Apple Lock Mode Why There S A New Level Of Security For Your Iphone

What happens

Apple will offer a new “Lock Mode” for its iPhones, iPads and Mac computers this fall. It is designed to combat advanced hacking and targeted spyware such as NSO Group’s Pegasus.

Because it matters

The move is Apple acknowledging, in a way, that the threat is serious and growing. Pegasus has been used by oppressive governments to spy on human rights activists, lawyers, politicians and journalists.

        What’s next 

Cybersecurity watchers believe Apple may push customers and competitors to take stronger security postures. Ultimately, the way we all use technology may have to change. Three years ago, Apple ran an ad in Las Vegas, showing the back of one of its devices, with the phrase “What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone.” It was a bold, if cheeky, claim. But Apple is increasingly responding to it. The tech giant has stepped up its commitments to privacy and security with a series of new features that cyber experts say are more than just a feature to differentiate its products from Samsung gadgets and other devices supported by Google’s Android OS. Instead, Apple’s moves have sent ripples through the advertising world and upset government officials — signs, tech watchers say, that Apple is keeping its promises. That’s why many cybersecurity experts took notice of Apple’s Lockdown Mode when it was unveiled last Wednesday. The feature is designed to enable “extreme” protections for the company’s iPhones, iPads and Macs. Among them, Apple’s Lock Mode blocks link previews in the Messages app, disables hackable web browsing technologies, and stops any incoming FaceTime calls from unknown numbers. Apple devices will also not accept accessory connections unless the device is unlocked. Apple’s cheeky ad in Las Vegas, 2019. CNET Of the people using its roughly 2 billion active devices worldwide, Apple said few would actually need to activate the feature. But cybersecurity experts say these types of extreme measures may need to become more common as governments around the world broaden who they target while increasing the frequency of attacks. Just last week, the FBI and Britain’s MI5 intelligence agency took the rare step of issuing a joint warning about the “huge” threat posed by Chinese spies to our “economic and national security” and that the hacking program is “greater from this”. every other major country together.” Other government agencies have issued similar warnings about hacking by other adversaries, including Russia, which the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in 2017 had targeted think tanks and lobby groups in addition to the government and political parties. And unlike widespread ransomware or virus campaigns, which are often designed to spread as quickly as possible, targeted attacks are often designed to silently gather intelligence, which could lead to stolen technology, exposure of government secrets, and more but. People are used to convenience without understanding the problems. Susan Landau, Tufts University Apple itself said last week that it had tracked hacking attempts targeting people in nearly 150 countries over the past eight months. Apple has already started a program to warn people when they might be targeted. When Lockdown Mode rolls out in the fall, cybersecurity experts say, it will represent an escalation on Apple’s part, particularly since the feature will be available to anyone who wants to turn it on. “There’s been a lot of effort over the years to make highly secure devices, and it’s great to have these things and put them out there, but we haven’t seen widespread adoption,” said Kurt Opsahl, deputy executive director and general counsel. at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which advocates for privacy and other civil liberties in the digital world. And while Opsahl believes an updated phone is probably good enough for the average person, he said any way Apple can increase the cost of hacking a phone helps protect the devices. “Make no mistake, Lockdown will be a significant blow,” said Ron Deibert, political science professor and director of the Citizen Lab for cybersecurity researchers at the University of Toronto. Angela Lang/CNET

