This endorsement signifies that Apple’s devices are pioneers, being the sole consumer products to meet these rigorous compliance standards.
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Credit: <a href="http://www.apple.com" target="_blank">Apple</a>
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</div>Marking a significant industry milestone, and building upon nearly two decades of dedication to mobile security since the debut of the first iPhone, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has declared that iPhones and iPads operating on iOS 26 possess sufficient security to manage classified data within NATO-restricted settings, essentially right out of the box.
This development offers considerable advantages to NATO’s military strategists, providing them with the confidence to deploy Apple devices for handling classified information, up to NATO restricted levels, without requiring extra software or configurations. Consequently, the iPhone and iPad stand as the initial (and exclusive) consumer-grade devices to satisfy the agency’s stringent compliance criteria.
Furthermore, it implies that the everyday iPhone carried by users is now generally considered secure enough for some of the most sensitive information imaginable. For those who routinely manage even more critical data, activating Lockdown Mode offers an enhanced layer of protection.
This NATO endorsement also covers the processing of such sensitive data through Apple’s native applications, such as Mail, Calendar, and Contacts.
Apple’s Statement
Ivan Krstić, Apple’s vice president of security engineering and architecture, commented, “This accomplishment acknowledges Apple’s paradigm shift in security provision. Before the iPhone, highly secure devices were exclusively accessible to advanced government and corporate entities, necessitating substantial investments in custom security setups.
“Conversely,” he added, “Apple has engineered the most secure devices globally for all its users, and these identical safeguards have now received exceptional certification under NATO nations’ assurance mandates — a feat unmatched by any other industry device.”
Two crucial conditions should be noted. Firstly, NATO mandates that devices processing such data within these settings must be managed and adhere to specific usage policy controls. Secondly, it is imperative that your devices are secured with passcodes and/or biometric authentication (Face ID or Touch ID).
For enterprise users, the implications are substantial. This suggests that, provided robust policies are enforced (e.g., preventing employees from photographing confidential documents with an iPhone and sharing them with rivals), the out-of-the-box security of these devices is generally reliable.
Apple’s Core Commitment to Security
This NATO endorsement follows a previous security achievement for Apple: its devices had already received approval to manage classified German government data on hardware, leveraging native iOS and iPadOS security features, after a thorough assessment by the Federal Office for Information Security (known as the Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik, or BSI).
In pursuit of that objective, the BSI performed an exhaustive sequence of evaluations and trials, encompassing in-depth security analysis, to verify the robustness of Apple’s existing security provisions. This rigorous process ultimately contributed to the subsequent approval of these systems by all 32 NATO member states.
Claudia Plattner, president of the BSI, stated, “Successful digital transformation hinges on integrating information security from the outset of mobile product development. Building on the BSI’s stringent audit of iOS and iPadOS platform and device security for use in classified German information settings, we are delighted to affirm their adherence to NATO nations’ assurance standards.”
Indeed, security is intrinsically woven into Apple’s philosophy, underpinning the fundamental design of its products. Apple’s long-standing commitment to security is evident through years of effort, guided by the principle that protective measures should be user-centric, seamlessly integrated, and universally accessible throughout its entire ecosystem.
This dedication resulted, for instance, in the development of the Secure Enclave within Apple processors, a key component for robust device security. (This underscores the importance for all users of these devices to employ strong passwords and activate biometric identification.) Fundamentally, Apple’s device security is upheld by an intricate framework of integrated, multi-layered safeguards, spanning from Secure Boot to Memory Integrity Enforcement (now extended to M5 Macs) and numerous other features.
More broadly, this signifies that any user, including those without managed devices or affiliation with NATO, can anticipate a high level of data security on their device. This protection holds true provided they exclusively utilize apps from the App Store, refrain from installing unsolicited configuration profiles from the internet, maintain device protection features, and employ a difficult-to-predict passcode.
Further information regarding Apple’s security safeguards can be found in the Apple Platform Security guide.
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