Apple Says Lockdown Mode Has Blocked Mercenary Spyware Attacks

Apple said it has not observed any successful mercenary spyware compromises on devices with Lockdown Mode enabled, nearly four years after launching the opt-in protection for users at elevated risk of targeted surveillance. Introduced in 2022, the feature hardens iPhones and other Apple devices by disabling or restricting functions that have repeatedly been abused in spyware campaigns, particularly the remotely reachable components used in zero-click exploit chains.

Independent findings cited by Apple support the claim. Researchers at Amnesty International and Citizen Lab said they have not seen evidence of successful infections on Lockdown Mode-enabled iPhones, and Citizen Lab documented cases in which the feature blocked Pegasus and Predator spyware attacks. Google researchers also reported at least one spyware campaign that abandoned infection attempts after detecting Lockdown Mode, while security researcher Patrick Wardle said the feature’s aggressive reduction of attack surface makes it especially effective against exploit delivery methods used by mercenary spyware operators.