New Delhi: A new iPhone hacking scare is spreading fast, and this one feels a bit different. A powerful exploit tool called DarkSword has now been leaked online, and it is sitting openly on GitHub. Security researchers say this could make life much easier for hackers who want to target older iPhones and iPads.
What makes this worrying is scale. Apple itself has said that a large chunk of devices still run older software. That means hundreds of millions of users could be exposed.
Leaked iPhone exploit now out in the open
The DarkSword tool was earlier tracked by Google’s Threat Intelligence Group and security firms like iVerify and Lookout. Now, according to reports cited by TechCrunch, “someone has leaked a newer version of DarkSword and published it on the code-sharing site GitHub.”
This changes everything. The tool is no longer limited to advanced attackers.
Matthias Frielingsdorf from iVerify told TechCrunch, “This is bad. They are way too easy to repurpose. (…) The exploits will work out of the box. (…) There is no iOS expertise required.”
What this means is that even low-skilled attackers can now try their luck.
How the attack works and who is at risk
The exploit targets older iOS and iPadOS versions. It uses weaknesses in WebKit and other system parts.
Apple has already patched these issues in updates like iOS 16.7.15 and iPadOS 15.8.7. Still, many users have not updated.
Why this leak makes things worse
Earlier, such tools stayed within small groups. Now they are public. According to the report, the files are simple HTML and JavaScript, meaning anyone can host them “in a couple minutes to hours.”
Apple responded saying it “was aware of the exploit targeting devices running older and out-of-date operating systems and issued an emergency update.”
What you should do right now
From what I have seen over the years, most hacks succeed because people delay updates. This is one of those moments.
- Update your iPhone or iPad immediately
- Avoid unknown links or websites
- Turn on Lockdown Mode if you suspect something fishy
This story is still developing.