Apple will add “lock” protection to iPhones, iPads and Macs – Campbell River Mirror

Apple said it will launch a “lock” option for iPhones, iPads and Macs designed to protect against spyware released by state-sponsored hackers, though enabling that protection will also make these devices less useful. .

The safeguard announced Wednesday is a tacit acknowledgment that not even Apple, the world’s most valuable company, has been able to adequately protect the iPhone and its other products from hacker intrusions and commercial spyware backed by state. Governments have used these tools to violate the privacy of journalists, political dissidents and human rights activists.

The new feature, called “lock mode,” will initially be offered as a trial version so that security investigators can help Apple identify any bugs or weaknesses. Apple usually releases its major updates to its device’s operating systems in late September.

While only a handful of countries appear to have the resources to develop in-house mobile phone piracy tools, private companies like Israel’s NSO group have been selling phone piracy software to government agencies around the world for years.

The growing problem of rental hackers led Apple to file a federal lawsuit late last year against NSO Group for entering iPhones and other Apple products. In its complaint, Apple accused NSO group employees of being “21st century amoral mercenaries who have created a highly sophisticated cyber surveillance machinery that invites routine and flagrant abuse.”

NSO, which has been blacklisted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, has denied any crime and said its products have been used to thwart child abusers and terrorists.

Unlike the security features that Apple incorporates into most of its software, the company’s lock feature is intended to serve as an emergency button that Apple hopes will only be needed for a small number of its users. .

The blocking measure is considered the last resort for people targeting spyware, as enabling blocking will disable many popular features. This includes sending attachments and links in texts, as well as the ability to receive FaceTime calls from new numbers. Web browsing will also be limited.

But Apple believes the extra layer of protection will be valuable to activists, journalists and other targets of piracy attacks launched by well-funded groups. Users will be able to activate and deactivate the lock mode at will.

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The growing use of encrypted communications through phone apps like WhatsApp and Signal has led governments to turn to commercial spyware vendors to gather information about targets.

This cell phone spy software sucks up text messages, emails, and photos while secretly monitoring a phone’s microphones and cameras. Some of the most advanced tools can infect a phone using so-called “zero-click” exploits that do not depend on inadvertent user activation, such as clicking on a malicious link.

Google, the Android mobile platform whose iPhone is used by competitors, has also been the target of commercial spyware vendors. The company’s threat analysis group says it is tracking more than 30 such companies and regularly publishes reports of exploits used to hack phones, making them much less effective.

Google also offers an “Advanced Protection Program” that uses special security key hardware to make user accounts more difficult to hack. The company said it strongly recommends the program for “journalists, activists, business executives and people involved in the election.”

Separately, Apple also provided more details about a $ 10 million grant it pledged last November to help counter large-scale piracy attacks. The money will go to the Fund for Dignity and Justice, a philanthropic arm of the Ford Foundation.

The Associated Press

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