Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai

NEW: We spoke to a few iPhone security experts about what the discovery of DarkSword means to the long-held assumption that iPhones are very hard to hack.

The answer is nuanced, and not simple. Apple has made significant strides in making iPhones more secure, but DarkSword may change how we think.

http://techcrunch.com/2026/03/26/apple-made-strides-with-ios-26-security-but-leaked-hacking-tools-still-leave-millions-exposed-to-spyware-attacks/

Apple made strides with iOS 26 security, but leaked hacking tools still leave millions exposed to spyware attacks | TechCrunch

Leaked hacking tools threaten the security of millions of older iPhones. Cybersecurity experts weigh in.

TechCrunch
Mar 26 at 5:24pmWeb
Show threadgh0sti 1d ago
@lorenzofb we thought it was hard due to the cost of the exploits that were found were sold to arms dealers who could then sell to nations states who could afford the tools.
Show threadohir1d ago

@lorenzofb
If something has a CPU and some spare writeable memory it can be breached. The later sometimes is not even needed, as extracting "fused" rom code from microcontrollers.

One of many briefings example:
https://www.break-ic.com/topics/crack-ic.asp

Hack microcontroller: Tamper Resistance - a Cautionary Note

Show threadEric deRuiter7h ago
@lorenzofb what about iOS 26 users who have an older model iPhone?
Show threadEric deRuiter7h ago

@lorenzofb Apple does tend to patch older versions of iOS when there is an “actively exploited vulnerability.” Will they do that here, or will they let this situation force people to upgrade to iOS 26, pitting their concerns about security vs their dislike of the UI degradations of Liquid Glass?

The fact that they have withheld iOS 18 updates for iPhone models capable of running iOS 26 makes it seem likely that they won’t patch older versions.