Jakarta (ANTARA) – Apple is reportedly planning to release “lockdown mode” a feature on its communication devices by adding an additional layer of protection for users who often have a high potential for being eavesdropped or exposed to hacking attacks by spyware applications (snooping applications).
The mode is set to be released in the fall, which means it will range from September to December 2022 and will be very useful for people who are active in making things different, such as human rights activities to politicians from opposition parties.
Launching Reuters on Thursday, this mode was introduced after two Israeli spyware companies exploited Apple’s software vulnerabilities and ended up remotely breaking into certain target iPhones.
One of the well-known attacks resulting from remote cell phone burglary, such as the NSO Group’s Pegasus application, eventually led Apple to take further steps in legal action.
The US has even listed Pegasus as a dangerous application and blacklisted it.
“Lockdown mode” will be present on iPhone, iPad, to Mac allowing users to block most attachments sent to the messaging app on each device.
One of the results of Apple’s research states that the case of Pegasus breaking into the security of its device stems from the handling of message attachments that are still weak.
The new mode will also block the wired connection to the iPhone when it is locked in the mirror. Another Israeli company, Cellebrite, has used such manual methods to access and hack iPhones.
Apple believes that cyberattacks or “zero click” hacks haven’t happened much, so most users of their devices don’t need to activate “Lockdown Mode”.
To strengthen this new feature, Apple is willing to pay up to 2 million US dollars (Rp. 29.9 billion) if a problem is found by digital security researchers and the technology on its devices that use the feature.
The amount of funds is considered a reward for the discovery of the biggest “bug” the industry can now offer.
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