Apple’s Lockdown Mode For iPhones Can Easily Detect And Target Vulnerable Users

What may have been looked at as a huge security feature to help protect iPhone users is now being seen as a security threat. We’re talking about Apple’s Lockdown mode for iPhones.

The company first launched it as a big security enhancement that provided users protection against spyware working on national levels such as Pegasus. But according to one privacy activist, it might be doing some harm along the way.

According to the security expert, the feature actually makes it so much simpler for a company website to detect when a person is using it. Moreover, they’ve even demonstrated this, causing shock to many.

Just the thought of having something installed on your phone as an added security feature that could detect users easily and target them too is mind-blowing.

Before we move on, let’s give a brief recap about what the Lockdown Mode for iPhone users is all about. To begin with, it was first introduced by tech giant Apple as its solution to notorious government spyware such as Pegasus.

Apple confirmed that this was one of the most extreme modes of protection that needs to be used in case of users feel threatened or targeted by cyberattacks of the severe kind. It also says that such attacks are rare on users, in general, but they are possible.

When the iPhone enters this mode, it will obviously not function like its true self. All features, webpages, and applications would function at the bare minimum due to security reasons. Moreover, there will be a few features that won’t be available at all.

One common thing that this mode ends up doing is stopping downloads of customized fonts present across a website as this is just one way through which malware gets introduced. With so much good being outlined, you can’t help but wonder if there is any bad.

You’ll be astonished to learn how the answer is yes because it literally makes you a target.

Thanks to information about the ordeal from the CEO of Cryptee and one privacy expert, we’ve got news about how the element produces a risk. It’s imperial for websites to be aware of which user browsers can’t upload custom fonts. And that’s a huge indication that the iPhone lockdown mode is on. As you can tell, this is a huge tradeoff between user privacy and security.

At the same time, there was a special mention of a few features that this particular mode disables across iPhones. But if there was one thing that was the most obvious, well, it’s certainly this lacking in custom font loading. Threat actors can figure it out immediately and exploit it to their advantage.

On average, it takes just a few minutes to generate a code and do the damage. And that’s been proven too. Now, more security researchers are coming forward and agreeing that this is a huge risk

So, what’s the solution? Can tech giant and leading iPhone maker Apple do something to prevent an issue like this or not? Well, the answer is no.

Apple says that the problem can’t be treated like a simple bug that has taken over the Lockdown Mode. There is a consequence that can’t be avoided when this type of protection is enabled.

Before we forget, Apple does stress how this matter is not the issue of the everyday iPhone user. Lockdown modes are restricted to only those that feel they’re under attack on a national level. Common examples include campaigners, politicians, lawyers, journalists, and activists.

So as you can see, the matter is more concerning for some than others.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World