Technologies

There’s an Easy Way to Stay Safe From the New ‘DarkSword’ iPhone Hackers

DarkSword spyware reports are scary, but basic iOS software hygiene can go a long way to keep your data safe.

Cybersecurity researchers from Google’s Threat Intelligence Group and two cybersecurity firms, Lookout and iVerify, have identified a new hacking toolkit this week that makes iPhone owners’ data vulnerable. The toolkit, called DarkSword, differs from other forms of spyware and malware.

DarkSword doesn’t use phishing texts or emails, nor does it require you to download suspicious apps to let hackers into your device. It operates through infected websites, Google’s report says, including ones made to look like Snapchat and government contractor sites. After you’ve browsed those sites, the spyware can be activated, and your information is at risk.

So far, the attacks have been limited to people outside the US, specifically in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Malaysia and Ukraine, according to Google.

DarkSword is «highly sophisticated,» Lookout said in its report. It works by «establish[ing] privileged code execution to access sensitive information and exfiltrate it off the device.» DarkSword isn’t designed for ongoing surveillance, but it can access a variety of data, including your messages, iCloud content and even crypto wallets.

Google said it was being used by «multiple commercial surveillance vendors and suspected state-sponsored actors.»

In a support page published on Thursday, Apple said: «We thoroughly investigated these issues as they were found and released software updates as quickly as possible for the most recent operating system versions to address vulnerabilities and disrupt such attacks.»

Google said in its report that it reached out to Apple in late 2025 with its findings.

Researchers found that vulnerable phones were running versions of last year’s software, including iOS 18.4 through 18.7. That isn’t every phone, but as Apple’s own data confirms, approximately one-fifth of iPhone owners are still running iOS 18, leaving potentially millions of people vulnerable.

Keep your iPhone software updated

While Apple has applied fixes behind the scenes, you still need to take action to ensure your iPhone is safe. It’s an easy but necessary step to keep your phone secure from external threats: Update your iOS software.

«I always recommend people update their iPhone to the latest iOS software as soon as they can,» said CNET’s iOS expert Zachary McAuliffe. «Updates usually include new features, but more importantly, they often patch security issues. Delaying an update means malicious actors could exploit a vulnerability on your iPhone, putting your personal data and system security at risk.»

Apple said that people who have kept their phones’ software up to date are already protected. Google said iOS 26.3, the latest software update, includes fixes to prevent DarkSword attacks, as do previous updates. And iOS 26.3.1 (a), a minor, security-centric update to the main software, was released on Wednesday.

To update your iPhone’s software, go to Settings > General > Software Update. If an update is available, it will prompt you to download and install it.

Some older iPhone models may not be able to run iOS 26. Check our guide to see if your phone is included.

If you’re not eligible for iOS 26, Apple urges iPhone users to update their software to at least iOS 15, which has protection for older iPhones. The company also says you can consider enabling Lockdown Mode to protect against malicious web content and other threats.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for March 20, #1013

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for March 20 #1013.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Board-game players, today’s NYT Connections puzzle is calling your name — at least the green category. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Cause anxiety.

Green group hint: Do not pass Go.

Blue group hint: Gods and monsters.

Purple group hint: Chickens lay them.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Disturb.

Green group: Words on a Monopoly board.

Blue group: Figure in Greek myth.

Purple group: Egg ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is disturb. The four answers are alarm, concern, rattle and shake.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is words on a Monopoly board. The four answers are boardwalk, chance, luxury and parking.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is figure in Greek myth. The four answers are fate, fury, muse and siren.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is egg ____. The four answers are carton, noodle, roll and timer.

Toughest Connections puzzles

We’ve made a note of some of the toughest Connections puzzles so far. Maybe they’ll help you see patterns in future puzzles.

#5: Included «things you can set,» such as mood, record, table and volleyball.

#4: Included «one in a dozen,» such as egg, juror, month and rose.

#3: Included «streets on screen,» such as Elm, Fear, Jump and Sesame.

#2: Included «power ___» such as nap, plant, Ranger and trip.

#1: Included «things that can run,» such as candidate, faucet, mascara and nose.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for March 20 #747

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for March 20, No. 747.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle could be tricky for some. First off, it’s an unusual topic. And some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Spring fever.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: A resilient, metal device.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

CORN, DELT, WEND, REND, GORE, GORY, LARD, CAPS, PAIL, PAILS, DRIP, DRIPS

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers: