Will Apple introduce additional protections for older iPhones affected by zero-click spyware attacks?

Apple issued an emergency warning confirming large-scale zero-click spyware attacks targeting the WebKit engine used by Safari and many iOS apps. According to the company, malicious web content can silently compromise an iPhone without any user interaction. Apple states that the attacks are already occurring in the wild and disproportionately affect journalists, activists, and politicians, though all users are potentially at risk. The vulnerability is patched only in iOS 26 / 26.2, requiring immediate updates and device restarts. However, adoption remains low. Data from Malwarebytes Labs indicates that as of January 2026, only 16% of iPhone users have updated to a protected version. Millions of devices—including iPhone XR, XS, X, 8, and older models—are permanently excluded from iOS 26 and no longer receive security updates, leaving them exposed to full device compromise. The uncertainty lies in whether Apple will respond with exceptional mitigation measures—such as extended security patches, architectural workarounds, or formal guidance to disable vulnerable components—or maintain its current support cutoff despite the scale of risk.