Apple recently announced a new security feature called ‘Lockdown Mode’.
Lockdown Mode is designed to protect politicians, activists and journalists as they use their Apple devices. The setting can be enabled on iPhones, iPads and Macs running iOS 16 or Ventura by interrupting commonly used hacking methods on the aforementioned devices.
While a device is under Lockdown Mode, any link previews, web browsing technology, FaceTime calls and invitations from unknown sources will be turned off. Furthermore, users will not be able to enroll in mobile device management or create new configuration profiles. Wired connections on accessories or computers will not be possible when the device is locked as well.
Apple said that Lockdown Mode is an ‘extreme and optional’ protective layer which poses as the answer to state-sponsored software such as the Pegasus tool. Other tech companies are introducing similar features, such as the Super Duper Secure Mode for the Edge Browser and Advanced Protection Program for Google accounts.
Chantal Hayes is the editor-in-chief at Readability. She has worked as a journalist and editor for over 10 years, including stints at The New York Times, The Huffington Post, and Time Out New York. Hayes is a graduate of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.
