Apple reinforces its industry-leading dedication to safeguard users from potent, custom-made hacking tools used by mercenaries
Apple has announced a new security feature called Lockdown Mode, designed to offer additional protection to users at risk of highly targeted cyberattacks from private companies developing state-sponsored mercenary spyware.
The feature, which will be available this fall with iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura, offers an extreme, optional level of security for users who may be personally targeted. When Lockdown Mode is turned on, most message attachment types other than images are blocked, and some features like link previews are disabled. Configuration profiles cannot be installed, and the device cannot enroll into mobile device management (MDM), while Lockdown Mode is active. Certain complex web technologies, like just-in-time (JIT) JavaScript compilation, are disabled unless the user excludes a trusted site from Lockdown Mode. Incoming invitations and service requests, including FaceTime calls, are blocked if the user has not previously sent the initiator a call or request. Wired connections with a computer or accessory are blocked when the iPhone is locked.
To advise the grant-making strategy of the Dignity and Justice Fund, an independent, global Technical Advisory Committee has been established. The initial members of this committee include Daniel Bedoya Arroyo, Ron Deibert, Paola Mosso, Rasha Abdul Rahim, and Ivan Krstic. According to Ron Deibert, there is undeniable evidence that the mercenary surveillance industry is facilitating the spread of authoritarian practices and human rights abuses worldwide.
Apple is providing details of a $10 million grant to support civil society organizations that conduct mercenary spyware threat research and advocacy. The Dignity and Justice Fund, established by the Ford Foundation, will receive an additional $10 million grant from Apple. The Dignity and Justice Fund aims to build organizational capacity, develop standardized forensic methods, enable partnerships, increase awareness, and build the capacity of human rights defenders.
The Dignity and Justice Fund is designed to pool philanthropic resources to advance social justice globally. Lori McGlinchey, the Ford Foundation's director of its Technology and Society program, stated that the global spyware trade targets human rights defenders, journalists, and dissidents, and the Ford Foundation is proud to support this initiative to bolster civil society research and advocacy to resist mercenary spyware.
In addition, Apple supports the organization Citizen Lab with a grant to assist research on the dangers of state-sponsored spyware developed by private companies. The Dignity and Justice Fund expects to make its first grants in late 2022 or early 2023.
Apple has established a new category within the Apple Security Bounty program to reward researchers who find Lockdown Mode bypasses and help improve its protections. Bounties are doubled for qualifying findings in Lockdown Mode, up to a maximum of $2,000,000.
The establishment of the Dignity and Justice Fund and the introduction of Lockdown Mode are significant steps in Apple's commitment to protecting its users from the threats posed by mercenary spyware. By pooling resources and working with independent advisors, Apple is taking a proactive approach to combat this growing issue and support civil society organizations in their efforts to expose and resist mercenary spyware.
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