There’s an easy way to stay safe from the new “DarkSword” iPhone hackers.

Cybersecurity researchers from Google Threat Intelligence Group and two cybersecurity companies, I notice and iVerifya new hacking toolkit identified this week makes iPhone Their owners’ data is at risk. The toolkit, called DarkSword, is different from other forms of spyware and malware.

DarkSword doesn’t use phishing scripts or emails, and doesn’t require you to download suspicious apps to let hackers into your device. The Google report says it works through infected websites, including sites designed to look like Snapchat and government contractor sites. After you browse these sites, spyware can be activated, and your information is at risk.

So far, the attacks have been limited to people outside the United States, specifically in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Malaysia, and Ukraine, according to Google.

Lookout said in its report that DarkSword is “highly sophisticated.” It works by “creating (executing) privileged code to access and exfiltrate sensitive information from the device.” DarkSword is not designed for constant monitoring, but it can access a variety of data, including your messages, iCloud content, and even cryptocurrency wallets.

Google said it is being used by “several commercial surveillance vendors and suspected state-sponsored actors.”

in The support page was published on Thursday“We carefully investigated these issues where they were found and released software updates as quickly as possible to the latest versions of the operating system to address the vulnerabilities and disable such attacks,” Apple said.

Google said in its report that it contacted Apple in late 2025 to inform it of its findings.

The researchers found that the vulnerable phones were running versions of last year’s software, including iOS 18.4 to 18.7. This is not all phones, but as Apple’s own data confirms, Nearly a fifth of iPhone owners It’s still running iOS 18, which could leave millions of people vulnerable.

Keep your iPhone software updated

Even though Apple is implementing fixes behind the scenes, you still need to take necessary measures to ensure the security of your iPhone. It’s an easy but essential step to keep your phone safe from external threats: update your iOS software.

“I always recommend people update their iPhones to the latest iOS software as soon as possible,” said CNET’s iOS expert. Zachary McAuliffe. “Updates typically include new features, but more importantly, they often fix security issues. Update delays mean that malicious actors could exploit a vulnerability in your iPhone, putting your personal data and system security at risk.”

Apple said people who kept their phone software updated were already protected. Google said iOS 26.3, the latest software updateincludes fixes to prevent DarkSword attacks, as previous updates do. and iOS 26.3.1(a)a minor, security-focused update to the main software, was released on Wednesday.

To update your iPhone software, go to Settings > General > Programs to update. If an update is available, it will prompt you to download and install it.

Some older iPhone models may not be able to run iOS 26. Check out our guide to see If your phone is included.

If you’re not eligible for iOS 26, Apple urges iPhone users To update their software to at least iOS 15, which has protection for older iPhones. The company also says you can consider empowerment Lock mode To protect against malicious web content and other threats.