DarkSword returns with a nastier trick that lets hackers steal your iPhone data in real time
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Earlier this year, DarkSword proved that even iPhones aren’t immune to nasty surprises. The hacking tool could break into iPhones running iOS 18 when users visited an infected website, grabbing everything from passwords to health data. Now, it’s back with a stronger punch.
Security firm iVerify has uncovered a brand-new version of DarkSword, which it has named P7 DarkSword. The company caught it in August 2026, when something about an infection on a customer’s iPhone didn’t quite match what its team was used to seeing. A closer look revealed a version that had never been spotted before. The hackers had tagged their changes with “p7” in the code, and that’s where the name comes from.
What makes P7 DarkSword more dangerous?
The biggest change is that the spyware can now hold a conversation with its creators. By default, it pings the hackers’ servers every 15 seconds to ask if there’s anything new to do. In simple terms, attackers can browse your files and pick what to steal in real time.
It also has a longer shopping list. P7 goes after crypto wallets, Apple Notes, photos, and your list of installed apps. Older versions shipped your entire keychain to the hackers to unpack later, but this one sorts your saved passwords and account data right on your iPhone before sending them off.
On top of that, it’s harder to catch. It skips the debug logs that gave earlier versions away and meddles with fewer system processes. It even uses your browser’s storage to keep track of phones it has already hit, so it won’t try to hack the same iPhone twice.
iVerify says plenty of the DarkSword knockoffs it sees were tweaked with AI help, but this one was different. Its makers had real skill and put serious work into improving it.
How can you stay safe?
iVerify hasn’t said whether Apple’s latest fixes block P7, but the exploit files it found are built for iOS 18. Apple already patched the original DarkSword in iOS 26.3.1, so updating to the latest version of iOS 26 is your best defense. Launch the Settings app, go to General → Software Update, and install any pending updates.
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