What is happening
Apple will offer a new “Lock Mode” for its iPhone, iPad and Mac computers. It is designed to combat hacking campaigns and targeted spyware like the NSO group’s Pegasus.
Why it matters
Although these attacks happen to a small group of people, the threat increases. Pegasus was found to be used by repressive governments to spy on human rights activists, lawyers, politicians and journalists.
That follows
Apple plans to launch the lock mode for free later this year and is making a public commitment to continue to improve it. The company also expanded error rewards and grant programs to encourage more research on this issue.
Apple has been marketing its iPhones, iPads and Macs for years as the most secure and privacy-focused devices on the market. On Wednesday, he bolstered that effort with a new feature coming this fall called Lock Mode, designed to fight targeted piracy attempts like Pegasus malware, which oppressive governments used on human rights workers, lawyers, politicians and journalists. It also announced a $ 10 million grant and an error reward of up to $ 2 million to encourage further research into these threats.
The tech giant said the lock mode is designed to add additional protections to its phones, such as blocking attachments and message previews, potentially hackable web browsing technologies, and FaceTime incoming calls from unknown numbers. Apple devices will also not accept accessory connections unless the device is unlocked, and people cannot install new remote management software on the devices while in lock mode. The new feature will be available for test software used by developers this summer and will be released for free in the fall.
“While the vast majority of users will never be the victims of highly targeted cyber attacks, we will work tirelessly to protect the small number of users who are,” said Ivan Krstić, head of engineering and security architecture at Apple. , in a statement. “Lock mode is an innovative capability that reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting users from even the rarest and most sophisticated attacks.”
Apple designed the lock mode to be easy to activate using the settings app on your devices.
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Along with the new lockout mode, which Apple calls an “extreme” measure, the company announced a $ 10 million grant to the Fund for Dignity and Justice, which was set up by the Ford Foundation, to help support human rights and fight social repression.
The company’s efforts to improve the security of its devices come at a time when the technology industry is increasingly facing cyberattacks directed by oppressive governments around the world. Unlike widespread ransomware or virus campaigns, which are often designed to spread indiscriminately and more rapidly across homes and corporate networks, attacks such as those used by Pegasus are designed for silent intelligence gathering. .
People must restart their devices before the lock mode is activated.
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Last September, Apple sent a free software update to Pegasus, and then sued NSO Group in an effort to prevent the company from developing or selling more piracy tools. He also began sending “Threat Notifications” to potential victims of these hacking tools, which Apple calls “mercenary spyware.” The company said that while the number of people targeted by these campaigns is very small, since November it has been notified to people in about 150 countries.
Other technology companies have also expanded their focus on security in recent years. Google has an initiative called Advanced Account Protection, designed for “anyone at high risk of targeted online attacks” by adding additional layers of security to logins and downloads. Microsoft has been working harder and harder to crack passwords.
Apple said it plans to extend the lock mode over time and announced an error reward of up to $ 2 million for people who find security holes in the new feature. At the moment, it is primarily designed to disable computer functions that may be useful but open people to possible attacks. This includes disabling some fonts, link previews, and incoming FaceTime calls from unknown accounts.
Apple representatives said the company sought a balance between usability and extreme protections, adding that the company is publicly committed to strengthening and improving the function. In the latest iteration of lock mode, which is sent to developers in an upcoming test software update, apps that display webpages will follow the same restrictions that Apple apps follow, though people may approve previously some websites to bypass blocking mode if necessary. People in lock mode will also need to unlock their device before connecting with accessories.
Encourage more research
In addition, Apple said it hopes a $ 10 million planned grant to the Dignity and Justice Fund will help encourage more research on these issues and expand training and security audits for people who could be targeted. .
“Every day we see these threats expand and deepen,” said Lori McGlinchey, director of the Ford Foundation’s Technology and Society program, which works with technical advisors, including Apple’s Krstić, to help lead the fund. . “In recent years, state and non-state actors have used spyware to track and intimidate human rights defenders, environmental activists, and political dissidents in virtually every region of the world.”
Ron Deibert, a professor of political science and director of cybersecurity researchers at the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, said he expects Apple’s blocking mode to be a “major blow.” for spyware companies and governments that depend on their products. “
“We’re doing everything we can, alongside a number of investigative journalists working at this pace, but that’s been all, and that’s a big asymmetry,” he said, adding that the $ 10 million grant Apple’s dollars will help attract more work to this issue. “You have a huge industry that is very lucrative and almost totally unregulated, that benefits from huge government contracts that are eager to engage in this kind of espionage.”