Apple has announced a new security feature coming to its ecosystems later this year.
Lockdown Mode will arrive on iOS 16, macOS Ventura, and iPadOS 16 and offer additional security measures to protect users who might be at a higher risk of cyber attacks. Journalists, activists and government officials are most likely to be included in this group.
The new mode is available in the third beta of iOS 16, macOS Ventura, and iPadOS, and will be available to all users when the software officially launches this September and October. It is turned off by default but can be enabled in the Privacy & Security area of the Settings menu, requiring a device restart before the new features and functionality of the Mode work.
Some of the features included in Lockdown mode include blocking attachments other than images, removing link previews to avoid spoofing and blocking FaceTime calls from people who you have not already called. Some web technologies will be disabled in Safari and other web browsers on iOS, whilst Shared Albums via Photos will be blocked. What’s more, it will not be possible to use wired connections to other devices when an iPhone, iPad, or Mac is locked, and configuration profiles cannot be installed on the phone, computer, or tablet.
Announcing the new feature, Apple says that it will continue to add new functionality to Lockdown Mode in the future. Speaking of the launch, Ivan Krstić, Apple’s head of security engineering, said: “Lockdown Mode is a groundbreaking capability that reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting users from even the rarest, most sophisticated attacks. While the vast majority of users will never be the victims of highly targeted cyberattacks, we will work tirelessly to protect the small number of users who are.”
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