A new tool used by cyber hackers has emerged, which has become a major threat to smartphone users. Its name is “DarkSword”. This hacking technique gets activated when a smartphone user visits a particular webpage. This information has been received from a report by Engadget. According to the report, Google has given information about this new hacking technique in collaboration with cyber security firms Lookout and iVerify. This technique is proving to be especially dangerous for iPhone users. This threat starts just by visiting a particular webpage. Under the DarkSword hacking technique, certain versions of the iPhone are being targeted. Currently it is targeting iOS 18. Currently around 220 to 270 million iPhones are running on iOS 18.
An Apple spokesperson said that over the past year, the company has identified and fixed all the vulnerabilities present in all iOS versions from iOS 15 to iOS 26. Additionally, the company has also released updates for older versions—especially for iPhones running iOS 15 and iOS 16 that can’t upgrade to newer iOS versions. The company advises users who are running on iOS 13 or iOS 14 to update their operating system to iOS 15. These operating systems were originally released in 2019 and 2020.
Update your phone for security
An Apple spokesperson stressed that even if users can’t update to iOS 26, security updates for older versions are still available, and users should install them. Apple also noted that dangerous URLs identified and published in Google’s security blog are already blocked through Safari’s Safe Browsing feature.
What is DarkSword?
DarkSword is essentially a “fileless” hack that uses a variety of techniques to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data. Then, when an iPhone visits an infected website, this spyware—like other spyware—installs itself on the mobile user’s device. After stealing your data, DarkSword completely erases all traces of its presence from the iPhone.
Compared to Android, the iOS operating system is generally considered more secure and more protected from hacking. Millions of people around the world—including celebrities and business professionals—use iPhones, which run on the iOS platform. The company is now actively working towards making its platform more secure.