Apple experts explained why no one has managed to hack the iPhone in a year.
Last year, Apple introduced new protection for users at risk, such as journalists and activists. Lockdown Mode was designed to limit certain features on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch devices in order to minimize the risk of a cyberattack.
A year after the launch, Apple representatives reported that they are not aware of any cases of successful hacking of devices in lock mode. The comment was made by a senior Apple engineer during a conversation with TechCrunch reporters . The condition of the interview was that journalists cannot name or quote an employee directly.
In lockdown mode, some Apple apps and services work differently. For example, most attachments and link previews are blocked in iMessage, FaceTime video calls from unknown contacts are filtered, and location information is removed from captured photos. It also prevents certain fonts from being loaded on websites.
The changes may make it harder to use your iPhone. For example, the interface of some websites may become unreadable or navigation through the sites may become more difficult. However, users can exclude certain apps or websites from blocking mode without disabling it completely. The advantage is that removing certain features makes it more difficult to exploit certain vulnerabilities and successfully hack the user's devices.
In April, researchers uncovered the first known case where lockdown mode blocked an attempt to hack a human rights defender's device using NSO Group's Pegasus spyware. The cyberattack, which exploited a Zero-day vulnerability, was detected by Citizen Lab, and Apple confirmed that the blocking mode prevented the attack.
According to Citizen Lab, the fact that Lockdown Mode appears to have prevented and even notified targets of a Zero-Click attack shows that this is a powerful defense and is cause for great optimism.
In September, Citizen Lab and Apple reported that the lockdown mode prevented another attack targeting former Egyptian parliament member Ahmed Eltantawi using the Predator spyware from Cytrox, another provider of government surveillance technology.
The lock mode only complements other security features, as well as detailed work aimed at preventing hacking of devices. The work was mostly done "behind the scenes". The company has revealed some details of its efforts to secure the devices. Some of the work is currently underway in Paris. As part of the work in Paris, Apple engineers are diligently hacking into manufactured smartphones. Using a wide range of technologies, including lasers and fine-tuned sensors, they try to find security vulnerabilities and fix them even before the devices go on sale.
Note also that the company Jamf Threat Labs warned about a new threat to iPhone users, which allows attackers to visually deceive the user, forcing him to believe that his iPhone is in lock mode, when in fact it is not at all, and thus conduct covert attacks.
Last year, Apple introduced new protection for users at risk, such as journalists and activists. Lockdown Mode was designed to limit certain features on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch devices in order to minimize the risk of a cyberattack.
A year after the launch, Apple representatives reported that they are not aware of any cases of successful hacking of devices in lock mode. The comment was made by a senior Apple engineer during a conversation with TechCrunch reporters . The condition of the interview was that journalists cannot name or quote an employee directly.
In lockdown mode, some Apple apps and services work differently. For example, most attachments and link previews are blocked in iMessage, FaceTime video calls from unknown contacts are filtered, and location information is removed from captured photos. It also prevents certain fonts from being loaded on websites.
The changes may make it harder to use your iPhone. For example, the interface of some websites may become unreadable or navigation through the sites may become more difficult. However, users can exclude certain apps or websites from blocking mode without disabling it completely. The advantage is that removing certain features makes it more difficult to exploit certain vulnerabilities and successfully hack the user's devices.
In April, researchers uncovered the first known case where lockdown mode blocked an attempt to hack a human rights defender's device using NSO Group's Pegasus spyware. The cyberattack, which exploited a Zero-day vulnerability, was detected by Citizen Lab, and Apple confirmed that the blocking mode prevented the attack.
According to Citizen Lab, the fact that Lockdown Mode appears to have prevented and even notified targets of a Zero-Click attack shows that this is a powerful defense and is cause for great optimism.
In September, Citizen Lab and Apple reported that the lockdown mode prevented another attack targeting former Egyptian parliament member Ahmed Eltantawi using the Predator spyware from Cytrox, another provider of government surveillance technology.
The lock mode only complements other security features, as well as detailed work aimed at preventing hacking of devices. The work was mostly done "behind the scenes". The company has revealed some details of its efforts to secure the devices. Some of the work is currently underway in Paris. As part of the work in Paris, Apple engineers are diligently hacking into manufactured smartphones. Using a wide range of technologies, including lasers and fine-tuned sensors, they try to find security vulnerabilities and fix them even before the devices go on sale.
Note also that the company Jamf Threat Labs warned about a new threat to iPhone users, which allows attackers to visually deceive the user, forcing him to believe that his iPhone is in lock mode, when in fact it is not at all, and thus conduct covert attacks.