By suspending work in Russia, Apple hardly expected like this “answer”.
Starting last year, iPhones began to be banned in many Russian companies, budget organizations and institutions. This was not done to rub anyone’s nose. It’s just that the company made a few miscalculations, and it started to screw up security services in many countries.
I propose to look at why this is, where exactly the iPhone is already banned in the Russian Federation, and also discuss the error from an alternative Apple smartphone for work tasks.
Short description
Why they started banning iPhone in Russian companies
iPhone is prohibited in any institutions and companies in Russia
If you can’t use an iPhone, then what to choose?
Infinix NOTE 40 Pro is perfect for an iPhone owner
Why they started banning iPhone in Russian companies
On June 1, 2023, Kaspersky Lab spoke about a previously unknown method of hacking an iPhone via iMessage. He was named “Operation Triangulation”.
The hack was carried out via an iMessage with special applications containing the exploit. It caused concurrent code to execute even if the user did not interact with the applications in any way. The code downloads the virus elements. After this, all the necessary components for hacking iOS are provided, and the initial message with the exploit is deleted.
According to Kaspersky Lab, this method at the time of publication of information has already been used to attack the device. The FSB also issued a statement:
The Federal Security Service, together with the Federal Protective Service of Russia, is conducting an intelligence operation to uncover American intelligence services, carried out using mobile devices from Apple (USA). In ensuring the security of the Russian telecommunications network, anomalies have been identified that are characteristic only for users of Apple mobile phones, and are caused by the work of previously unknown competitive software (malware), using the manufacturer’s built-in software vulnerabilities.
– FSB of Russia
It is interesting that in the West this information was received with skepticism by almost all media. Many people doubted the existence of this vulnerability, and Apple found itself checking the FSB requirements. Even after several extremely detailed presentations and publications from Kaspersky Lab confirming the existence of the “exploit,” only a few foreign experts in the field of cybersecurity are interested in the topic.
However, Apple fixed this vulnerability in iOS 16.5.1 and iOS 15.7.7 on June 21, that is, 3 weeks after the first publications. But the sediment, as they say, remains.
The vector arrived via iMessage to itself very old. In 2021, there was a loud scandal surrounding the Pegasus exploit from the Israeli company NSO Group, which widely offered similar iPhone hacking services through Apple messenger. Just a month after Operation Triangulation, in September 2023, CitizenLab announced a new BLASTPASS method that breaks through iOS security via iMessage.
Ultimately, all this news led to a wave of bans on the use of iPhone in government and budget organizations, both in Russia and abroad – for example, in China and in the countries of South Korea.
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iPhone is prohibited in any institutions and companies in Russia
Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Timkiv
Important note: the use of iPhone in all of the following organizations and institutions is prohibited and marked “for official purposes.” That is, the use of iPhones the rest of the time is not limited.
▪ Presidential Administration: March 30, 2023.
▪ Rostec: July 13, 2023.
▪ Ministry of Finance: July 17, 2023.
▪ Ministry of Energy: July 17, 2023.
▪ Ministry of Industry and Trade: July 17, 2023.
▪ Ministry of Education: July 18, 2023.
▪ Federal Customs Service (FCS): July 20, 2023.
▪ Ministry of Transport: July 31, 2023.
▪ Federal Air Transport Agency: July 31, 2023.
▪ Russian Railways: August 10, 2023
▪ Ministry of Digital Development: August 12, 2023
▪ Ministry of Education and Science: September 6, 2023.
▪ Central Bank: December 25, 2023.
▪ Central Election Commission: December 25, 2023.
▪ Ministry of Emergency Situations: January 5, 2024.
The list is far from complete, since not all departments, companies and fish establish a strict ban on the organization’s press. I think that among the readers of iPhones.ru there is me who works in other places and also cannot use iPhones after the appropriate job description.
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If you can’t use an iPhone, then what to choose?
The vast majority of Russian institutions recommended to employees switch from iPhone to Android. We purchased the device, others suggested that employees do it themselves, sometimes with reimbursement of costs.
Closing the iOS system emitter plays a role, along with an increase in the frequency of targeted attacks on iPhone users who occupy key positions and provide access to sensitive information. The openness of Android specialists in companies allows for better control over what and how happens with data on smartphones running this embedded system.
But there are a lot of Android smartphones. As a second worker Taking something super expensive, like Samsung flagships, is not always logical. And I want as few compromises as possible compared to the iPhone.
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Infinix NOTE 40 Pro is perfect for an iPhone owner
We already have problems why there is not as much difference between the Infinix NOTE 40 Pro and the iPhone as it might seem at first glance, but here’s the gist:
▸ High quality screen. 120Hz AMOLED display, memorable and clear
▸ Magnetic charging. There is a 20-watt “puck” just like MagSafe
▸ Good. MediaTek Helio G99 Ultimate can handle any workload
▸ Lots of memory. 12 GB RAM, 256 GB storage is enough for everyone
▸ Excellent battery life. 5000 mAh battery lasts all day
▸ Modern OS: Android 14 with XOS 14 skin and the latest security patches allows you to sleep peacefully (and go to work peacefully)
Infinix Note 40 Pro appeared in Russia in the spring of 2024 at a price of about 35 thousand rubles. For this money, you continue the usual technological features of the Pro class iPhone. It suits well as a work phone: I used it a couple of times on the iPhone 15 Pro Max for a week and use the wallpaper in equal parts.
opportunity install any banking applications and I don’t limit myself in anything, including contactless payments – that’s nice. It’s also great that you can simply hook up the same MagSafe charger to either your iPhone or Infinix NOTE 40 Pro.
Of course, in Russia you can find and distribute other Android smartphones with good performance. But overall, and considering the price, the NOTE 40 Pro is much better suited than others as a second phone for an iPhone owner. And if your company has already banned Apple technology or decided to do so, then maybe it’s time to be one step ahead?
Source: Iphones RU
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