Coming change

Much of Apple’s approach to cybersecurity can be traced back to 2010, when company co-founder Steve Jobs discussed his view of privacy on stage at the D8 conference. “Privacy means people know what they’re signing up for, in plain English, and repeatedly,” Jobs said. “Ask them. Ask them every time. Make them tell you to stop asking them if they get tired of asking them. Let them know exactly what you’re going to do.” Apple, by comparison, makes little of its money from advertising. By contrast, iPhones, iPads and Mac computers made up more than 70% of its sales last year, totaling more than $259 billion. Accordingly, Apple offers security features by default to all its users. When users first download Facebook and start using it on their phone, they are quickly greeted with pop-ups asking if they want to give the app access to their microphone or camera. Apple is finally making security and privacy choices as easy as possible. Jeff Pollard, Forrester Last year, Apple took it a step further, asking if people wanted to stop companies from tracking them on websites and apps, a feature Apple calls App Tracking Transparency. Surveys indicate that almost all people say they don’t want to be tracked, a move Facebook owner Meta said has hurt its bottom line, costing it as much as $10 billion in lost sales this year. “It’s a significant headwind we have to go through,” Meta CFO David Wehner said in February. But effectively offering a new feature to iPhones as a whole is a whole new approach. When users enable Lock Mode on their device by flipping a switch in the Settings app, it must then reboot — essentially loading a new set of code and rules under Apple’s “extreme” security measures. “Apple is finally making choices about security and privacy as easy as possible,” said Jeff Pollard, a Forrester cybersecurity and risk analyst. Pollard said this approach offers an opportunity for Apple to test the waters between usability and security, while keeping its promise to continually improve Lockdown over time. “We have to make it easier, so our opponents have to try harder.” James Martin/CNET

Future security

Lockdown Mode may be one of Apple’s most significant security moves to date, but the company still has more to do. Craig Federighi, Apple’s SVP and head of software, testified in a courtroom last year that his company’s Macs face a “significantly larger malware problem” than its iPhones, iPads and other devices. “Today, we have a level of malware on the Mac that we don’t find acceptable,” Federighi said during his deposition defending Apple in a lawsuit against Fortnite developer Epic Games. Each week, Apple detects a few pieces of malware on its own or with the help of third parties, he said at the time, and uses built-in systems to automatically remove malware from customers’ computers. However, bad programs continue to proliferate. In the year ending last May, Federighi said, Apple had combated 130 types of Mac malware, and one program alone infected 300,000 systems. Lockdown Mode doesn’t directly address widespread malware issues, but it could end up forcing hackers to devote even more time and resources to finding exploitable security flaws. “Something has to be done,” said Betsy Sigman, distinguished teaching professor emeritus at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. Privacy means people know what they’re signing up for, in plain English and repeatedly. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in 2010 A troubling problem for Sigman is that malware developers stand to make hundreds of millions of dollars…

title: “Apple Lock Mode Why There S A New Level Of Security For Your Iphone " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-16” author: “Valerie Lau”

What happens

Apple will offer a new “Lock Mode” for its iPhones, iPads and Mac computers this fall. It is designed to combat advanced hacking and targeted spyware such as NSO Group’s Pegasus.

Because it matters

The move is Apple acknowledging, in a way, that the threat is serious and growing. Pegasus has been used by oppressive governments to spy on human rights activists, lawyers, politicians and journalists.

        What’s next 

Cybersecurity watchers believe Apple may push customers and competitors to take stronger security postures. Ultimately, the way we all use technology may have to change. Three years ago, Apple ran an ad in Las Vegas, showing the back of one of its devices, with the phrase “What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone.” It was a bold, if cheeky, claim. But Apple is increasingly responding to it. The tech giant has stepped up its commitments to privacy and security with a series of new features that cyber experts say are more than just a feature to differentiate its products from Samsung gadgets and other devices supported by Google’s Android OS. Instead, Apple’s moves have sent ripples through the advertising world and upset government officials — signs, tech watchers say, that Apple is keeping its promises. That’s why many cybersecurity experts took notice of Apple’s Lockdown Mode when it was unveiled last Wednesday. The feature is designed to enable “extreme” protections for the company’s iPhones, iPads and Macs. Among them, Apple’s Lock Mode blocks link previews in the Messages app, disables hackable web browsing technologies, and stops any incoming FaceTime calls from unknown numbers. Apple devices will also not accept accessory connections unless the device is unlocked. Apple’s cheeky ad in Las Vegas, 2019. CNET Of the people using its roughly 2 billion active devices worldwide, Apple said few would actually need to activate the feature. But cybersecurity experts say these types of extreme measures may need to become more common as governments around the world broaden who they target while increasing the frequency of attacks. Just last week, the FBI and Britain’s MI5 intelligence agency took the rare step of issuing a joint warning about the “huge” threat posed by Chinese spies to our “economic and national security” and that the hacking program is “greater from this”. every other major country together.” Other government agencies have issued similar warnings about hacking by other adversaries, including Russia, which the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in 2017 had targeted think tanks and lobby groups in addition to the government and political parties. And unlike widespread ransomware or virus campaigns, which are often designed to spread as quickly as possible, targeted attacks are often designed to silently gather intelligence, which could lead to stolen technology, exposure of government secrets, and more but. People are used to convenience without understanding the problems. Susan Landau, Tufts University Apple itself said last week that it had tracked hacking attempts targeting people in nearly 150 countries over the past eight months. Apple has already started a program to warn people when they might be targeted. When Lockdown Mode rolls out in the fall, cybersecurity experts say, it will represent an escalation on Apple’s part, particularly since the feature will be available to anyone who wants to turn it on. “There’s been a lot of effort over the years to make highly secure devices, and it’s great to have these things and put them out there, but we haven’t seen widespread adoption,” said Kurt Opsahl, deputy executive director and general counsel. at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which advocates for privacy and other civil liberties in the digital world. And while Opsahl believes an updated phone is probably good enough for the average person, he said any way Apple can increase the cost of hacking a phone helps protect the devices. “Make no mistake, Lockdown will be a significant blow,” said Ron Deibert, political science professor and director of the Citizen Lab for cybersecurity researchers at the University of Toronto. Angela Lang/CNET

