Security is traded off for convenience. But they can let your messages from known contacts through without “reading” them, just make the unknown senders go through the filter. That means it shouldn’t “see” your normal text messages with family and friends.
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Apple Announces New Lockdown Mode on iOS 16 With 'Extreme' Level of Security
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If the software has that level of access, it can read the messages. The point being, the software may be compromised by libraries or by a bad worker. What the software is allowed to do and what it does are two different things.
No, it‘s not supposed to have access to known sender messages, that’s the point. They are only filtering unknown sender messages.
An app can’t exceed its granted authority and iOS is itself handling the first step which is to figure out if a sender is on your contact list. The filtering apps are only there to filter when you have a sender not on your contact list.
Of course if you have concerns because you might get messages from senders not on your contacts list and you don’t want it to go through the third party app then you should stay away from those.
The only way Apple is going to make the iPhone less secure is if/when groups like the EU force it to with their asinine efforts to do thing like mandate side loading.
Yes, we do say that because it’s asinine for Apple (or any company) to be forced to significantly change their product based on the whining of people who already have another option. The iPhone isn’t a monopoly and it’s not doing anyone harm by having a more secure model than Android offers. In fact quite the opposite. Now people can freely choose between two different paths with different strengths and weaknesses. People like you want to take that away. Why? Because you are too lazy and/or entitled to just use an Android phone. There’s no other reason. Everything you say you want from the iPhone Android already gives you today. So go get it. No one is stopping you.
You unfortunately have a very myopic view. It’s not that iPhone is a monopoly. It’s that the App Store on iOS is a monopoly… if iOS users want to install apps on their iOS device, the only place we can currently get them is through the App Store, guaranteeing apple a cut.
You also talk about using android for sideloading, yet you ignore the fact that the Mac, which iOS and ipadOS are based on, welcomes side loading. A Mac is a very personal device with files in need of protection and security. You can get iMessages on the Mac. Very private and intimate conversations in need of security and protection. Yet the Mac is not locked down, and in fact, not only can you run software from anywhere, you can run in administrator mode and load kexts that modify the running kernel. The m1 chip is locked down on the iPad, but the same chip is open (to run software outside of the App Store) on the Mac. How does that make sense?
If you want to buy a Samsung or LG tv you can find it in Best Buy or Walmart or Amazon etc. The same is not true for iOS apps. One store one company. Hence a monopoly.
I’m glad the EU agrees and will force these ‘gatekeepers’ to give users choice. If an app developer has an app that is legal doesn’t infringe on any copyright or patents and doesn’t otherwise violate the law, who is Apple to restrict trade between that app developer and a willing purchaser? This is why apple is losing the fight to keep iOS locked down. We will just have to agree to disagree and move on.
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There’s one variant of that ‘joke’ that’s missing, which is for <government of choice> to require Apple to include a backdoor…
The situation has progressed access for police states (to protect the kittens from wrongthink) to access for anyone and everyone.
Presumably because that nullifies the argument about inadvertently letting bad actor hackers in, if you deliberately let them in. And so by extension; there’s no issue with a back door (or cavernous opening) in the first place.
I think you’re a little incorrect in assuming the MacOS “welcomes” sideloading. By default; there’s all sorts of restrictions applied to less official or alternatively sourced apps and data.
For example; blocked by default is any untrusted developer or invalid certificate. And then even if you opt to allow (and/or weaken security); there‘s still more to be done to launch these (right-click open, permissions, verification) because they haven‘t been granted the same level of trust.
And if you use windows; you’ll notice something similar, and for documents too. Perhaps not as well implemented, but which is a consequence of constantly increasing security issues from previously not limiting (critical) access.
Then there’s the “can buy a brand at multiple stores“ analogy, which if you think about it, is actually the opposite of the App Store you’re trying to relate it to:
Yes; you can buy a Samsung TV in Best Buy. Can you buy a Best Buy own brand product in a Samsung store? Or will LG sell you a Samsung, and Samsung sell you an LG?
Or to put it the other way round; you can get Samsung and LG apps that run on your iPhone from the App Store. You can also get apps from LG and Samsung that run on Android from the Play Store.
Presence on one store doesn’t preclude presence on the other.
The point is macOS isn’t locked down. Sure there are protections in place as you mention, which are welcome, but at the end of the day, the user is given the choice and ability to sideload… not only apps but also kexts and now dexts. ipadOS 16 will now allow users to load dexts, which is good for audio interfaces and other thunderbolt hardware. So apple is slowly opening up.
The need for security on the Mac is just the same as on an iPhone or iPad, as a mac has access to your iMessages, photos, iCloud data, wallet data, Microsoft office data, and so on. Again the m1 chip in an iPad is locked down but the same exact chip in a Mac is not. Why ?
