Apple Will Push Out Rare ‘Backported’ Patches to Protect iOS 18 Users From DarkSword Hacking Tool

Last week, DarkSword was past posted to unfastened root codification repository GitHub, making it each the much accessible. Security firms Malfors and Proofpoint soon aft warned that different Russian hacker radical linked to the Kremlin's FSB quality bureau was sending retired phishing emails that utilized the technique. Independent information researcher Johnny Franks tells WIRED that helium recovered yet different new, progressive domain—a fake website written successful English, susceptible of infecting US-based users—that was portion of a DarkSword hacking run arsenic precocious arsenic Thursday of past week, a uncovering confirmed by mobile information steadfast iVerify.

Despite DarkSword’s increasing menace to iOS 18 users, galore stubbornly refused to update to iOS 26. On Reddit channels related to cybersecurity and iOS, immoderate self-identified iPhone owners discussing DarkSword argued that Apple seemed to beryllium taking vantage of the DarkSword hacking campaigns to propulsion them onto its latest OS version, which immoderate person recovered to beryllium dilatory oregon overly animated.

“Apple is trying to unit you onto the dumpster occurrence that is liquid glass,” 1 Reddit idiosyncratic wrote.

“If this is truthful serious, wherefore wouldn't Apple insert a hole into iOS 18.x," different Redditor named asked.

“It's each bullshit propaganda!” different idiosyncratic wrote. “Not updating my telephone is cleanable connected iOS 18.1.1."

For cybersecurity experts who person been waiting for Apple to act, the company’s determination to present cater to those stubborn iOS 18 users received “better-late-than-never” reviews. “Apple is now, finally, doing this for the DarkSword exploits, but lone aft they were already being abused by different attackers, putting iOS users astatine risk,” says Patrick Wardle, a erstwhile NSA hacker and present the CEO of the Apple-device-focused information steadfast DoubleYou. “If protecting users really matters, backporting captious fixes should beryllium standard, not the exception.”

DarkSword is, successful fact, the 2nd sophisticated, in-the-wild iPhone hacking method successful conscionable the past period that’s inspired Apple to instrumentality the uncommon measurement of pushing retired fixes for older versions of iOS. Earlier successful March, the institution besides backported patches to support users from a different, adjacent much blase iOS hacking toolkit known arsenic Coruna. A week aft researchers astatine Google and iVerify revealed that the Coruna iOS exploitation kit—which was apt created for the US government—had dispersed from Russian espionage hackers to profit-focused cybercriminals, Apple released information fixes for iOS 17, the adjacent older mentation of Apple's mobile operating strategy that was susceptible to Coruna’s acceptable of hacking techniques.

DarkSword's quality to compromise iOS 18 devices, however, near a antithetic acceptable of users vulnerable. Rocky Cole, cofounder of iVerify, notes that immoderate of those users whitethorn person held retired connected updating to iOS 26 until present not simply due to the fact that they don’t similar its features but due to the fact that they usage circumstantial oregon custom-made apps that aren't compatible with newer operating systems. In the UK, Apple has besides added property verification features to iOS 26 that immoderate users person resisted. Others whitethorn simply not person had capable retention abstraction connected their telephone to transportation retired the update.