Lockdown Mode

Hacker team Calif says it has jailbroken an iPhone running Apple's Lockdown Mode, its most restrictive security setting, and that the jailbreak survives a software update. The demonstration comes just over a week after the group jailbroken an iPhone Duo on launch day. If accurate, the exploit would represent a notable bypass of Apple's toughest defences, drawing attention from security researchers and iPhone users.

Reports claim a jailbreak targeting Apple's Lockdown Mode used a malicious PDF sent by AirDrop to an iPhone 18 Pro running iOS 27.2, and the exploit survived the update. Coverage urges iPhone users to treat unexpected AirDrop files with suspicion, keep AirDrop off when not needed, and install updates promptly as details emerge.

A newly reported iPhone jailbreak is claimed to defeat Apple's Lockdown Mode, Apple's most restrictive security setting, and to survive iOS updates. If verified, the technique would represent a significant weakness in Apple's mobile security, with implications for high-risk users targeted by spyware. Details on who developed the exploit and whether Apple has responded remain unclear.

Apple's Lockdown Mode, the company's most restrictive security setting for iPhone, is facing renewed scrutiny following the release of a jailbreak video that casts doubt on how effective the feature is against advanced attacks. The clip is prompting debate among security watchers about whether the mode can truly block the techniques it was designed for. Apple has not commented on the claims.

Security researchers have demonstrated a jailbreak that works even when iOS Lockdown Mode is enabled, exploiting AirDrop to gain root access that survives reboots and major iOS updates. The finding is significant because Lockdown Mode is Apple's most restrictive security configuration, marketed as protecting high-risk users such as journalists and activists from advanced attacks. The disclosure is circulating widely in cybersecurity circles, with observers weighing what it means for the real-world effectiveness of Apple's protections.

Apple has sent new threat notifications warning iPhone users in 99 countries that they may have been targeted by mercenary spyware attacks. Recipients reportedly include journalists and German members of parliament. The alerts advise users to enable Lockdown Mode and tell them how to verify that a notification is genuine, as attackers sometimes imitate such warnings in phishing attempts.

Security researchers at Calif.io report an iOS attack that disables Apple's Lockdown Mode and persists even after a device update. The finding follows the team's earlier disclosure of the first untethered jailbreak for iOS. The combination is drawing attention because an attack that survives updates is unusually hard to remove, raising fresh questions about the security of Apple's locked-down configurations.

Apple has announced Lockdown Mode, an optional, extreme security setting for iPhone, iPad, and Mac aimed at protecting users targeted by sophisticated spyware, such as journalists, activists, and government officials. When enabled, the mode sharply restricts device functions, including message attachments and web technologies, in exchange for much stronger protections against mercenary hacking attacks.