Urgent warning issued to iPhone users to delete apps

Dimitris Gr

4 hours ago

Biggest hack in history

It comes after the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange revealed it had lost billions in what is being described as the ‘biggest hack in history’.

The company, called Binance, issued the warning to any iPhone users whose devices run iOS 26 or iOS 27, claiming a flaw in these versions of Apple’s software called ‘worse_query’ can let harmful apps secretly look at private information stored by other apps on the same phone.

Although the flaw itself isn’t believed to be malware, it creates a weakness for anyone using an iPhone that might have a malicious app downloaded.

Apps downloaded from outside Apple’s official App Store can pose a greater security risk, as they don’t necessarily undergo the same level of scrutiny as those approved by the tech giant. This can leave unsuspecting iPhone owners vulnerable to cybercriminals looking for a way into their devices.

A warning over hackers accessing private and valuable information

Binance warned that hackers could exploit the ‘worse_query’ vulnerability by targeting iPhones running compromised software, potentially gaining access to users’ accounts or even draining their cryptocurrency wallets.

The company shared the warning on Tuesday (10 November), just days after suffering a staggering $6.3 billion loss in a cyberattack linked to North Korea. However, Binance stressed that the newly identified security threat is separate from that incident and could put anyone storing cryptocurrency on an iPhone at risk.

What iOS users should do

Anyone using an affected version of iOS has been advised to install the latest operating system update as soon as possible. Binance also recommended creating an entirely new crypto wallet if there’s reason to believe a device may have already been compromised.

Binance said the ‘worse_query’ vulnerability had been identified on devices running iOS 26.7.1, iOS 27.0.1 and iOS 27.2. The security issue could be much more widespread, potentially impacting almost every release of iOS 26, from version 26.0 through to 26.7.2.

An infected app could potentially access sensitive information held by other applications on the same iPhone, including private messages, photographs, documents and saved login details. Cybercriminals could reportedly use the loophole to secretly view, copy, or even tamper with files belonging to other apps, with cryptocurrency wallets among the potential targets.

The risk for cryptocurrency users

For anyone who stores digital currency on their iPhone, this could have particularly serious consequences, as wallet files may contain recovery phrases or private security keys that provide access to their funds.

Should hackers get their hands on this information, they could potentially steal someone’s cryptocurrency or take control of their account altogether. Apple did not immediately respond for comment regarding the alleged flaw.