Almost four years after launching a security feature called Lockdown Mode, Apple says it has yet to see a case where someone’s device was hacked with these additional security protections switched on.
“We are not aware of any successful mercenary spyware attacks against a Lockdown Mode-enabled Apple device,” Apple spokesperson Sarah O’Rourke told TechCrunch.
It’s the tech giant’s most recent affirmation that Apple devices with Lockdown Mode can withstand government spyware attacks, after first making the claim a year after the security feature’s debut.
Lockdown Mode is an optional, extreme protection feature that’s designed for folks might be personally targeted by the most sophisticated digital threats. Most people are never targeted by attacks of this nature.
When Lockdown Mode is enabled, your device won’t function like it typically does. To reduce the attack surface that potentially could be exploited by highly targeted mercenary spyware, certain apps, websites, and features are strictly limited for security and some experiences might not be available at all.
Lockdown Mode is available in iOS 16 or later, iPadOS 16 or later, watchOS 10 or later, and macOS Ventura or later. Additional protections are available starting in iOS 17, iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, and macOS Sonoma
Speaking of security, Apple is pushing Lock Screen notifications to iPhones and iPads running older versions of iOS and iPadOS, warning users of active web-based attacks, notes MacRumors.
The alerts appear as a “Critical Software” notification from the Settings app. They warn that Apple “is aware of attacks targeting out-of-date iOS software, including the version on your iPhone,” and urge users to install a critical update to protect their device. The notifications are being seen on devices running a range of older iOS versions, including iOS 17.0, far beyond the iOS 13 and iOS 14 devices that Apple discussed in a support documentation.
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