Apple announced a security feature in its forthcoming software updates to help protect users from state-sponsored cyber attacks.
Lockdown Mode — which Apple says is the first major capability of its kind — will be integrated into iOS 16, iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura, which are expected to be launched in September along with the next iteration of the iPhone.
The feature offers an optional but “extreme” level of security for the expected very few users who may be the targets of digital threats from companies developing state-sponsored mercenary spyware.
Turning on Lockdown Mode on iPhones, iPads or Macs will limit certain functions, reducing scope for vulnerability to an attack surface.
The feature is an “extreme, optional protection for the very small number of users who face grave, targeted threats to their digital security”, Apple said.
While the company acknowledges that most of its users are unlikely to be hit with such a cyber attacks of such a high degree, the move shows that it is taking no chances.
“While the vast majority of users will never be the victims of highly targeted cyber attacks, we will work tirelessly to protect the small number of users who are,”…
