Apple released an iOS 18 update on Wednesday to patch a major security vulnerability for iPhones that haven’t yet upgraded to iOS 26. The new version, iOS 18.7.7, is presumably intended to protect a range of iPhone models from the serious DarkSword hack.
This comes amid a recent push from Apple to address newly discovered vulnerabilities across older iOS releases. It has released multiple updates over the past few weeks.
Apple rushes to fix major iOS vulnerabilities
Apple has already released updated iOS 15.8.7, iPadOS 15.8.7, iOS 17.6.15, iPadOS 16.7.15 and iOS 18.7.7 for compatible iPhones and iPads to patch Coruna and DarkSword exploits.
On Tuesday, the company confirmed to Wired that it would bring out another iOS 18 version to patch the DarkSword exploit. This will target iPhones that support iOS 26 but are still running iOS 18 for some reason.
Previously, Apple did not release iOS 18.7.7 for iPhone 11 and newer models, all of which are compatible with iOS 26. Instead, it encouraged users to upgrade to the latest version.
That changed on Wednesday. A new version of iOS 18.7.7 is compatible with Phone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11 (all models), iPhone SE (2nd generation), iPhone 12 (all models), iPhone 13 (all models), iPhone SE (3rd generation), iPhone 14 (all models), iPhone 15 (all models), iPhone 16 (all models) and iPhone 16e.
“We are enabling the availability of an iOS 18 update for more devices so users with auto-update enabled can automatically receive important security protections,” an Apple spokesperson told Wired. “We encourage all users with supported devices to update to iOS 26 to receive our most advanced protections.”
Watch out for DarkSword
As detailed a couple of weeks ago, the two sophisticated vulnerabilities DarkSword and Coruna can take over certain iPhones when an unsuspecting user visits a website with malicious code — no taps, downloads or warnings. Given the severity, Apple updated older iOS builds to patch the exploits.
iPhones running iOS 26 aren’t affected, as the vulnerability is already fixed in the latest release.
iOS 18 users must install this update
With over 25% iPhones still running iOS 18 despite being compatible with iOS 26, Apple needed to patch this vulnerability. But users need to do their part, too.
If you have auto-update enabled, your iPhone will automatically receive the patched build. Otherwise, you can choose to update to the fixed version of iOS 18 or upgrade to iOS 26.
We first published this article before the release of iOS 18.7.7. We updated it after the release of the new version.
Rajesh has been writing about consumer technology for over a decade, with a strong focus on iPhones, Macs and Apple’s ecosystem. He enjoys digging into Apple software updates, hardware changes, and discovering new Mac apps that make work faster and more enjoyable.
