iOS 16 introduces several new features, including an interactive lock screen and the option to edit and unsend recently sent iMessages. However, while many of the new features included with iOS 16 aren’t tailored to consumers, a new security feature dubbed “Lockdown” mode provides additional protection to Apple device owners who may be vulnerable to targeted assaults.
Apple has positioned its iPhones as the most secure gadgets on the market for years, and it continues to do so. However, a group of journalists released The Pegasus Project last year, which revealed that over 30,000 human rights activists, journalists, and attorneys throughout the world, including India, may have been targeted by the Israel-based NSO company’s spyware Pegasus.
The virus targeted iPhones as well, using a range of flaws, including many iOS zero-click zero-days. Pegasus enables users to remotely extract the contents of a phone, tap into the camera and microphone, and access calls, location information, images, and messages without the victim’s awareness – and without the victim even clicking on a link.
Following this, Apple launched a lawsuit against the manufacturers of Pegasus, claiming the NSO Group of “flagrant breaches of US federal and state law” relating to the damage caused by spyware on Apple devices.
A fresh allegation earlier this year alleged that Pegasus was used to get into the iPhone of a Jordanian journalist in December. The incident occurred many weeks after Apple sued the Israeli business for attempting to assault its consumers.
The Pegasus investigation demonstrates that iPhones, like any other “connected” gadget, are not completely secure and may be hacked.
While Apple continues to fight the NSO Group in court, the corporation introduced a new “lockdown” mode feature as part of the iOS 16 operating system at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.
Lockdown mode, which is already available with iOS 16 and will be accessible on iPads and Macs later this year, is a security feature that provides an extra layer of protection to users who are at danger of being targeted by Pegasus and other sophisticated advanced malware. When Lockdown is engaged, several iPhone capabilities are disabled – a trade-off for such a security measure.
When consumers select Lockdown mode on their phones, for example, it disables link previews in text messages, which covers a person’s identity by getting their IP addresses. The function just blocks the preview of a link, so users may still copy and paste the web address into their browser. Lockdown mode also disables some Safari capabilities that may harm some websites.
If consumers suspect they are the target of a spyware assault, they can set Lockdown Mode on their iPhone running iOS 16, which is now available for free download. Lockdown mode may be found in the Settings app’s Privacy and Security section.
