Apple will offer a data protection tool for journalists and activists in the fall, after the Pegasus case revealed the technical capabilities of some spyware.
Lockdown mode is “extreme optional protection for a small number of users whose digital security is at serious risk,” Apple said in a statement released on Wednesday.
These are people “who could be the target of highly sophisticated attacks carried out by the programs of the NSO Group and other hired companies that develop computer spyware on behalf of governments,” the California-based conglomerate specified. In September, Apple had to urgently fix a vulnerability that Israeli company NSO Group’s Pegasus program was able to use to infect iPhone devices without requiring users to click on intercepted links or buttons. answer’. press’.
The new option allows users to fully protect numerous services and content on their device, including attachments. It will also no longer be possible to connect a computer via a cable to an iPhone if it is locked.
Apple has also expanded its cybersecurity researcher program to offer up to $2 million to hackers who uncover flaws in Lockdown.
A year ago, an international media collective reported that Pegasus allowed it to spy on a number of journalists, activists, businessmen and politicians from several countries, including French President Emmanuel Macron.
The NSO group has repeatedly stated that its technology allows states to save lives by tracking, for example, pedophiles and terrorists.
But Apple, which has built its success on an excellent reputation for security and privacy, filed a complaint against the Israeli company in November.
He accused her of being responsible for the “malicious acts” of some of her clients, such as governments.
“These are immoral mercenaries of the 21st century who have created state-of-the-art cyber-surveillance machines that incite egregious and routine abuses,” lawyers for the American group said in a complaint at the time.
Two weeks ago, Google condemned Italian spyware that was used to hack into smartphones to spy on users in Italy and Kazakhstan.
“These societies facilitate the proliferation of dangerous piracy tools and arm governments that otherwise would not be able to develop these skills,” Apple said.
