For most of us, following the basic privacy and security tips should be enough to keep us safe online and our data. But if you think you’re being targeted by a state-sponsored cyberattack using an industrial-strength spyware tool like Pegasus, the usual rules for staying safe may not be enough.
If you’re a journalist, politician, or activist who cares that your phone is being targeted by a state-sponsored cyberattack, Apple has launched a security feature that anyone can use to protect their iPhone from such attacks. .
Read more: Pegasus Spyware and Citizen Surveillance: What You Need to Know
Called lock mode, Apple’s new security tool is built into iOS 16 and is designed to combat malware and spyware attacks like Pegasus. This is not the first step Apple has taken against Pegasus and its manufacturer, the NSO group. In September 2020, Apple released a software update aimed at Pegasus, allowing any potential victim to receive threat notifications in the event that they were compromised.
If you want to learn how to turn on lock mode on your iPhone, here’s what you need to know.
And if you’re interested in getting iOS 16 right now, here’s how to download the beta version for iOS 16 developers.
What does the lock mode do?
Lock mode offers an “extreme and optional level of security for the very few users who, for who they are or why they do, may be the personal target of some of the most sophisticated digital threats,” according to Apple. Those who are the targets of Pegasus software are those “few users”.
Basically, the lock mode increases the security features in iOS by limiting certain features that may be vulnerable to attacks:
- Most message attachments, other than images, are blocked and features such as link previews are turned off.
- Web technologies, such as just-in-time JavaScript compilation, are turned off unless you exclude them from lock mode.
- Incoming invitations and service requests, such as FaceTime calls, are blocked if you’ve never called the person before.
- All shared photo albums are deleted and new invitations for shared albums are blocked.
- Any wired connection between your iPhone and your computer or accessory is blocked.
- Configuration profiles, such as those in Apple’s public betas, cannot be installed.
- Your device cannot register with mobile device management.
Which devices support lock mode?
You can currently use lock mode on any Apple device running iOS 16, iPadOS 16, or MacOS Ventura. As of now, iOS 16 is only available as a beta for developers, but is expected to be available as a public beta soon.
Read more: Will my iPhone work with iOS 16? What you need to know
How to enable lock mode in iOS 16
Whenever you use iOS 16, which you can now download as a public beta for eligible phones, you can easily turn on lock mode in seconds. All you have to do is go to Settings> Privacy & security> Lock mode, read the description, tap Activate lock mode, and then tap Activate and restart.
Your iPhone will restart instantly, after which lock mode will be enabled. If you enter Safari, you should see a locked or locked lock banner at the top of the page, which indicates that lock mode is turned on and protects your iPhone.
Configure the lock mode settings
While the lock mode offers ample security, you have a way to adjust it to best suit your needs.
As mentioned above, Safari websites are very limited in lock mode, but you can avoid these limitations by excluding a particular website. To do this, start Safari, go to the website you want to exclude, press AA> Website settings, turn off lock mode, and tap Turn off. The banner at the top of the website should now read Lock Off.
To see all your excluded websites, go to Settings> Privacy & security> Lock mode and tap Set up web browsing at the bottom of the page.
How to disable lock mode
Need to turn off lock mode?
Go to Settings> Privacy & security> Lock mode, tap Turn off lock mode, and then tap Turn off and restart. When your iPhone starts a backup, the lock mode is turned off and you can use your iPhone again as usual.