Apple’s security capabilities have gained a significant boost after it recently revealed that its recently released Lockdown Mode privacy tool successfully prevented an attack on vulnerable targets by the notorious Israeli cyber-intelligence firm, the NSO Group.
Citizen Lab, a research team at the University of Toronto, revealed in their most recent report that Lockdown Mode was able to thwart three different iOS 15 and 16 exploits from being used. These exploits were part of a cyber-attack from the nefarious NSO Group targeted at Mexican human rights campaigners, among other potential victims.
One of these attacks was successfully blocked by Apple’s Lockdown Mode, which limits the amount of exposed coding available to attackers. Additionally, if Lockdown Mode was able to successfully deter an attack, users will receive a notification advising them that Lockdown Mode prevented unauthorized access to the Home app.
Despite this breakthrough, the Citizen Lab researchers did caution that attackers may still be able to detect when a user has or has not enabled Lockdown Mode on their iPhone, potentially making it easier for them to launch successful attacks. However, Bill Marczak, one of the senior researchers at Citizen Lab, still claimed that Lockdown Mode’s success shows great promise for current and future use.
Finally, Apple spokesperson Scott Radcliffe mentioned that the company is pleased to see how successful Lockdown Mode has been in thwarting these kinds of attacks, adding that their security team will continue to work diligently to improve Lockdown Mode and the security features found on iOS. NSO Group spokesperson Liron Bruck claimed that Citizen Lab’s reports are unable to accurately gauge the technology they use, while adding that the company adheres to strict regulations when providing technology to their governmental customers.
The NSO Group is an Israeli cyber-intelligence firm that primarily focuses on developing spyware software to be used in government projects. Over the years, their Pegasus software has gained some notoriety as it was used to target both journalists and human rights activists. The company has faced a great deal of criticism for their actions, with some claiming that their software has been used to target innocent people with malicious intent.
Bill Marczak is a senior research scientist at the Citizen Lab in the University of Toronto, researching issues at the intersection of information security, privacy, and censorship. His research centers around multiple issues, including cyber operations targeting human rights activists and researchers, vulnerabilities in communication rights and the use of spyware by governments. He has been highly influential in promoting human rights through the use of technology, including the development of tools to surveil or control citizens.
