Surprising iPhone Security

[Joel Phelps]

In the past we have discussed how secure cell phones are so I thought this may be of interest.  I saw this article referencing a press release from Apple stating that their iPads and iPhones are approved for classified data in Nato restricted environments.  This implies a much greater level of security than I would have expected:

[Paul Koning]

Neat.  Not as impressive as the marketing makes you think, once you dig in the details  The approval authorizes the use of those devices for "NATO Restricted" material.  That is the lowest protection grade, lower than "confidential", "secret" or "cosmic top secret" (yes, that apparently is what it is called).  According to Google:

Definition: Information that could cause harm, or is disadvantageous to NATO's interests, if publicly disclosed.

Usage: Commonly applies to operational logistics, administrative data, planning schedules, and coalition coordination details.

Security Level: It is the base level of classification, often used for official information that is not intended for the public but does not contain sensitive, high-level secrets.

Handling: Requires administrative control and safeguarding to prevent unauthorized access.

paul

On Feb 26, 2026, at 11:23 PM, Joel Phelps <joel.e...@gmail.com> wrote:

In the past we have discussed how secure cell phones are so I thought this may be of interest.  I saw this article referencing a press release from Apple stating that their iPads and iPhones are approved for classified data in Nato restricted environments.  This implies a much greater level of security than I would have expected:

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[Joel Phelps]

I like "Cosmic Top Secret” it has a Kurt Vonnegut or Hitchhikers Guide sound to it.  It’s probably only used on information in the Epstein files.  

I’d love to know what aspects of a phone’s use this approval actually applies to.   Also how NATO envisions fencing in the use and Appa on  any iPhone with restricted data.  No matter how carefully Apple crafts their IOS security, some clown will download a social messaging app with a North Korean malware payload.

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[Paul Koning]

I still regret the failure of the "Blackphone" -- an Android phone designed by the people who brought us PGP.  Part of it was secure communication; part of it seemed to be some virtualization scheme so you could have multiple personalities in one device.  A phone for work, tightly locked down, plus a phone for yourself, not quite so tight, with shielding between the two so a compromise of the personal phone compartment would not risk the security of data in the work phone.

As for your point about fencing things, the NATO document I found by following a chain of 2 or 3 links mentions the "indigo" settings, so I'm guessing that is some sort of template for locking stuff down.

paul

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