https://www.404media.co/fbi-couldnt-get-into-wapo-reporters-iphone-because-it-had-lockdown-mode-enabled/ Account * Log in * Subscribe Navigation * Home * About * RSS * Support/FAQ * Podcast * FOIA Forum Archive * Merch * Advertise * Thanks * Privacy Follow us Twitter Bluesky Mastodon Instagram TikTok Facebook RSS Sign in Subscribe * About * RSS * Support/FAQ * Podcast * FOIA Forum Archive * Merch * Advertise * Thanks * Privacy Advertisement * Go ad free Privacy FBI Couldn't Get into WaPo Reporter's iPhone Because It Had Lockdown Mode Enabled Joseph Cox Joseph Cox * Feb 4, 2026 at 9:05 AM Lockdown Mode is a sometimes overlooked feature of Apple devices that broadly make them harder to hack. A court record indicates the feature might be effective at stopping third parties unlocking someone's device. At least for now. FBI Couldn't Get into WaPo Reporter's iPhone Because It Had Lockdown Mode Enabled Image: Ian Muttoo via Flickr. The FBI has been unable to access a Washington Post reporter's seized iPhone because it was in Lockdown Mode, a sometimes overlooked feature that makes iPhones broadly more secure, according to recently filed court records. The court record shows what devices and data the FBI was able to ultimately access, and which devices it could not, after raiding the home of the reporter, Hannah Natanson, in January as part of an investigation into leaks of classified information. It also provides rare insight into the apparent effectiveness of Lockdown Mode, or at least how effective it might be before the FBI may try other techniques to access the device. Do you know anything else about phone unlocking technology? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at joseph.404 or send me an email at joseph@404media.co. This post is for paid members only Become a paid member for unlimited ad-free access to articles, bonus podcast content, and more. Subscribe Sign up for free access to this post Free members get access to posts like this one along with an email round-up of our week's stories. Subscribe Already have an account? Sign in More like this Wedding Photo Booth Company Exposes Customers' Drunken Photos Wedding Photo Booth Company Exposes Customers' Drunken Photos 'Curator Live', a popular photo booth company for weddings and other events, is exposing all sorts of unsuspecting people's photos. Joseph Cox Joseph Cox * Feb 3, 2026 Privacy Telecom 'Cape' Introduces 'Disappearing Call Logs' That Delete Every 24 Hours Privacy Telecom 'Cape' Introduces 'Disappearing Call Logs' That Delete Every 24 Hours Usually telecoms keep customer's call and text logs for months if not years. Joseph Cox Joseph Cox * Feb 2, 2026 How to Opt-Out of Airlines Selling Your Travel Data to the Government How to Opt-Out of Airlines Selling Your Travel Data to the Government The Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), owned by major U.S. airlines, collects billions of ticketing records and sells them to the government to be searched without a warrant. I managed to opt-out of that data selling. Joseph Cox Joseph Cox * Nov 4, 2025 Scientists Keep Discovering Mysterious Ancient Tunnels Across Europe Scientists Keep Discovering Mysterious Ancient Tunnels Across Europe The discovery of a Medieval tunnel built within a prehistoric burial ground adds to the mystery of hundreds of underground passages without a known purpose. Becky Ferreira Becky Ferreira * Feb 4, 2026 Podcast: The Latest Epstein Dump is a Disaster Podcast: The Latest Epstein Dump is a Disaster This Epstein dump is probably the worst yet. Then we talk all about security issues in Moltbot and Moltbook. Then, even more security issues with some popular apps. Joseph Cox Joseph Cox * Feb 4, 2026 Hackers and Trolls Target Wave of ICE Spotting Apps Hackers and Trolls Target Wave of ICE Spotting Apps Hackers have targeted a spread of apps or sites that aim to track ICE activity, in one case even sending push notifications to users in an attempt to intimidate them. Joseph Cox Joseph Cox * Feb 3, 2026 Advertisement * Go ad free Advertisement * Go ad free * Hide Unparalleled access to hidden worlds both online and IRL. 404 Media is an independent media company founded by technology journalists Jason Koebler, Emanuel Maiberg, Samantha Cole, and Joseph Cox. * About * RSS * Support/FAQ * Podcast * FOIA Forum Archive * Merch * Advertise * Thanks * Privacy Twitter Bluesky Mastodon Instagram TikTok Facebook RSS Join the newsletter to get the latest updates. [ ] Success Great! Check your inbox and click the link to confirm your subscription (c) 2026 404 Media. Published with Ghost.