Apple pushes rare iOS update for newer iPhones to address DarkSword hack

Macworld Typically, after Apple introduces a new major version of its operating system, it stops pushing out the old version to compatible phones. Older phones that are incompatible with the new version continue to get security updates, but newer phones have to jump to the newer operating system to get them. This has been the case with iOS 18 and iOS 26 (and iPadOS 18 and 26). The latest version of iOS 18, 18.7.7, was available only for the iPhone XS, XR, and iPad 7th generation. Newer devices should move to iOS 26 to get security updates. A particularly nasty threat called DarkSword, a hacking tool that can seriously compromise devices, has gotten much worse since the code for it appeared on GitHub. This prompted Apple to issue a rare change: an updated version of iOS 18.7.7 (build number 22H340) that will show up as an automatic update for all iPhone users, not just those with older devices. Currently, iOS 26 is installed on about three in four Apple devices from the