“OS update to best version”
Approximately 34% of iPhone affected worldwide
Security concerns are spreading as tools that can easily hack hundreds of millions of older iPhones are released online.
TechCrunch, a U.S. information technology (IT) media, reported on the 23rd (local time) that the latest version of the iPhone hacking tool “DarkSword” has recently been posted on GitHub, a developer code-sharing platform.
DarkSword is a program designed to steal personal information from iPhones and iPads, and it has been reported that Russian government-linked hackers have used it to target Ukraine in the past.
The tool quickly infects the device and takes out passwords, photos, messenger conversations, and Internet usage records. In particular, it is analyzed that devices using relatively old operating systems such as iOS 18, which was released in 2024, are the main targets of attacks.
According to an Apple survey, 34% of iPhones and 43% of iPads around the world are still using iOS 18 or lower versions. Considering that the total number of active devices is about 2.5 billion, hundreds of millions of devices are exposed to potential risks.
Mathias Frillingsdorf, co-founder of mobile security company iVerify, said the hacking tool works without any settings and requires no expertise in iOS at all, adding, “We cannot stop the spread of the tool on GitHub. We should expect criminals to start utilizing this technology,” he pointed out.
Apple said it is aware of the vulnerability and has distributed emergency security updates for older devices that are difficult to apply the latest OS. “Keeping the software up to date is the most important step we can take to protect Apple’s product security,” he stressed.
#
