Since 2016, when the Pegasus spyware first breached iPhones, Apple users have been followed by the shadow of “mercenary spyware.” But now, Apple has released a new feature to counter this type of threat.
In this report, we dive into what the new defenses are. We also talk to experts to understand what’s at stake — and what you should know.
Apple presents Memory Integrity Enforcement (MIE), its security technology to combat mercenary spyware
Since 2021, Apple has been sending out threat notifications to users in over 150 countries to warn them when they’re targeted by mercenary spyware.
While advanced spyware campaigns are very dangerous and cost millions of dollars, they usually target high-level figures like politicians and government members. Spyware attacks have also been reported against human rights organizations, journalists, and activists of all kinds.
The majority of users don’t fall into these categories. Therefore, most of us will never be targeted by this advanced malware. Given the persistent level of this threat, however, Apple has released a new technology. Enter MIE, or Memory Integrity Enforcement.
What is Memory Integrity Enforcement (MIE)?
In early September 2025, Apple announced Memory Integrity Enforcement (MIE). MIE is the culmination of more than half a decade of work done by Apple engineers.
Think of MIE as the ultimate security upgrade to your iPhone. Specifically, it works at the memory safety level of iOS. MIE isn’t just a new code update within your iPhone’s operating system. It involves hardware-level security as well. This means the security is physically built into the phone itself.
“Apple’s new Memory Integrity Enforcement, or MIE, is a major step in keeping devices safer,” Trevor Horwitz, CISO at TrustNet, told us.
MIE targets one of the most common attack methods: memory corruption bugs like buffer overflows that spyware depends on, said Horwitz.
How does Apple’s anti-spyware feature, MIE, work?
All models of iPhone 17 and iPhone Air have MIE built into their hardware and software. The new anti-spyware security feature is always on to provide memory safety protection.
MIE protects key digital attack surfaces such as the kernel — the core of iOS. And Apple developers can now access the new Enhanced Security feature in Xcode. The feature will be released during this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event.
“MIE works by layering protections together,” said Horwitz. “Apple’s secure memory allocators organize memory in ways that are harder for attackers to exploit.”
Enhanced Memory Tagging Extension, built into Apple silicon, adds secret tags to memory and checks every request against those tags, blocking anything suspicious, Horwitz added.
“On top of that, Apple added Tag Confidentiality Enforcement, which makes sure attackers can’t leak or guess those tags using advanced techniques,” said Horwitz.
The result is, as mentioned, an always-on protection built into the latest iPhones that covers the operating system kernel and dozens of core processes without slowing down performance.
“It’s invisible to the user but raises the bar significantly for attackers,” Horwitz said.
Is Apple’s new anti-spyware feature 100% failproof?
For those wanting to know just how secure this new Apple feature is and whether they can drop their guard or cut down on their cybersecurity budgets, bad news lies ahead.
As Horwitz explained, no single feature makes a device unbreakable. While MIE is a major step forward, users still have a role to play, he said.
Apple’s full technical release, which includes several links to check out, can be found here.
Here’s what users need to know about Apple’s anti-spyware feature
If you own one of the newest iPhones (at the time of this writing, the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, or iPhone Air), consider yourself included in Apple’s Memory Integrity Enforcement (MIE) built-in security.
You don’t have to turn it on, install anything, or tweak settings. It’s simply part of your phone, running quietly in the background.
Here are the key takeaways for everyday Apple users:
- Always on, no setup needed: MIE is built into the hardware and software of the latest iPhones. You don’t install it, you don’t configure it, and you can’t switch it off.
- Invisible but powerful: It protects against one of the most common ways spyware tries to break into devices, memory attacks, without affecting speed or battery life.
- Exclusive to new models: Only the iPhone 17 line and the iPhone Air currently include this protection, since it relies on updated Apple silicon.
- Developer impact: App makers can now use Apple’s new Enhanced Security tools in Xcode, meaning the apps you download will also benefit from better defenses.
- Not a silver bullet: MIE is a strong safeguard, but it doesn’t make devices unhackable. Users should remain cautious online.
“Keep your devices updated, avoid suspicious links, and use strong authentication — security is strongest when technology and personal vigilance work together,” said Horwitz.
Final thoughts
Advanced mercenary spyware has been linked to scandals, oppressive governments, and breaches of basic human rights. A new Apple security feature, designed to mitigate these types of threats, is therefore welcomed by everyone.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean users can let down their guard. As always, exercise caution and stay updated on the latest digital threats.
This is an independent publication, and it has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. iPhone and iOS are trademarks of Apple Inc.
