Users of the Apple ecosystem now receive a new feature that will ensure the safety of data backed up to iCloud storage. The Advanced Data Protection feature provides end-to-end encryption support to data such as photos, notes, device backups and more.
In addition, the Security Keys feature was also announced to allow users to log in to their Apple ID account using a physical security key. Only after this key is used can the account be accessed making it more difficult to hack than a normal 2FA system.
Finally, iMessage Contact Key Verification is also activated by verifying that the person contacted through iMessage is a real person whose data is not intercepted. When any bypass is detected, the device will give a notification that it is accessed from an unknown device.
All the features are introduced by Apple today because it recognizes that there are many ways that user data can be accessed, spied on and hacked by various parties. It targets journalists, human rights defenders and activists who are often attacked by malicious applications used by certain countries as happened with the Pegasus scandal.
At this time all these features are activated for users in the United States first with a global rollout to be done in stages in 2023.