphones.
The new mode represents “an extreme, optional protection for the very small number of users who face grave, targeted threats to their digital security,” Apple said in the announcement. These users can include government officials, human rights activists, lawyers, and journalists, who mercenary spyware companies have often targeted in the past.
Apple designed Lockdown Mode to sharply reduce “the attack surface that potentially could be exploited by highly targeted mercenary spyware,” the company said. But the new safeguard does disable some features on Apple's devices.
For example, Lockdown Mode will automatically block most attachment types other than images that funnel through the Messages app. It will also disable certain “complex” web technologies, such as just-in-time (JIT) JavaScript compilation, from running on a browser unless the user grants permission.
“Wired connections with a computer or accessory are blocked when iPhone is locked,” Apple added. “Configuration profiles cannot be installed, and the device cannot enroll into mobile device management (MDM), while Lockdown Mode is turned on.”
According to Vice, the Lockdown Mode will also stop URL addresses in iMessage from appearing as a web link. To visit the URL address, you'll have to manually copy it and paste it into a browser.
Security researchers at Citizen Lab, which has been investigating the mobile spyware industry, praised Apple for developing Lockdown Mode. “Cannot overstate how big a change this is for Apple,” tweeted Citizen Lab researcher John Scott-Railton. “So important that people at higher digital risk have the option to harden their phones.”
The feature also arrives months after Apple announced it would begin warning users whenever the company suspects they’ve come under attack from state-sponsored spies. Lockdown Mode now gives them a way to counter the hacking attempts, Scott-Railton added.
Lockdown Mode is scheduled to arrive this fall in iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura. Apple also plans on adding new protections to the mode over time. If you do suspect your phone has been hit with advanced spyware, consider checking the resources at Access Now, a nonprofit devoted to protecting digital rights.