iPhone is reportedly capable of stopping one of the worst spyware attacks ever

With iOS 16, Apple released an “extreme” safety measure for iPhone, Lockdown Mode, which has reportedly been effective at stopping powerful spyware.

Introduced in 2022 with iOS 16 was Lockdown Mode, a comprehensive form of cyberattack protection designed only for the most extreme circumstances. Since then, Lockdown Mode, according to security group Citizen Lab, has been reportedly effective at stopping a deadly piece of spyware, Pegasus.

Basically, the Pegasus spyware tried to exploit the ‘PWNYOURHOME’ and ‘FINDMYPWN’ vulnerabilities in iOS 16; however, if you had an iPhone with Lockdown Mode enabled you would reportedly get real-time notifications that the Pegasus spyware was trying to exploit these vulnerabilities, allowing you to take action before these exploits could gain access to your system. Put simply, Lockdown Mode proved useful in stopping some seriously malicious code.

As of now, it’s unclear if the creators of Pegasus have found a way around Lockdown Mode’s real-time alerts, but no reports have yet surfaced that the above security flaws were successfully exploited on an iPhone with Lockdown Mode enabled. Accordingly, this is some good evidence that Apple is a formidable opponent when it comes to stopping seriously malicious spyware threats.

However, it’s important to remember that this mode isn’t necessary for the average user. According to Apple, Lockdown Mode is for “very few individuals who, because of who they are or what they do, might be personally targeted by some of the most sophisticated digital threats.” With Lockdown Mode enabled, you’ll be giving up on FaceTime calls with unknown contacts, access to a bunch of different websites, the ability to send and receive certain messages, and more.

Of course, spyware is perpetually updated and new exploits are continuously found, so there’s no guarantee that Lockdown Mode will be a silver bullet capable of stopping any attack, but if you’re an iPhone owner particularly concerned about being targeted, this mode may well be worth enabling.