Apple is issuing a rare iOS 18 update as it wants to protect more users against a dangerous hack. The company is now rolling out iOS 18.7.7 to more devices, so users who decided not to upgrade their devices to iOS 26 can also be protected against the DarkSword hacking tool.
What’s interesting about this update is that Apple rarely releases new software to older versions unless it’s patching a major flaw or updating some of the credentials that make iPhone services work. In this case, instead of pushing iOS 18 users to finally upgrade their iPhones to iOS 26, the company prefers to offer a security patch so users can continue on their preferred iOS version while still keeping themselves safe.
A few months ago, the company announced that over a third of iPhone users with an iPhone purchased in the past four years were already running iOS 26. Since the DarkSword hacker tool is so dangerous, the company decided take immediate action, which security analysts interviewed by Wired called “better late than never.”
What is DarkSword?
What makes the DarkSword hacker tool so dangerous is that it tackles multiple iOS vulnerabilities to compromise your iPhone. Typically, attackers go for a Safari/WebKit bug, which then allows these hackers to run code when a user simply visits a compromised website. After that, it escalates privileges to take control of the device.
This is concerning because DarkSword doesn’t require much from the user, as there’s little to no user interaction beyond a loading page. Wired reports that infected websites can instantly and silently hack iPhones, which is unusually effective even by iOS standards.
Different groups have used this tool for espionage, surveillance, and financial theft, as they can extract messages, credentials, photos, and even crypto wallet data. There are also references to state-sponsored actors and commercial spyware vendors behind this sophisticated tool. This is why Apple is issuing this rare update to iOS 18 users, as it targets already-known vulnerabilities that Apple has already patched with new software.
That said, hundreds of millions of iPhones could be exposed to these vulnerabilities as they’re still running older iOS versions, whether because they don’t have enough storage space, don’t like Liquid Glass, or think the update will slow down their devices. Besides that, since the code of these hacker tools is now online, it can be used for espionage, as well as broader cybercrime activities, as anyone with the know-how can take advantage of these security flaws.
Are iOS 26 iPhone users safe?
The bottom line is: If you are already running iOS 26, make sure you have the latest iOS 26.4 version installed. After all, the more recent version of iOS your iPhone is running, the smaller chance it has to suffer from a hacker attack, as Apple is constantly offering new security patches.
However, even if you updated your iPhone to iOS 26 and stopped there, there are a few changes that make it more secure than an iOS 18 device. For example, the company released Background Security Improvements in this new version, which means WebKit can be fixed silently without a full operating system update, which is not the case for iOS 18.
Besides that, iOS 26 also patched a flaw where malicious web content could bypass the Same Origin Policy, which is tied to WebKit’s navigation APIs. Finally, iOS 26 brought Memory Integrity Enforcement, which, combined with Memory-Level Protections from Apple’s latest hardware, makes the iPhone safer against memory corruption exploits, which is usually what hackers try to exploit in WebKit. That said, today’s iOS 18 release is a reminder not only for iPhone users who haven’t updated their iPhone yet, but also for those who occasionally update their devices, even if they’re running a somewhat new version.
