Darksword Spyware Targets Apple iPhones

Researchers from Lookout, iVerify, and Alphabet Inc. have uncovered 'Darksword,' a powerful spyware capable of penetrating and stealing information from potentially hundreds of millions of Apple Inc. iPhones. The malware was planted on dozens of websites in Ukraine and observed in campaigns targeting users in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Malaysia, with some linked to PARS Defense. This is the second iPhone spyware discovered this month, following 'Coruna,' indicating a flourishing market for sophisticated malware. While Apple Inc. has released fixes for the underlying vulnerabilities and blocked malicious domains, an estimated 220 million to 270 million iPhones still run exposed iOS versions, leaving many users vulnerable. The discovery also revealed sloppy security mistakes by the attackers, suggesting they are not overly concerned about the tools being exposed.