Apple’s Lockdown Mode Feature Can Prevent the Government From Hacking Your IPhone.
In January, the FBI made headlines after raiding the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Nathanson . It was a shocking case in which law enforcement not only violated the privacy of one journalist but also attacked the integrity of an entire news organization. The devices seized by the FBI—including personal devices and a Washington Post-issued laptop—contained Nathanson’s personal contacts, emails, and Slack channels from the Washington Post itself.
But while the FBI was able to access some devices, they were unable to access Nathanson’s iPhone . This was because the device was in lockdown mode, preventing the FBI’s Computer Incident Response Team (CART) from hacking it. This setting isn’t just available to journalists: it’s also available on your iPhone, and you can enable it at any time. The point is, unless you’re a high-ranking official, you probably won’t need it.
How does the lockdown mode work?
Block Mode is a feature on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac designed for users who are at risk of becoming targets of sophisticated cyberattacks. This includes politicians, business leaders, activists, and, of course, journalists—essentially, any high-ranking individual whose work or actions could anger influential organizations or governments.
Since attackers target devices using spyware, the goal of lockdown mode is to reduce your device’s attack surface to prevent potential cyberattacks. Attackers can install spyware on a victim’s device in a variety of ways: through links, attachments, wired connections, and file downloads, just as you can install malware by clicking a malicious link in an email or downloading a corrupted extension from the internet. Lockdown mode eliminates these vulnerabilities and eliminates as many potential attack vectors as possible.
To achieve this goal, Lockdown Mode significantly impacts a number of features you use on your device every day.According to Apple , this includes the following:
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Messages : Blocking mode will block most types of attachments, with the exception of “some images, videos, and audio.” Links and link previews will also be blocked.
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Web browsing : This feature blocks “complex web technologies” that may interfere with the loading or functionality of some websites. You may not see some web fonts, and missing image icons may appear instead of images.
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FaceTime : Incoming FaceTime calls are blocked, except for calls to contacts you’ve called within the last 30 days. You can’t use SharePlay or take Live Photos during FaceTime calls.
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Apple Services : Invitations to Apple services, such as smart home control, are blocked if you haven’t previously invited the person. GameCenter won’t work, and Focuses won’t work “as expected.”
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Photos : When in Lockdown mode, sharing photos removes their location data and removes shared albums from the Photos app. You won’t receive new invitations to create shared albums. You can still view shared albums on devices that aren’t in Lockdown mode.
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Connecting devices : Your device must be unlocked before it can communicate with another computer. Additionally, your Mac will also require your explicit permission before a connection can be established.
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Wireless connection : You won’t automatically connect to unsecured Wi-Fi networks and will be disconnected from existing unsecured Wi-Fi networks. Block mode also blocks 2G and 3G cellular support.
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Configuration Profiles : Configuration profiles cannot be installed and the device cannot be registered with mobile device management.
Apple specifically emphasizes that phone calls and “regular text messages” will work as usual, but incoming calls will not appear on your Apple Watch. The Emergency SOS feature will also continue to function.
These restrictions make it much more difficult for attackers to install spyware on your device, although they also make it more difficult to use . A shared album invitation could contain malware, but by completely removing this feature, you’ll miss out on receiving photos from friends and family. Any spyware distributed via a malicious link or image will be blocked, but if you frequently send photos, videos, and other attachments in Messages, you’ll miss out on this opportunity.
That’s why these measures are intended solely for those who believe they will be targeted by sophisticated attackers. This could apparently involve governments secretly installing spyware on victims’ devices or stealing an FBI device during a raid. It’s worth noting that the FBI was able to access Nathanson’s other devices, including a MacBook Pro that unlocked with a fingerprint. The agency’s warrant required Nathanson to unlock her devices using biometrics if they were enabled. Lockdown mode wouldn’t prevent this, so it’s unclear why the FBI didn’t force Nathanson to unlock her iPhone as well.
How to enable blocking mode
If you understand the limitations but still want to try Lockdown Mode, you’ll need to install the following software version on each Apple device you want to use Lockdown Mode on:
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iPhone: iOS 16 or later.
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iPad: iPadOS 16 or later.
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Apple Watch: watchOS 10 or later.
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Mac: macOS Ventura or later.
Apple states that “additional security protections” are available for iOS 17, iPadOS 17, or macOS Sonoma and later. Additionally, to take advantage of all the latest security protections, you should update your device to the latest software before enabling Lockdown Mode.
You can enable Lockdown Mode on any of your Apple devices, but you need to do so individually for each one. This option is located at the bottom of the “Privacy & Security” section of Settings (System Preferences on a Mac). Click “Turn on Lockdown Mode,” then review the pop-up window and select “Turn on Lockdown Mode” again. You’ll need to select “Turn on and restart,” then enter your device’s password or passcode for the feature to take effect.