DarkSword iPhone hacking tool leaks online: Is your phone safe?

A powerful hacking toolkit capable of stealing data from iPhones and iPads has leaked online.

This exposes hundreds of millions of Apple products to cyberattacks and security breaches.

The tool referred to as DarkSword consists of exploits that can hack devices running iOS 18.4 through 18.7.

These versions were recently rolled out by Apple in September 2025.

The worst case is that its code has been leaked on GitHub, making it easily accessible for anyone to download and deploy.

How to protect your device?

Apple has verified that users running the most recent versions of iOS, 18.7.6 or iOS 26.3.1, are already safe from these attacks. 

However, for those unable or not willing to upgrade, they can turn on Lockdown Mode, a security feature available since iOS 16 that prevents these attacks.

Users whose devices are currently operating on iOS 13 or 14 should upgrade to iOS 15, which received a critical security patch on March 11 to protect against DarkSword vulnerabilities.