Google finds ‘powerful’ iPhone hack that could let people into your device

Suite of tools has been passed around between governments and financial scammers, company claims TechSecurity Google finds ‘powerful’ iPhone hack that could let people into your deviceSuite of tools has been passed around between governments and financial scammers, company claimsAndrew Griffin Wednesday 04 March 2026 06:14 ESTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover(Getty Images)Your support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreGoogle has found a “powerful” set of tools that are being used to break into iPhones.The suite of exploits, known as ‘Coruna’, has been passed around cyber attacks online, and appears to have been used by everyone from governments to criminals looking to steal money, Google said.An attack starts with just clicking a malicious link, the company said. From there, the tools can be used to get around an iPhone’s defences and break into central parts of the phone.It can be started in five different ways and uses some 23 different vulnerabilities, strung together, to break into a device.It is unclear where the tools began their life, and Google researchers called the attack “mysterious”. Mobile security company iVerify suggested that it had evidence that it might have started as a US government tool that was then leaked more broadly.But they have since been passed around between various attackers around the world – used in suspected government attacks on Ukrainian users as well as by Chinese scammers looking to steal money – in a way that suggests there is an “active market” for “second-hand” exploits, Google said.It was first spotted in February 2025 but has been used on various websites since, researchers said. A host of Chinese websites largely focused on finance were found to be using the attack, hoping that visitors would click on a malicious link and then allow the exploit into their phone.It affects iPhones are that are running iOS numbers between 13 and 17.2.1, which was first released in December 2023. Updating Apple devices to the latest software should therefore protect them from the attack.More aboutGoogleiPhoneJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesCommentsMost popularPopular videosBulletinRead next