Apple Issues Rare iOS 18 Security Update to Protect Against DarkSword Exploit
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Apple Issues Rare iOS 18 Security Update to Protect Against DarkSword Exploit - MacRumors Skip to Content Apple Issues Rare iOS 18 Security Update to Protect Against DarkSword Exploit Wednesday April 1, 2026 10:20 am PDT by Juli Clover Apple today released a new build of iOS 18.7.7 and iPadOS 18.7.7, presumably with a fix for the DarkSword exploit . Apple told Wired that it would release an iOS 18 update for more devices, allowing users with auto-update turned on to receive the security update. iOS 18.7.7 was initially limited to the iPhone XS and XR models, but it is now available for other iPhones. Apple is pushing the iOS 18 fix to customers who have decided not to upgrade to iOS 26 , but the company encourages users with supported devices to update to iOS 26 to get better protection. Devices running iOS 26 are already protected against DarkSword, which is a vulnerability that allows a malicious entity to take over an iPhone if the iPhone user visits a website with infected code. It is highly unusual for Apple to provide a security update to iOS 18 users who simply don't want to upgrade to iOS 26, as Apple uses security fixes as a way to push people to the latest version of iOS or iPadOS that their device supports. Apple says that the iOS 18.7.7 update is available for more devices, and devices with older versions of iOS 18 will receive an additional alert to install a Critical Security Update. Note: We enabled the availability of iOS 18.7.7 for more devices on April 1, 2026, so users with Automatic Updates turned on can automatically receive important security protections from web attacks called DarkSword. The fixes associated with the DarkSword exploit first shipped in 2025. Devices with older versions of iOS 18 will receive an additional alert to install a Critical Security Update. DarkSword has received quite a bit of attention, and it has been used by hacker groups to break into the iPhones of people in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Ukraine. The exploit kit has also been posted to open source code repository GitHub, which makes it more widely available to bad actors. Related Forums: iOS 18 , iPadOS 18 [ 95 comments ] Get weekly top MacRumors stories in your inbox. Leave this field empty Popular Stories Apple Preparing 'Most Significant Overhaul in the iPhone's History' Sunday March 29, 2026 8:18 am PDT by Joe Rossignol Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has high expectations for Apple's first foldable iPhone. In his Power On newsletter today, he said the foldable iPhone will be "the most significant overhaul in the iPhone's history." "iPhone 4, iPhone 6 and iPhone X were clearly a big deal, but this is a whole new design," he said. Like Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7, the foldable iPhone will reportedly open up like ... 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The MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) was the final MacBook Air model released before Apple redesigned the laptop and gave it a Retina display in 2018. Apple also added all iPad... Read Full Article • 45 comments Top Rated Comments S syntastic 22 hours ago at 10:30 am Finally, Apple chooses to protect their users instead of solely standing on the hill of "adopt liquid glass or die" Score: 33 Votes ( Like | Disagree ) klasma 22 hours ago at 10:26 am And people were complaining that Apple isn’t releasing anything on their 50th anniversary. The best Apple news this year yet. 🎉 Score: 21 Votes ( Like | Disagree ) turbineseaplane 22 hours ago at 10:37 am New emojis too! Imagine how well iOS18 could still be supported if Apple actually wanted to. Score: 20 Votes ( Like | Disagree ) P platinumaqua 22 hours ago at 10:27 am Looks like bad PR got them to change their mind about the update availability. They should just keep doing that for the foreseeable future. I wish they also put out an update for iOS 17 too Score: 19 Votes ( Like | Disagree ) Agent_Apple 22 hours ago at 10:50 am So glad I can stay on iOS and iPadOS 18 for a bit longer...feel bad for those who reluctantly updated due to security concerns. Score: 15 Votes ( Like | Disagree ) addamas 22 hours ago at 10:46 am See? We can force Apple to do good things. Thank you hackers for finding this exploit and media for forcing this company to fully support old devices with security updates as we deserve. Score: 15 Votes ( Like | Disagree ) Read All Comments Next Article Apple CEO Tim Cook Explains His Relationship With Trump Videos play iOS 27 LEAKS: Apple’s New Siri is Basically ChatGPT AirPods Max 2 Review: Huge Upgrade… With One BIG Problem I Tested and Reviewed the $599 MacBook Neo… Here’s the Truth Apple Announces WWDC 2026 & Teases New AI Features | Episode 187 AirPods Max 2: Everything New & Should You Upgrade Over Original? 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