HACKERS can raid iOS 18 with an infected link, and the article urges updating to iOS26. Emma Roth reports that security researchers published findings on a new tool targeting iPhones running iOS 18.4 to 18.6.2, with the DarkSword exploit already used by Russian hackers to harvest data from devices that visit malicious links.
The Google Threat Intelligence Group worked with cybersecurity firms Lookout and iVerify to analyse the attack, which could affect up to 270 million devices still running the impacted versions of iOS 18, according to The Verge. When a user visits a compromised website, DarkSword allegedly uses six different vulnerabilities to target Safari, enabling collection of text messages, contacts, saved credentials, iCloud files, photos, cryptocurrency wallets, call logs, location history, and more. This underlines the urgency to update to iOS26, as noted in the piece.