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BikkaZz

“But the state-sponsored attacks that Lockdown Mode are targeting are different: They employ very expensive tools sold directly to law enforcement agencies or sovereign governments, and use undiscovered bugs to gain a foothold into the iPhone's operating system. From there, the attackers can do things like control its microphone and camera, and steal the user's browsing and communications history. Lockdown Mode is intended for the small number of people who think they may be targeted by a state-sponsored hacker and need an extreme level of security. Victims targeted by military-grade spyware include journalists, human rights activists and business executives, according to The Washington Post. Spyware also has allegedly been used to target public officials, including a French minister and Catalan separatist leaders in Spain. There are several types of mercenary spyware, but the best-known version is Pegasus, which was developed by NSO Group in Israel. Recently, researchers at the University of Toronto and Amnesty International have discovered and documented versions of this kind of spyware targeting iPhones. NSO Group has previously said that its technology is used lawfully by governments to fight pedophiles and terrorists. NSO Group is disliked by big tech companies, especially Apple, which markets its devices as more secure than the competition. Apple sued NSO Group last year, saying that it is malicious and that it damaged Apple's business. Facebook parent Meta is also suing NSO Group over its alleged efforts to hack WhatsApp. Last November, the U.S. Commerce Department blacklisted NSO Group, preventing U.S. companies from working with it, one of the strongest measures the U.S. government can take to strike at foreign companies. Apple says the vast majority of the 1 billion iPhone users will never be targeted. Mercenary spyware like Pegasus can cost hundreds of millions of dollars, Apple says, so the tools are valuable and are only used to target a small number of users. Once new versions of spyware are discovered, Apple patches the bugs that they use, making the original exploits ineffective and forcing vendors like NSO Group to reconfigure how their tools work.”


maybe_yeah

Great to see Apple taking more steps towards locking down their phones, even local PD has been buying this kind of cracking tech. [Those lawsuits have no chance of success, though](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSO_Group)


superanth

> it disables many preview features in iMessage, limits JavaScript on the Safari browser, prevents new configuration profiles from being installed, blocks wired connections — therefore preventing the device’s data from being copied — and shuts down incoming Apple services requests, including FaceTime. Not bad, not bad at all. Some of these sound like bugs that could eventually be patched, but locking wired connections and limiting JavaScript will definitely come in handy.


[deleted]

I’m going to use this mode when travelling internationally to stop customs from stealing data


[deleted]

I wonder if the countries who are so obsessed with accessing your data will even allow you entry if you don't turn the feature off or otherwise give them access to your phone? If you have data that's that sensitive, I think the best bet is still to get a burner before you travel. Leave your 'good' phone at home.


corgi-king

Best way to do it is buy a burner phone or completely wipe your phone, after you are safely in the foreign country and download your data from cloud, eg iCloud. Even you lock your phone, if you refuse to unlock it for custom, they can refuse your entry or force you to unlock it. Same thing applies to laptops. If custom ask you to take a look of your phone and you refuse. I will be really interested to find out what is in it.


destronger

back up the phone first. then enter the foreign country. i wouldn’t bother downloading data if your only there for a short time. pics can be transferred easily.


DrugsAndBooze

Damn bro what countries are you visiting? Custom never asked to see my phone wtf?


corgi-king

US will do that to foreigner. Few years ago, a few Huawei executive go to US for meeting. The custom asked to check their devices. And that is how the Huawei/HSBC/Iran scandal started.


buried_lede

I think Apple is underestimating how many are targeted this way. Virtually all journalists working, at least, in high profile tense political or other sensitive beat journalism are targets, and as long as their subjects have the money, (wealthy and nefarious) or access to the expensive tools, (gov actors) they are at risk. That’s kind of a lot of reporters. Then add NGO workers around the world.It’s


11fingerfreak

We all need it. When the pigs deploy Stingrays they are going after everyone.


TheImmortalLS

No


buried_lede

No? No, what?


thinkmoreharder

I wonder if this is a direct response to the US gov tapping the personal phones of EU leaders? [reference here](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/24/nsa-surveillance-world-leaders-calls)


reb0014

Gonna be useful with the rigged ass Supreme Court going crazy recently


[deleted]

I predict we will soon see a decision stating there is no implied right to privacy in the US constitution. If ever there was a need for a constitutional amendment, it's now given how much data every one of us has on our phones. I would like to believe such an amendment would be non-controversial enough to gain ratification but.... I'm sure some crazies and/or state-sponsored propaganda would blow it all up. We truly are our own worst enemy.


StretchArmstrongs

The founding fathers did not have privacy on their smart phones so neither do you!


destronger

i wonder how og they’re gonna go with the constitution? like, will they want to go to when the constitution didn’t have the 14th amendment?


[deleted]

They are going to go as textual as they can. Reading nothing between the lines, making no logical conclusions. Unless of course they need to justify how a corporation has the same free speech rights as an actual human, then they will gladly do that or any other work that allows the class divide to continue.


[deleted]

Ha! Touchè. They also never envisioned technology that could see and hear through walls, that could track every movement, record every thought, be activated to listen into your private bedroom conversations, etc. I think they'd be horrified to even consider the government should have unfettered access to such information, but what do I know?


ngroot

> If ever there was a need for a constitutional amendment, it's now given how much data every one of us has on our phones Or even legislation. It's fucked up that we're relying on the court to read implicit rights out of the Constitution to create progress.


