Unlocking the Mystery: How Apple’s Technology is Thwarting the FBI’s Lockdown Mode

In a significant development on January 26, 2026, Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a former US Navy veteran and defense contractor, found himself facing five counts of unlawfully transmitting and one count of unlawfully retaining classified national defense information following an indictment by a Federal Grand Jury.

An official press release from the Department of Justice (DOJ) alleges that Perez-Lugones, during the period between October 2025 and January 2026, repeatedly accessed and removed classified reports from the sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF) where he was employed as a government contractor. These classified documents were then shared with a journalist, as per the DOJ’s claims.

The specific nature of the classified information mishandled by Perez-Lugones remains undisclosed to the public, as court documents pertaining to this information are currently sealed. However, in a controversial move that has sparked criticism from advocates of the First Amendment, a sealed search warrant was executed at the home of journalist Hannah Natanson from The Washington Post, who is believed by the DOJ to have been Perez-Lugones’ contact referred to as “Reporter 1.”

Typically, court orders such as search warrants and subpoenas used to obtain information from journalists undergo rigorous scrutiny. During the search conducted at Natanson’s residence, various electronic devices including her personal computer, a Washington Post laptop, iPhone, and Garmin watch were seized by the FBI. It is important to note that Natanson herself is not currently under investigation and has not been charged with any offenses, according to the Freedom of the Press Foundation.

The recent events surrounding the search warrant at the journalist’s residence represent a concerning escalation in the administration’s assault on press freedom. The Department of Justice, along with the judge who approved this warrant, may be disregarding or misinterpreting the Privacy Protection Act, which prohibits law enforcement from conducting raids on newsrooms and journalists in search of evidence related to alleged crimes committed by others, with very few exceptions.

Amidst the controversy, it has been revealed that the FBI encountered difficulty in accessing Natanson’s iPhone due to it being in Lockdown Mode.

As stated in a court filing opposing the return of her seized property and a Standstill Order preventing further attempts to access these devices, the DOJ mentioned, “The iPhone was discovered powered on and charging, with the display indicating that the phone was in ‘Lockdown’ mode.” Consequently, the FBI’s Computer Analysis Response Team (CART) has been unable to bypass this security measure.

Lockdown Mode, as explained by Apple, is designed to safeguard against rare and sophisticated cyber attacks. Most individuals are unlikely to be targeted by such attacks. This feature must be individually enabled on each Apple device, including iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Enabling Lockdown Mode on the iPhone triggers its activation on any paired Apple Watch as well. Users also have the option to exempt specific apps or websites in Safari from this security protocol.

Questions have arisen regarding the potential of industrial-grade tools possessed by the FBI’s CART to crack Lockdown Mode. Thus far, there have been no reported instances of successful bypassing of this security feature. Lockdown Mode effectively blocks most message attachments and web technologies, closing off potential entry points that sophisticated hacking tools like Cellebrite and GrayKey utilize to breach iPhones.

It has been disclosed that the FBI compelled Natanson to unlock her work MacBook using her fingerprint, a measure permitted following a 2024 ruling by the D.C. Circuit appeals court allowing law enforcement to compel suspects to unlock devices using biometric data, but not passwords. Whether Natanson’s iPhone and MacBook were linked to the same iCloud account remains uncertain. If her iPhone was syncing documents to the now-accessible MacBook, the FBI may have already obtained the information they were seeking.

As of now, the situation remains pending a resolution, with Perez-Lugones remaining in custody pending trial. The recent events have prompted journalists to consider implementing Lockdown Mode across their devices if not already enabled.

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