DarkSword: Second iOS exploit chain in a month targeting iPhone users


A new exploit kit targeting iPhone users and stealing their sensitive data is being abused by “multiple” spyware vendors and suspected nation-state goons, security researchers said on Wednesday.

The exploit kit, called DarkSword, has been in use since at least November 2025. It supports iOS versions 18.4 through 18.7, and exploits six different vulnerabilities to deploy three different backdoors that steal a ton of personal information, including messages, recordings, location history, signed-in accounts, cryptocurrency wallet data, and more. In coordinated research published Wednesday, Google, iVerify, and Lookout analyzed the malware and noted that this is the second time this month that they’ve spotted disparate criminal groups using a single iOS exploit kit to spy on iPhone users.

Read more…
Source: The Register News


Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • Coruna: The Mysterious Journey of a Powerful iOS Exploit Kit

    March 3, 2026

    Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) has identified a new and powerful exploit kit targeting Apple iPhone models running iOS version 13.0 (released in September 2019) up to version 17.2.1 (released in December 2023). The exploit kit, named “Coruna” by its developers, contained five full iOS exploit chains and a total of 23 exploits. The core technical ...

  • Microsoft OAuth scams abuse redirects for malware delivery

    March 3, 2026

    Microsoft has warned organizations about ongoing OAuth abuse scams that use phishing emails and URL redirects to infect victims’ machines with malware and take over their devices. The phishing expedition targets government and public-sector organizations, according to a Monday report from Redmond’s security researchers. And while Microsoft Entra disabled the malicious OAuth applications, Microsoft’s infosec squad ...

  • Hacktivists may have just cracked open ICE and exposed over 6,000 companies working with the DHS

    March 3, 2026

    A hacktivist group has claimed to have broken into systems belonging to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and exposed sensitive files online. The group, with the self-awarded name “The Department of Peace”, stole data from the Office of Industry Partnership that contained contracts between DHS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and over 6,000 private ...

  • Hacked traffic cams and hijacked TVs: How cyber operations supported the war against Iran

    March 3, 2026

    On Saturday, U.S. and Israeli jets began a bombing campaign against Iran, killing its supreme leader Ali Khamenei and several senior government officials. The attacks also hit military and civilian targets all across the country, including a girls’ school, where at least 168 children and adults were killed. After a few days of conflict, multiple reports, ...

  • Chrome flaw let extensions hijack Gemini’s camera, mic, and file access

    March 3, 2026

    Chrome’s Gemini “Live in Chrome” panel (Gemini’s embedded, agent-style assistant mode within Chrome) had a high‑severity vulnerability tracked as CVE‑2026‑0628. The flaw let a low‑privilege extension inject code into the Gemini side panel and inherit its powerful capabilities, including local file access, screenshots, and camera/microphone control. The vulnerability was patched in a January update. But the ...

  • Fooling AI Agents: Web-Based Indirect Prompt Injection Observed in the Wild

    March 3, 2026

    Large language models (LLMs) and AI agents are becoming deeply integrated into web browsers, search engines and automated content-processing pipelines. While these integrations can expand functionality, they also introduce a new and largely underexplored attack surface. One particularly concerning class of threats is indirect prompt injection (IDPI), in which adversaries embed hidden or manipulated instructions within ...