Q&A: A new hacker tool could infect millions of iPhones worldwide. What can I do?

Have you heard the hack that could infect millions of smartphones worldwide? DarkSword targets iPhones running specific versions of Apple’s software , and it could be quietly stealing your data.

DarkSword is a new hacking toolkit that exploits a vulnerability that affects iPhones in particular. Specifically, it uses a series of vulnerabilities – six in total – to break into systems and steal all sorts of personal data.

That could include your signed in accounts, wifi passwords, messaging data, cryptocurrency wallet credentials, email, screenshots, calendars – the list goes on.

The concerning thing is that you may never realise you were even affected by it. Not only is the attack quick, taking minutes to gather data, but it is clean. DarkSword doesn’t need the victim to click on a link or tap on an image to start running.

Instead it can lurk in infected elements of websites, waiting for a victim. When a vulnerable system visits the site, it starts running in the background without the visitor clicking on a thing, gathering personal data.

Once it gathers that data and sends it back to the attackers, the malware deletes itself leaving no trace of its presence.

According to Google’s Threat Intelligence Group blog post , researchers started seeing various malicious actors using the toolkit late last year, with entities in Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Malaysia all targeted.

Other security researchers from iVerify also confirmed the exploits. It was also reported to Apple in late 2025.

DarkSword primarily affects iPhones running iOS 18.4 to iOS 18.7. So if you are behind on your updates or your iPhone is no longer supported by the latest version of Apple’s software, you could be vulnerable.

You may think that it is a small group of people, but according to Apple’s developer site, 24 per cent of iPhones currently run iOS 18 in some form, and 10 per cent are stuck on an earlier version. That adds up globally to millions of devices.

According to Google blog post, all vulnerabilities for DarkSword were patched with the release of iOS 26.3. But attacks were seen as far back as November last year, and Apple had already patched many of the flaws before the newest software update.

If you have been keeping up to date with Apple’s schedule, your device should be protected – from this threat at least.

The best way to keep your devices safe is to keep on track with updates to your smartphone’s software. Most people will enable automatic updates, so they will be downloaded to your device as soon as Apple releases the software, and you can install the updates quickly.

If you aren’t on the latest software, get your device updated immediately to the newest version – currently iOS 26.3.1, unless you are enrolled in Apple’s beta programme which has early access to iOS 26.4. That will ensure the vulnerabilities that DarkSword exploits are no longer a problem.

Experts recommend that devices that are not compatible with the latest version of iOS – anything older than an iPhone 11 – enable lockdown mode to beef up security.

If you aren’t familiar with it, this is an extreme protection mode that is intended for people who might be vulnerable to sophisticated attacks, such as politicians, business executives, lawyers and people working for NGOs, even journalists.

Most people will never be at this level of risk. But lockdown mode might be a useful tool for preventing DarkSword. It locks your phone down by limiting some of its functions that could be exploited to attack your device with sophisticated malware.

That includes blocking many message attachments and link previews, limiting web browsing to exclude more complex web technologies, incoming FaceTime calls from people you have not contacted in the 30 days, and removing location data from photos when they are shared. It will also limit wifi connections that the system considers insecure.

What it won’t affect is incoming phone calls and plain text messages on your phone, along with emergency features, such as SOS emergency calls.

Lockdown mode was introduced in iOS 16, with additional protections added in iOS 17. You can enable it by going to |Settings> Privacy and Security, and scrolling to Lockdown Mode.

DarkSword isn’t the only threat out there. Even if your device no longer gets iOS updates, Apple has issued a number of security updates for older smartphones in recent days. You should ensure that all these updates are installed to protect your iPhone.