Apple announces new Lockdown Mode feature
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.
Apple said it will continue to update Lockdown Mode by adding more protection over time. It also created a category within the Apple Security Bounty programme to reward researchers who find Lockdown Mode bypasses and bugs, with bounties, doubled up to a maximum of $2m — the highest possible bounty payout in the industry.
