An Apple engineer has claimed that hackers and malicious actors are yet to successfully hack the company’s devices that have Lockdown Mode enabled, according to a new TechCrunch report.

The revelation was claimed by an unnamed senior Apple engineer when pressed about Lockdown Mode by TechCrunch. The engineer in question revealed the tidbit under the condition that they were not to be quoted directly or named. While the impressive claim is technically unofficial, there is no reason to doubt the effectiveness of Lockdown Mode, which is a form of extreme precautions on Apple devices that aim to thwart sophisticated cyber attacks.

Lockdown Mode

Lockdown Mode is a security feature that Apple introduced as part of iOS 16. The new mode provides an extra layer of hardened security mainly aimed at political activists and journalists who can be the target of intricate cyberattacks from government-backed actors.

Apple’s goal with Lockdown Mode was to provide users with a one-stop-shop option that quickly provided them with the maximum level of security available on iOS, rather than having to manually enable each security measure which can be cumbersome.

When turned on, Lockdown Mode works by disabling certain features and websites from working on Apple devices. Some of the affected functions include:

• Messaging: Most attachment types in messages will be blocked except for specific images, videos, and audio files. Some features like links and link previews will be unavailable.
• Web Browsing: Certain complex web technologies will be blocked, potentially causing slower website loading or incorrect operation. Web fonts might not display, and images could be replaced with a missing image icon.
• FaceTime: Incoming FaceTime calls are blocked unless you have previously contacted that person. Features like SharePlay and Live Photos are not available.
• Apple Services: Incoming invitations for Apple services (e.g., managing a home in the Home app) are blocked unless you’ve initiated the invitation.
• Photos: Location information is excluded when sharing photos. Shared albums are removed from the Photos app, and new Shared Album invitations are blocked. However, these shared albums remain accessible on other devices without Lockdown Mode enabled.
• Wireless Connectivity: Devices won’t automatically join insecure Wi-Fi networks and will disconnect from such networks when Lockdown Mode is activated. Additionally, 2G mobile support is disabled.
• Configuration Profiles: Installation of configuration profiles and enrollment in Mobile Device Management or device supervision is prohibited while in Lockdown Mode.

Apple developed Lockdown Mode in response to Pegasus, a surveillance spyware suite created by NSO Group and mainly sold to government agencies around the world to hack into devices owned by journalists, lawyers, and human rights activists. Apple also created a system to alert Apple ID owners when the company suspects that they were targeted by Pegasus.

As part of WWDC 2023, Apple also announced that Lockdown Mode has expanded to the Apple Watch as part of watchOS 10. Lockdown Mode is supported on iOS 17, iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, and macOS Sonoma.