Apple made an uncommon resolution on Wednesday and launched a brand new model of iOS 18.7.7 with a purpose to fight a brand new hacking toolkit known as DarkSword. Now, extra units, just like the iPhone 16e, can obtain the replace to guard themselves from the toolkit with out having to replace to iOS 26.
To obtain the replace, go to Settings > Normal > Software program Replace. If iOS 18.7.7 is offered in your machine, you must see a immediate to obtain and set up it.
“We enabled the supply of iOS 18.7.7 for extra units on April 1, 2026, so customers with Computerized Updates turned on can routinely obtain necessary safety protections from internet assaults known as DarkSword,” Apple wrote within the replace’s vulnerabilities notes.
Apple’s resolution to launch this replace is odd as a result of the corporate often recommends updating your machine to the newest iOS model for probably the most safety, quite than issuing an replace to an older model. However the firm remains to be recommending folks obtain iOS 26 to guard their machine towards DarkSword.
“If potential, replace to the most recent model of iOS 26, which comprises the strongest safety protections,” Apple wrote.
About one-fifth of iPhones from the previous 4 years are nonetheless operating a model of iOS 18, in accordance with Apple’s personal knowledge. Which means these units are weak to DarkSword, which may entry knowledge, like your messages and crypto wallets, in your machine.
DarkSword assaults do look like restricted to folks outdoors the US, particularly in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Malaysia and Ukraine, in accordance with Google’s Risk Intelligence Group. However TechCrunch discovered the toolkit publicly obtainable on GitHub. So it could possibly be simpler for extra malicious actors to deploy DarkSword.
“Public availability of this package is extraordinarily worrisome given the excessive variety of remaining energetic weak units,” Christoph Hebeisen, director of safety intelligence analysis for the agency Lookout, advised CNET’s Katelyn Chedraoui. “Opportunistic assaults utilizing this exploit package seem very seemingly.”
So if you cannot replace to iOS 26 as a result of your machine does not assist it — otherwise you simply do not wish to replace to the most recent model — you must obtain iOS 18.7.7 now. Severely, please do it. And in case your cellphone does not assist iOS 18, Apple suggests Lockdown Mode to maintain your machine secure.
For extra iOS information, this is what to learn about iOS 26.4 and all of the ideas and methods in iOS 26 now.