Coming change

Much of Apple’s approach to cybersecurity can be traced back to 2010, when company co-founder Steve Jobs discussed his view of privacy on stage at the D8 conference. “Privacy means people know what they’re signing up for, in plain English, and repeatedly,” Jobs said. “Ask them. Ask them every time. Make them tell you to stop asking them if they get tired of asking them. Let them know exactly what you’re going to do.” Apple, by comparison, makes little of its money from advertising. By contrast, iPhones, iPads and Mac computers made up more than 70% of its sales last year, totaling more than $259 billion. Accordingly, Apple offers security features by default to all its users. When users first download Facebook and start using it on their phone, they are quickly greeted with pop-ups asking if they want to give the app access to their microphone or camera. Apple is finally making security and privacy choices as easy as possible. Jeff Pollard, Forrester Last year, Apple took it a step further, asking if people wanted to stop companies from tracking them on websites and apps, a feature Apple calls App Tracking Transparency. Surveys indicate that almost all people say they don’t want to be tracked, a move Facebook owner Meta said has hurt its bottom line, costing it as much as $10 billion in lost sales this year. “It’s a significant headwind we have to go through,” Meta CFO David Wehner said in February. But effectively offering a new feature to iPhones as a whole is a whole new approach. When users enable Lock Mode on their device by flipping a switch in the Settings app, it must then reboot — essentially loading a new set of code and rules under Apple’s “extreme” security measures. “Apple is finally making choices about security and privacy as easy as possible,” said Jeff Pollard, a Forrester cybersecurity and risk analyst. Pollard said this approach offers an opportunity for Apple to test the waters between usability and security, while keeping its promise to continually improve Lockdown over time. “We have to make it easier, so our opponents have to try harder.” James Martin/CNET

Future security

Lockdown Mode may be one of Apple’s most significant security moves to date, but the company still has more to do. Craig Federighi, Apple’s SVP and head of software, testified in a courtroom last year that his company’s Macs face a “significantly larger malware problem” than its iPhones, iPads and other devices. “Today, we have a level of malware on the Mac that we don’t find acceptable,” Federighi said during his deposition defending Apple in a lawsuit against Fortnite developer Epic Games. Each week, Apple detects a few pieces of malware on its own or with the help of third parties, he said at the time, and uses built-in systems to automatically remove malware from customers’ computers. However, bad programs continue to proliferate. In the year ending last May, Federighi said, Apple had combated 130 types of Mac malware, and one program alone infected 300,000 systems. Lockdown Mode doesn’t directly address widespread malware issues, but it could end up forcing hackers to devote even more time and resources to finding exploitable security flaws. “Something has to be done,” said Betsy Sigman, distinguished teaching professor emeritus at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. Privacy means people know what they’re signing up for, in plain English and repeatedly. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in 2010 A troubling problem for Sigman is that malware developers stand to make hundreds of millions of dollars…