Extending the promise of security Apple announces Lockdown mode

Apple has announced that it will release groundbreaking security features that provide special additional protection for users who may be the target of highly targeted cyber attacks. These cyberattacks come from private companies that develop spyware for profit and with state support. Apple also announced a $10 million grant to support research that will uncover such threats.

Lockdown Mode is a major first-of-its-kind feature that will be released this fall with iOS 16, iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura. This feature is designed to provide optional extreme protection for a very small number of users. Apple also announced details of a $10 million cybersecurity grant announced last November that will support social organizations working on spyware threat research and advocacy.

“Apple makes the most secure mobile devices on the market, and Lockdown mode is a groundbreaking feature that reflects our strong commitment to protecting our users from attacks, even when they are rare and advanced.” Ivan Krstić, Apple’s Director of Security Engineering and Architecture, said, “While the vast majority of users will never be the target of a highly targeted cyberattack, we go to great lengths to protect the small number of users who may be vulnerable to such attacks. We continue to design protections specifically for these users and support the critical work of researchers and organizations around the world: exposing the companies that profitably create these digital attacks.”

Lockdown is designed to provide optional and extreme protection for a very small number of users. These users, by virtue of their status or the nature of their work, can be targeted by extremely advanced digital threats, such as attacks launched by private enterprises that develop spyware at the behest of the state, such as the NSO Group. Enabling Lockdown mode in iOS 16, iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura will further strengthen device protection by severely limiting some features and significantly reducing the exposure to highly targeted spyware.

Lockdown mode will include the following protection features when released.

• Messages: Most message attachment types will be blocked, except for images. Some features such as link previews will be disabled.
• Web Browsing: Some complex web technologies, such as just-in-time (JIT) JavaScript compilers, will be disabled unless users whitelist trusted sites in Lockdown mode.
• Apple Services: Invitations and service requests such as FaceTime calls to the user will be blocked unless the user has previously initiated a call or request to the other party.
• Wired connections to computers or accessories will also be blocked when iPhone is locked.
• When Lockdown mode is on, profiles cannot be installed and devices cannot be added to Mobile Device Management (MDM).

Apple will continue to enhance Lockdown mode with new safeguards in the future. To encourage positive feedback and collaboration from the security research community, Apple will also create a new category in the Apple Security Bounty program to reward researchers who find vulnerabilities in Lockdown mode that help strengthen its protection. Researchers who make eligible discoveries in Lockdown mode will have their awards doubled to a maximum of $2 million – the highest capped amount in the industry.

In addition to the damages associated with the NSO Group lawsuit, Apple will allocate $10 million to support organizations that investigate, expose, and prevent highly targeted cyberattacks, including those from private companies that develop spyware for profit and with state support. The funds will be allocated to the Dignity and Justice Fund. The Dignity and Justice Fund was founded and is advised by the Ford Foundation, a private foundation dedicated to advancing equality around the world, to pool philanthropic resources to advance social justice worldwide. The Dignity and Justice Fund is financially supported by the New Venture Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity.

“The global spyware industry targets human rights defenders, journalists and dissidents, fosters violence and tyranny, and supports political oppression.” The Ford Foundation is proud to be part of this extraordinary initiative to support civil society research and advocacy against spyware,” said Lori McGlinchey, director of the Ford Foundation’s Technology and Society Program. We are committed to helping Apple’s commitment and invite companies and donors to join the Dignity and Justice Fund to add more resources to this common struggle.”

The Dignity and Justice Fund expects to make its first grants in late 2022 or early 2023, initially to fund efforts to expose spyware and protect potential targets, including

• Helping new and existing institutions working on civil society cybersecurity research and advocacy to develop organizational capacity and strengthen collaboration in the field.
• Supporting the development of standardized forensic methods to detect and confirm spyware infiltration that meets evidentiary standards.
• Enable civil society to work more efficiently with device manufacturers, software developers, commercial security firms, and other relevant enterprises to identify and address vulnerabilities.
• Raise awareness of the global spyware industry among investors, journalists, and policymakers.
• Build the capacity of human rights defenders to identify and respond to spyware attacks, including conducting security audits of organizations facing high cyber threats.

The Dignity and Justice Fund’s grant strategy for researching, tracking, and holding accountable the enhanced cyber weapons trade will be advised by an independent global technical advisory committee. Initial committee members include

• Daniel Bedoya Arroyo, Analyst, Access Now Digital Security Services Platform.
• Ron Deibert, professor of political science and director of the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto.
• Paola Mosso, co-associate director of The Engine Room.
• Rasha Abdul Rahim, Director of Amnesty Tech, an international organization.
• Ivan Krstić, Head of Security Engineering and Architecture at Apple.

“Research by Citizen Lab and others has found undeniable evidence that the profit-driven surveillance industry is contributing to the expansion of tyranny and gross abuses of human rights around the world.” Ron Deibert, director of Citizen Lab, a research organization at the University of Toronto, said, “I applaud Apple for creating this important grant, which will send a powerful message and help empower independent researchers and advocacy organizations to hold the sellers of such spyware accountable for the abuses they inflict on innocent people.”