Critical warning issued to all iPhone users over 'mercenary spyware attacks' threatening to steal data

Apple has issued a serious warning to all iPhone users, as there exists a sophisticated cyberattack from mercenary criminals that could lead to your data being stolen, and it doesn't even require you to do anything.

Smartphones – particularly those from companies as big as Apple – are more secure than ever before as each new update provides extra security against hackers and cybercriminals.

Despite the sophisticated nature of modern cybersecurity, you're only as secure as your last update though, and most modern tech relies on people being on the latest version in order to stay protected.

That's why Apple and other similar manufacturers place such a strong emphasis on always keeping your gadgets up to date, as you could be missing out on key security fixes that would otherwise leave your phone exposed.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what's happened for people who haven't yet made the jump from iOS 18 to iOS 26, as Apple has identified a major 'mercenary spyware attack' that is more dangerous than you might expect.

Apple has urged iPhone owners to make the jump to iOS 26, as you could be putting yourself at risk of dangerous cyberattacks (Cheng Xin/Getty Images)

As shared by the Daily Mail, the most worrying aspect of this vulnerability is that it's classified as a 'zero click' threat, meaning that it requires no action from the user in order to leave the device exposed, whereas other threats typically require you to click on a link or enter your details.

Hackers can successfully run and operate malicious code on older versions of software that don't yet have fixes that Apple introduces for known vulnerabilities, and with the majority of users not on the latest update versions, these attacks can be incredibly widespread.

While Apple has its own threat detection system, that still relies on users staying up to date, and falling behind by even one patch could leave your data exposed.

"Mercenary spyware attacks are exceptionally well funded, and they evolve over time," Apple's official page on cybersecurity threats outlines. "Apple relies solely on internal threat-intelligence information to detect such attacks."

Apple's threat detection can only do so much if you're not keeping up with security updates (Getty Stock)

The single best thing you can do is ensure that you've always updated to the latest version of your iPhone's software – which is especially the case when jumping to a new iOS version – and made sure that it includes every new security update.

Additionally, ensuring that you've protected your data with passcodes and enabled cybersecurity features like two-factor authentication is incredibly important, and remaining vigilant online by only downloading apps from the official App Store and not clicking on any unknown links will prevent any potential breaches from occurring.