iOs 16, the two new functions against domestic abuse and spyware

“While the vast majority of users will never be victims of targeted cyberattacks, we will work tirelessly to protect the few users who will. – said Ivan Krstić, Apple’s head of security engineering and architecture, when the feature was announced in July -, which means continuing to design specific defenses for these users“.

To activate Lock mode in iOS 16, just go to Settingsthen on Privacy and securitythen on Lockdown Mode.

The possible downside

While Apple has not designed the two functions to ensure that they are used by the majority of its users, there is no doubt that these tools can find audiences and use cases that go beyond their intended audience. As for the Lockdown Mode, in particular, it is difficult to even imagine the strategies that researchers and attackers could develop to attack even the new and more resistant version of iOs. Either way, both features offer users new and broader options to make it harder for attackers of all kinds to gain the level of access they seek, as well as facilitate Apple in resolving new vulnerabilities and ways to bypass defenses. Instead of having to make substantial changes, Apple will be able to limit itself to perfecting Safety Check and Lockdown Mode to correct the most recent problems.

“There possibility that Lockdown Mode is able to prevent spyware attacks such as those made with Nso Group’s Pegasus has been the subject of debate – explains Reed of Malwarebytes -. It may not prevent all possible means of breach, but it reduces attack surfaces and complicates the life of attackers. As much as I personally would like to be able to look into it better, I believe Apple is doing the right thing“.

L’App Store Apple, however, is an area that the two new features do not address. In the past, researchers found malicious applications that were approved and appeared in the store. Since other avenues have been closed, attackers could increasingly refine their techniques to develop malicious applications in an attempt to catch up.

“The specific elements of Lockdown Mode give us an idea of ​​what Apple today considers the most common attack vectors on an iPhone“, points out Gorton of Corellium. But” the Lockdown Mode doesn’t seem to restrict access to third-party apps. It is possible that as Apple limits the attack surface for native functions, the focus of attacks will increasingly shift to apps in the App Store. This could be problematic for several reasons. First, we know that these apps are undergoing a relatively limited review before being included in the App Store. Second, this would shift the burden of security mitigations on third-party developersalthough the closed nature of iOs makes it increasingly difficult for app developers to properly test the security of their applications“.

This article originally appeared on Wired US.