Tag: ipads

iPhones, iPads Use Banned for Work Purposes in Russian Military: Report

Russia’s ministry of digital development has banned employees from using Apple iPhones and iPads for work purposes, Interfax news agency reported on Friday citing the minister, Maksut Shadaev.

“A ban is imposed on using (Apple) mobile devices — smartphones and tablets — to access work applications and work email exchange,” he told reporters at a digital conference, the agency said.

“It’s allowed to use iPhones for personal needs,” Shadaev said.

The ministry issued the ban two months after claims by the Russian main domestic security service, the FSB, that several thousands Apple devices were compromised as a result of an espionage operation by the US.

Apple denied the allegations. The US. National Security Agency, which the FSB said cooperated with Apple, declined to comment on the claims at the time.

Meanwhile, Apple was recently fined by a Russian court for not deleting “inaccurate” content about what Russia calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine, Russian news agencies reported. 

Apple, on the other hand, paused all product sales in Russia shortly after Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022, and limited its Apple Pay service in Russia.

Moscow has clashed with Big Tech for years over content, censorship, data and local representation in disputes that escalated after Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine. 

Russia has also fined several other tech companies, including Alphabet’s Google, Meta’s Facebook and Wikimedia, which has been fined several times and has previously said information that Russian authorities complained about was well-sourced and in line with Wikipedia standards.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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Apple to Release New Lockdown Mode to Battle Spyware, Provide Extra Layer of Protection

Apple on Wednesday said it plans to release a new feature called Lockdown Mode this fall that aims to add a new layer of protection for human rights advocates, political dissidents and other targets of sophisticated hacking attacks.

The move comes after at least two Israeli firms have exploited flaws in Apple‘s software to remotely break into iPhones without the target needing to click or tap anything. NSO Group, the maker of the Pegasus software that can carry out such attacks, has been sued by Apple and placed on a trade blacklist by US officials.

Lockdown Mode will come to Apple’s iPhones, iPads and Macs this fall and turning it on will block most attachments sent to the iPhone’s Messages app. Security researchers believe NSO Group exploited a flaw in how Apple handled message attachments. The new mode will also block wired connections to iPhones when they are locked. Israeli firm Cellebrite has used such manual connections to access iPhones.

Apple representatives said that they believe sophisticated attacks the new feature is designed to fight — called “zero click” hacking techniques — are still relatively rare and that most users will not need to active the new mode.

Spyware companies have argued they sell high-powered technology to help governments thwart national security threats. But human rights groups and journalists have repeatedly documented the use of spyware to attack civil society, undermine political opposition, and interfere with elections.

To help harden the new feature, Apple said it will pay up to $2 million (nearly Rs. 15 crore) for each flaw that security researchers can find in the new mode, which Apple representatives said was the highest such “bug bounty” offered in the industry.

Apple also said it is making a $10 million (nearly Rs. 80 crore) grant, plus any possible proceeds from its lawsuit against NSO Group, to groups that find, expose and work to prevent targeted hacking. Apple said the grant will go to the Dignity and Justice Fund established by the Ford Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the United States.

© Thomson Reuters 2022

 

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