My only point about LG Samsung tvs was just that a prospective purchaser of those devices aren’t restricted in where they can purchase those legal devices. They can go to Best Buy Walmart Amazon etc.
But the same is not true for all apps. For example, take wifi explorer. That app exists on android and also the macOS App Store. Allows you to see your wifi radio environment for better channel planning. But it is not available on the iOS App Store. For whatever reason apple has restricted and prohibited apps like it from being offered on the App Store. A perfectly legal and helpful App that is on the macOS App Store is prohibited from running on an iPhone. Why?
Governments have to weigh whether the restriction of trade (e.g., between me and the developer of wifi explorer) is legal. Or whether apple and Google should be the sole in-App Purchase fee collector and operator. Especially when those same App Store operators and in-app purchase collectors, as in the case of apple, compete with other apps in the App Store. Like Apple Music vs Spotify. Or Apple TV vs Netflix.
I agree that apple should be paid a fee and earn a profit from operating the App Store. But apple doesn’t charge an in-app purchase fee for physical goods like Uber or Lyft. Why? Also, if Netflix or Spotify are savvy enough to have their own in-app purchases backend, why are they restricted from being able to use that so as to lower costs to consumers?
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TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️
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Way to go, Apple. Let's hope it doesn't drain the battery life.
It's not "caving into" something, it's called "complying with the law in countries where they operate."
This would e a much better option if they allow the user to select what pieces to turn on and allow 3rd party development of these functions.
Reading this article the use is too restrictive unless your iPhone is work only.
Reading this article the use is too restrictive unless your iPhone is work only.
There won't be a need to cave or comply. Apple will simply make a change or a small concession before anything goes into law that they were planning all along. Then EU and US regulators will back off and wait another few years until they come up with a new list of changes. It's a game that all monopolies and duopolies play with regulators. And that doesn't take into account the appeals process and lobbying regulators which also happens regularly.
But is it still in the same league if these laws and measures are created purely to assist in applying regulations? They aren’t breaking the law today but will be breaking the law tomorrow?
Governments are not doing this for us, nothing close. People are lapping it up becuase you may be able to download a torrent app on your iPhone - in reality, big advertisers are in for a win, dodgy devs are rubbing their hands at unrestricted Apple user money, but most of all, the government is going to use this to create back doors, it’s going to use the precedent to enable restriction on encryptions, and it’s going to use it because it desperately wants the data that the ‘gatekeeper’ holds on you.
But you know. One will be able to get a porn app, so fair enough I suppose.
Apple has different standards and requirements for the different OSes.
macOS is less secure than iOS. But that's OK because the threat to macOS is less and both Apple and (most) customers expect more freedom on a Mac which has the downside of more problems and more security issues.
It might do the opposite, since the 'Extreme Security' mode temporarily disables, turns off, or block access to many features normally taken for granted. We'll see.
What about iPadOS which has the same M1 chip as in a Mac. Why is the m1 in an iPad locked down, but not in a Mac?
I already have a Pinephone running Ubuntu Touch. The dip switches work but you have to take the back plate off - though a third party plate has a sliding door to access the switches. You can turn off the front camera, back camera, WIFI/BT, modem, microphone and headphone jack (that also has other purposes). I don’t run any apps and only have home screen access to the web access.
All open source - now including the proprietary modem code - though the law says they have to be shipped with the modem code intact. I used this thing during a recent nationwide outage on Friday with a large telecom and my iPhone was useless. This is what locked down means.
Also, you can actually run Kali on this phone and hack the hacker back with the usual penetration tools on the phone. Most just fool around with the usual penetration tools like Nmap and “John the Ripper”. A new phone will also create a lot of interference which is even more secure, messed up the NFC at a Starbucks and I got a free mocha that way!
Life is good!
:O
This is absolutely amazing, especially considering a phone that is 1/3 the price of an iPhone can survive national telecom outage than an iPhone. Those fancy teenagers and by proxy, majority would never appreciate this.
I also have business grade security on my Android and iPhones. I was an early adopter to Knox and had that sandbox inside the phones with their own apps. The only problem was Samsung business always phoning me up for more services.
The best though is Blackberry business grade security. Android or iPhone even still Blackberry I still have secure communication. I loved Blackberries but the hardware’s times has passed. The security products are still there but communicating with Blackberry these days is bizarre like Waterloo to Ottawa and then Miami to set things up. For security they are the best but the hardware is history, that is now in the past…
This lockdown mode seems like an always-on mode for me.
Everything it blocks i dont use already. So i will activate this because more security is always good.
Everything it blocks i dont use already. So i will activate this because more security is always good.