Apple said it has not recorded any cases of user devices being successfully attacked by spyware when Lockdown Mode is turned on.
This information was released nearly four years after this special security feature was first introduced.
According to TechCrunch, Ms. Sarah O'Rourke - Apple spokeswoman - said that the company has not recorded any successful spyware attacks on devices that have turned on Lockdown Mode. This is seen as a strong affirmation of the effectiveness of one of the highest security layers Apple has ever deployed.
Lock mode was launched by Apple in 2022, to protect people at high risk of becoming targets of cyber attacks, such as journalists, activists or politicians. When activated, this feature will disable or restrict many functions on the device, which are often exploited to install spyware.
Specifically, Lockdown Mode blocks most attachments in messages, limits some features of the WebKit browser (helping to display web content, similar to HTML, CSS) and significantly reduces remote exploitation capabilities, including "clickless" attacks.
This is a dangerous form of attack when victims do not need to perform any operations and can still be invaded.
In the context of increasingly sophisticated spyware, Lockdown Mode is designed as a special shield for Apple users.
In fact, independent research organizations such as Citizen Lab have recorded some cases where this feature actively blocked attacks.
Google's security experts also discovered that spyware can automatically stop the attack process if it detects that the device is enabling Lockdown Mode, in order to avoid detection. This shows the effectiveness of the feature in deterring and preventing attacks.
Mr. Patrick Wardle - an American cybersecurity expert - assessed that Lockdown Mode is one of the most powerful security features for users. According to him, Apple has made exploiting the vulnerability much more difficult and costly for spyware developers.
However, Apple also admits that it cannot completely rule out the possibility of unidentified attacks. However, the fact that no successful intrusion cases have been recorded when Lockdown Mode is turned on is still a notable milestone in the field of cybersecurity.
In recent years, Apple has been more proactive in warning users about the risk of being attacked. The company has sent notifications to users in more than 150 countries, showing that the scale of monitoring and response to threats is increasingly expanding.
Experts recommend that those who are concerned about the risk of being tracked or attacked should activate Lockdown Mode, although use may cause certain inconveniences due to some limited features.
In return, users will have an important layer of protection in the context of increasing cybersecurity threats.