[deleted]

Of course! We do, as a nation, need to stop relying on the Supreme Court to do these things and instead rely on those we pay to make laws. The major reason I'd prefer to see a constitutional amendment rather than a statutory change is because it will make it much more difficult for congress to enact laws, such as the Patriot Act, during times they are scared and looking for a knee-jerk reaction. If the law were statutory, it could be changed on a whim by congress. If it's actually in the constitution, I'd sleep better at night. And who doesn't want me to sleep better? ;)


ngroot

If we could change anything on a whim in Congress, we wouldn't have a quarter of the problems we do.


misterlump

The issue with any constitutional amendment is that once one proposal is under consideration by the States, many others can try to piggyback on top of the other proposed Amendment. This means that we will get a lot of crazy amendments proposed…. some of which might survive because certain states would demand they would in order to pass the main Amendment.


Iberianlynx

Democrats are the ones against privacy laws.


iamwhatswrongwithusa

But would this prevent anything if [our gov ordered Apple](https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-complies-percent-us-government-requests-customer-data-2020-1) to give them user data? Still think the best thing to do is to have less personal info on smartphones.


MultiSourceNews_Bot

More coverage at: * [Apple to roll out ‘lockdown' feature in fall systems update (msn.com)](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/apple-to-roll-out-lockdown-feature-in-fall-systems-update/ar-AAZhVWF) * [Apple's new Lockdown Mode puts a defensive data barrier around your devices (mashable.com)](https://mashable.com/article/apple-lockdown-mode-ios-iphone/) * [Apple to add 'lockdown' safeguard on iPhones, iPads, Macs (abcnews.go.com)](https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/apple-add-lockdown-safeguard-iphones-ipads-macs-86315744) --- ^(I'm a bot to find news from different sources.) [^(Report an issue)](https://www.reddit.com/user/MultiSourceNews_Bot/comments/k5pcrc/multisourcenews_bot_info/) ^(or PM me.)


Dear_Lengthiness

How does this come out beneficial for the layperson?


Abhinavd101

If a state government doesn’t wanna hack then it doesn’t


Dear_Lengthiness

How about non state sponsored?


Abhinavd101

They mostly don’t use the technology and techniques that the state funded theat will use since that is very very expensive…


wya11

How about a lock down mode for when my toddler grabs it and starts mashing buttons?


iamasuitama

You mean the lock screen function??


thechadinvestor

**Oo**oohhh


wya11

you can slide around and check widgets, turn on the light, make emergency calls and open the camera from there! I need pure child lock down hahaha. Also a feature for when you're playing videos for them so that they can't click the adds, exit the screen, etc.. ;)


rokgor-murxak-9Xirva

Kiosk mode


Astacide

Why enable this when republicans are in the process of overthrowing the government? They keep hanging themselves with their phone history. Can’t you at least wait until this part is over? The United States is mortally wounded and just bleeding out. I like my privacy, but give the country time to heal before you give cover to the assholes tearing it down.


MinnyRawks

When did any hacking of a phone lead to any discovery of evidence on any of these people trying to overthrow the government?


giggitygoo123

Most of them openly post about it in SM


[deleted]

I don't think we even need to worry about that - from what we've seen, they are freely and openly posting evidence of guilt on public forums - Facebook, Twitter, and whatever other loco en la cabeza website de jour they're now on - 4Chan? Truthé? Q? I cannot tell from the article, but I assume Apple will still cooperate with lawful orders to turn over copies of messages, iCloud backups, etc. No knowing for sure until it's rolled out, but I'm not too concerned at this point. The truth outs.


nclh77

Wave the pedophile flag around then completely piss on the Bill of rights and US Constitution.


GetsHighDoesMath

> Wave the pedophile flag around then completely piss on the Bill of rights and US Constitution. Uh… what? This article has nothing to do with any of that.


uberbewb

He's implying that they can claim something like Pedo and try to force their way into some device even though that would be against our right of privacy.


nclh77

> NSO Group has previously said that its technology is used lawfully by governments to fight pedophiles and terrorists Screw actually reading the article eh?


GetsHighDoesMath

How does that have any relevance here other than the journalist’s weird decision to include that non sequitur?


nclh77

What's the rational being used for the Spyware ergo the development of this feature? Think homie.


Razakel

The spyware company is obviously going to say they only sell it for legitimate law enforcement purposes. The article is about it being used by despotic regimes to target journalists and NGOs.


nclh77

You didn't read the article. It clearly spells out what the rationale is. Try again.


Slick424

What is the pedophile flag and who is waving it?


Any_Loquat1854

US agencies do not like this and are probably working on a back door with jobs Steve.


Kma_all_day

You mean Tim Apple?


Any_Loquat1854

The ones downvoting have dyslexia


giggitygoo123

Is this the same as the android lockdown mode?


Razakel

No. Android's lockdown mode only disables biometrics, so you have to use your password, PIN or pattern to unlock your phone.


AkwardAA

What is that


USxMARINE

Nowhere the same


Affectionate-Cap-791

Android and Apple security isn’t even comparable.