---
title: "DarkSword iPhone exploit kit leaked publicly on GitHub"
description: "A newer version of the DarkSword kit was posted publicly and works against iPhones and iPads running iOS 18. Updating is the best defense."
url: https://kurddevelopers.com/en/news/darksword-iphone-exploit-kit-leaked-github
language: en # English
type: news
published: 2026-03-23T20:42:00.000Z
updated: 2026-11-02T02:54:33.000Z
author: "Osamah Ismail"
author_url: https://kurddevelopers.com/en/author/1
section: "Security"
tags: ["iPhone","iOS 18","DarkSword","security","hacking"]
sources: ["TechCrunch","iVerify","Google Threat Intelligence","Lookout"]
image: https://kurddevelopers.com/uploads/2026/11/apple-logo-og-e918e3fa.jpg
translations:
  ku: https://kurddevelopers.com/news/darksword-iphone-exploit-kit-leaked-github
  ar: https://kurddevelopers.com/ar/news/darksword-iphone-exploit-kit-leaked-github
publisher: Kurd Developers
publisher_url: https://kurddevelopers.com/
---

# DarkSword iPhone exploit kit leaked publicly on GitHub

> A newer version of the DarkSword kit was posted publicly and works against iPhones and iPads running iOS 18. Updating is the best defense.

![Image: Apple](https://kurddevelopers.com/uploads/2026/11/apple-logo-og-e918e3fa.jpg)

## What happened
Someone published a newer version of the "DarkSword" exploit kit on GitHub. It is designed to hack iPhones and iPads running older versions of iOS.

According to security firms iVerify, Google and Lookout, it works specifically against **iOS 18**.

## How many people are at risk?
- Apple's own data shows about a quarter of iPhone and iPad users are on iOS 18 or earlier.
- With more than 2.5 billion active Apple devices, that likely means hundreds of millions of people.

iVerify co-founder Matthias Frielingsdorf said: "The exploits will work out of the box," adding that "there is no iOS expertise required."

The code is plain HTML and JavaScript, which makes it easy to reuse.

## How to protect yourself
- **Update your iPhone:** Apple released an emergency update on March 11 for devices that can't run the latest iOS.
- **Lockdown Mode:** if you can't update, turning on this setting blocks these attacks.

## Our view
If an update is waiting on your iPhone, now is the time to install it.

**Sources:** TechCrunch, iVerify, Google Threat Intelligence, Lookout

---

Published by [Kurd Developers](https://kurddevelopers.com/) on 2026-03-23. Cite as: “DarkSword iPhone exploit kit leaked publicly on GitHub”, Kurd Developers, https://kurddevelopers.com/en/news/darksword-iphone-exploit-kit-leaked-github