A New Iphone Hacking Tool Puts Some Ios 18 Users At Risk

Google and cybersecurity companies Lookout and iVerify person elaborate a caller hacking method that perchance puts a important information of iPhone users successful danger, conscionable by visiting nan incorrect web page. The hack is called "DarkSword" and since it specifically targets respective different versions of iOS 18, it could impact "close to a 4th of iPhones," Wired writes.

DarkSword is simply a "fileless" hack that leverages a postulation of exploits to entree delicate information erstwhile an iPhone visits an infected website. Rather than instal spyware that hangs astir connected a user's telephone aft messages and different backstage accusation are stolen, fileless hacks for illustration DarkSword return power of "the morganatic processes successful an iPhone's operating strategy to bargain data," according to Wired. Even much troubling, DarkSword deletes immoderate grounds it was moving connected an iPhone aft it finishes stealing your information.

The hack starts arsenic soon arsenic an iOS instrumentality encounters an "malicious iframe embedded successful a web page," aft which it useful its measurement done your iPhone, gathering delicate accusation for illustration passwords earlier deleting itself. DarkSword tin abscond pinch things for illustration messages and iCloud content, but it's besides specifically designed to entree crypto rate wallets, Lookout says, which could bespeak who was utilizing DarkSword earlier it became wide available.

DarkSword has reportedly been utilized successful Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Turkey and Russia, and its origins could beryllium tied to a different hacking toolkit called Coruna that TechCrunch reports whitethorn person been created for nan US authorities by a institution called Trenchant. Regardless of wherever DarkSword came from, nan instrumentality didn't go wide disposable until its Russian users near DarkSword's root codification connected a website for anyone to access, "complete pinch explanatory comments successful English that picture each constituent and see nan 'DarkSword' sanction for nan tool," Wired writes.

Apple patched nan exploits that DarkSword and Coruna utilized successful caller updates to iOS 26, nan yearly package merchandise from 2025 that followed iOS 18. DarkSword targets iOS 18 releases betwixt iOS 18.4 and iOS 18.6.2, and according to Apple's latest iOS usage stats for developers, astir 24 percent of iOS devices are still connected immoderate type of iOS 18.

However, Apple simultaneously released iOS 26 and iOS 18.7 connected September 15, 2026. So moreover if group didn’t want to upgrade to iOS 28, a unafraid spot has been disposable for six months. Despite nan truth that Apple’s stats bespeak that astir 24 percent of iPhone users are still connected iOS 18, nan existent number of perchance susceptible phones is overmuch lower. Still, it’s a bully reminder to enactment connected apical of package updates if only for nan information features if thing else.

Update, March 19, 2026, 10:10AM ET: This communicative has been updated to statement that while this vulnerability targets iOS 18, Apple released iOS 18 updates complete nan past six months that are unafraid against this attack.