Since November, shadowy attackers have been using the ‘DarkSword’ iOS exploit to hack vulnerable iPhones on certain iOS 18 versions.
A newly-discovered attack called “DarkSword” has been found spreading malware to iPhones still on iOS 18.4 to 18.7.
On Wednesday, security researchers from Google, Lookout and iVerify warned about the attack, which uses a chain of multiple software vulnerabilities to remotely compromise vulnerable iPhones.
Google also says “multiple commercial surveillance vendors and suspected state-sponsored actors” have been using DarkSword since November to hit iPhone users based in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Malaysia, and Ukraine.
The security researchers discovered DarkSword while investigating another iOS “exploit kit” called “Coruna,” which a US military contractor may have developed only for the tool to fall into hands of cybercriminal groups. Disclosed earlier this month, Coruna can also hack iPhones, but only those on older versions running iOS 13 to 17.2.1.
One of the attackers found using Coruna was a suspected Russian hacking group called UNC6353. The mobile security provider Lookout has since uncovered new evidence that UNC6353 has also been using DarkSword to target Ukrainian users in an effort to steal sensitive information, including details about cryptocurrency wallets.
“Notably, DarkSword appears to take a ‘hit-and-run’ approach by collecting and exfiltrating the targeted data from the device within seconds or at most minutes followed by cleanup,” the company’s report added.
The security provider iVerify also says the attack works as a “1-click” exploit that can be hosted over a website to target vulnerable iPhones that visit through the Safari browser. However, UNC6353 appeared to only deliver the attack to iPhones with IP addresses based in Ukraine. To deliver the attack, the group tampered with two Ukrainian web domains, including a gov.ua domain, which will load malicious JavaScript to exploit the vulnerabilities. It doesn’t look like any interaction is required by the user outside of using Safari to visit the website.
