Apple has pushed a security update to older iPhones and iPads that protects against a leaked set of powerful hacking tools capable of stealing data from a person’s device.

The tech giant said on Wednesday that it released iOS 18.

7 to allow a broader range of devices to “receive important security protections from web attacks called DarkSword. ” DarkSword is a hacking toolkit that can be used to break into Apple devices running iOS 18.

7 simply by a user visiting a website that hosts the malicious code, such as legitimate websites that have themselves been breached.

The exploits steal a person’s device data, including their messages, browser histories, location data, and cryptocurrency, and upload the data to a server hosted by the hackers.

The tools have already been seen in certain attacks targeting users in China, Malaysia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine.

But now that the tools have been published online, security researchers warn that anyone can use these hacking tools to target people running older versions of Apple’s mobile software.

Apple says users running its latest software, iOS 26, were protected weeks ago.

The company has also released a new update to iOS 18 users with iPhones and iPads that are unable to run iOS 26 software.

But with Wednesday’s update, Apple has now provided DarkSword fixes for the millions of users with unpatched devices that are capable of updating to iOS 26 but who have chosen not to update.

Some users have opted not to update to avoid the software’s new “liquid glass” interface that has drawn user complaints.

Wired reported earlier on Wednesday that Apple was preparing to release the update

Highlighted sentences link to their corresponding claims. Click any highlighted sentence to jump to its detailed analysis.
Highlight Colors Indicate Claim Quality:
✓ Healthy Claim - No fallacies or contradictions detected
⚠️ Minor Issues - Has contradictions or minor fallacies
🚨 Serious Issues - Multiple contradictions or severe fallacies
Quality Criteria: Claims are evaluated for logical fallacies and contradictions with other news sources. Green highlights indicate healthy claims suitable for reference.
Source