![\"Close](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768774152_642_0x0.jpg\")
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Turn if off and on again now.<\/p>\n
getty<\/p>\n
You have been warned. If your iPhone is not running one of two versions<\/a> of iOS, you\u2019re now at serious risk from new attacks targeting Apple\u2019s devices. And Apple\u2019s confirmed attack warnings keep coming at users (1<\/a>,2<\/a>). For most iPhone users, this means you must upgrade to iOS 26 immediately, if you have not done so already.<\/p>\n If you upgrade now or have done so recently, then your iPhone will have powered down and restarted to install the new software. Remember \u2014 when Apple warns you to update your iPhone, a restart is a key part of that. If you\u2019re not running iOS 26.2 or iOS 18.7.3, then you need to perform that reboot manually. And you need to do that now.<\/p>\n ForbesNew Chrome Update Deletes Google\u2019s AI On Your DeviceBy Zak Doffman<\/a><\/p>\n Apple\u2019s warning<\/a> before the holidays that new spyware had been detected was accompanied by a nasty surprise for most users. Sticking to iOS 18 and updating to iOS 18.7.3 is not possible for any device (iPhone 11 or newer) able to run iOS 26.<\/p>\n There are conflicting reports as to how many users this affects. Some analyst data suggests more than half of all iPhones can update to iOS 26 but have not. Other data is more nuanced. What\u2019s not in dispute, is that this is hundreds of millions of iPhones.<\/p>\n Turn it off and on again.<\/p>\n Apple<\/p>\n As I\u2019ve warned, if you are holding onto iOS 18 and avoiding the iOS 26 upgrade, then you\u2019re now at risk<\/a>. That means you need to regularly reboot your phone to kill any malicious software running in the background. If the software is persistent, it will also restart, but the reboot won\u2019t do you any harm.<\/p>\n But how you reboot is important. One European cyber agency has just echoed the NSA\u2019s<\/a> own device to \u201cturn phones off and on\u201d weekly. France\u2019s ANSSI<\/a> says “the complete shutdown of the device stops all processes and removes all software residing only in memory, such as a memory-based, non-persistent spyware.\u201d <\/p>\n But the agency \u2014 equivalent to America\u2019s CISA \u2014 also warns you should restart without using any form os software “reboot feature, as some spyware is able to simulate a reboot to deceive the user.\u201d It\u2019s an unlikely risk. But it\u2019s the best practice advice.<\/p>\n ANSSI flags \u201cspyware deployed with the use of a zero-click vulnerability,” the kind of exploit behind recent Apple and Google warnings, often delivered via stock messaging platforms. On your iPhone, that means iMessage. There is no behavioral defense that is guaranteed to prevent infection. You always need to run the latest version of iOS.<\/p>\n But a restart is good practice anyway. And if you are running outdated firmware, it\u2019s critical and needs to be done regularly. Weekly \u2014 at least.<\/p>\n