IPHONE users are being warned against malware attacks amid growing threats from China-backed cyber criminals.
On Wednesday, Apple issued a statement reiterating its commitment to protecting users from “highly targeted mercenary spyware.”
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“Apple is previewing a groundbreaking security capability that offers specialized additional protection to users who may be at risk of highly targeted cyber attacks from private companies developing state-sponsored mercenary spyware,” the tech giant said.
The Cupertino-based company then specified the NSO Group as an example.
NSO is an Israeli spyware company that built the Pegasus software which can hack into and gain remote control of iPhones.
Now, Apple is combatting these sophisticated types of attacks with a new feature called ‘Lockdown Mode’ that’s launching in the fall.
What is ‘lockdown mode’?
Lockdown Mode offers “extreme optional protection for the very small number of users who face grave, targeted threats to their digital security,” Apple said.
Once the tool is enabled, it can do things like block message attachments, diable complex web technologies, and stop incoming calls and FaceTime requests.
Perhaps most notably, it can halt wired connections with a computer or accessory while the device is locked.
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FBI warns of China’s cyber threats
The news by Apple comes just as the FBI and MI5 released a joint warning about the growing cybersecurity threat from China.
“We consistently see that it’s the Chinese government that poses the biggest long-term threat to our economic and national security, and by ‘our’, I mean both of our nations, along with our allies in Europe and elsewhere,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said.
He then noted that the Chinese government was “set on stealing your technology, whatever it is that makes your industry tick and using it to undercut your business and dominate your market”.
MI5 Director-General Ken McCallum added: “This might feel abstract. But it’s real and it’s pressing,” he said. “We need to talk about it. We need to act.”
How to protect yourself/organization
While it can be hard to protect yourself or your organization from sophisticated cybersecurity attacks, there are steps you can take to mitigate the risk.
Users can update their operating software security; organizations can implement a user training program that can help employees identify malicious emails.
People should also secure remote desktop protocol and have important data backed up in offline storage.
“It is critical for business leaders across industries and the public to take action immediately to harden their systems and work with law enforcement to tackle this threat,” Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division advised earlier this year.
In March, the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) created and shared helpful information with users and organizations across the nation.
One such initiative, called “Shields Up,” provides resources to companies both large and small to help them “prepare for, respond to, and mitigate the impact of cyberattacks.”
This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
