Mode Lockdown Mode not only offers “unprecedented” protection for the iPhone, but also severely restricts the owner of the device.
The American company Apple will pay two million dollars to anyone who can crack the protection mode called Lockdown Mode, which appeared in the sixteenth version of the iOS mobile operating system, writes the Gizchina portal. The new “impenetrable” function is aimed at effectively combating Pegasus (capable of extracting text messages, photos, emails, recording calls, remotely turning on the microphone and camera), and other similar spyware installed on devices without the knowledge of the owners.
“Although the vast majority of users will never become victims of a targeted cyberattack, we still need to protect all owners of Apple products. Lockdown Mode is a revolutionary feature that reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting users from attacks,” said Ivan Krst, Apple’s Director of Security Development and Architecture.
As Apple noted, Lockdown Mode offers “an extreme additional level of security.”
However, there is one “but”. Although the mode enhances the protection of the device, in parallel it significantly limits the functions of the smartphone itself — this is a “payment” for security. For example, while the iPhone is switched to Lockdown Mode, the following will be banned: most types of attachments, except for images; preview links in the iMessage application for instant messaging; invitations sent through Apple services, like FaceTime calls from unfamiliar numbers; wired connections to a computer or accessories when the iPhone is locked. In addition, websites will run slower due to disabling Just In Time JavaScript compilation.
The new feature will be available for testing by developers this summer, and the official release is scheduled for autumn. You can read more about iOS 16 itself on the Apple website.
Western media write that Lockdown Mode may not be required by ordinary Apple customers. But it makes sense to include it if you are at risk of attack — for example, as a journalist. Here it is worth remembering the story of the murder of 59-year-old columnist of The Washington Post Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate building in Istanbul in 2018. According to American criminologists, the UAE special services installed Pegasus spyware on the phone of the journalist’s fiancee a few months before his death.