The FBI has been unable to access a Washington Post reporter’s seized iPhone because it was in Lockdown Mode. This often overlooked feature significantly increases iPhone security.

The court records reveal which devices and data the FBI was able to access after raiding the reporter's home in January, during an investigation into classified information leaks, and which remained inaccessible. This case offers a rare perspective on the effectiveness of Lockdown Mode, or at least its effectiveness before the FBI may attempt other techniques to access the device.

Lockdown Mode is a feature introduced by Apple to protect users from sophisticated cyberattacks. When enabled, it drastically limits device functionality, blocking suspicious attachments, disabling complex web browsing, and limiting wired connections to external devices. For those evaluating on-premise deployments, there are trade-offs between security and functionality to consider, as discussed in AI-RADAR's analytical frameworks at /llm-onpremise.