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Solar panel sales have surged dramatically since the onset of the Iran war, according to Octopus Energy, with British households increasingly opting for larger rooftop installations to achieve energy independence.The company reported a 54% increase in sales this month compared to the same period last month, marking a significant shift in consumer behavior amid global energy uncertainty.Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, Octopus Energy's chief product officer, observed: "We are seeing a massive shift as people stop just asking and start acting. British families are tired of being held hostage by global fossil fuel prices. By switching to solar and heat pumps, they are becoming their own power stations, locking in low costs and protecting their wallets for the long term."Octopus noted that many customers are choosing "supersize" systems with 12 panels instead of the typical 10-panel arrays. Additionally, heat pump sales have increased by more than 50%, while electric vehicle charger systems have seen a 20% rise in sales.Greg Jackson, Octopus Energy's chief executive, described a "huge jolt" in solar sales compared to February. On March 17, the company reported a 27% increase in solar sales inquiries since the start of the Iran war.Good Energy, another green electricity supplier, confirmed this trend, reporting a doubling of interest in solar panels over the past three months.Nigel Pocklington, Good Energy's chief executive, emphasized: "The most effective way to bring bills down over the long term is to double down on renewables, alongside storage and flexibility, so more of our power comes from predictable, homegrown sources. We should be putting solar on any building that can take it. That's how we cut costs, strengthen energy security and give people real control over the energy they rely on every day."The market is poised for further growth with plug-in solar kits expected to become available from high street retailers and supermarkets in the coming months. The government recently announced that most new homes will likely have solar panels from 2028 and will lift a ban on sales of these kits.Andrew Dickinson, head of infrastructure at Heligan Group, explained: "Given the recent geopolitical events, the UK's reliance on global energy markets has become front and centre. The solution lies in a series of short-term initiatives to address the immediate impact of rising energy prices on homeowners. Plug-in solar is one of these solutions that is expected to lower the barriers to entry for homeowners. The previously lengthy process of roof assessment, design and installation by a specialist technician will no longer be necessary."A recent report from Electrify Britain, backed by Octopus, found that solar panels and heat pumps would significantly reduce vulnerability to fossil fuel price fluctuations. The report "Plug In, Pay Less" revealed that houses using these technologies would be almost immune to fossil fuel price rises: a 30% increase in wholesale gas and oil prices would translate into only a 1.7% rise in energy bills by 2035 for households using no gas or oil appliances.Energy bills are expected to rise by more than £300 this July, according to Cornwall Insight, a consultancy. Jess Ralston, head of energy at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, commented: "Predictions of energy bills rising by hundreds of pounds will feel like deja vu to hard-working families as yet another gas price crisis pushes up the cost of living. Many are still saddled with debt from the last gas crisis while Putin and the oil and gas companies stand to benefit."Ralston added: "These wars and the global gas market are clearly beyond the UK's control, so the only way we have to permanently stabilise bills is to cut our use of gas and that means switching to electric heat pumps and renewables that squeeze gas power plants off the grid."Octopus Energy also noted a one-third increase in inquiries about leasing electric vehicles, further indicating a broader shift toward renewable energy solutions among British consumers.

The Anatomy of the DarkSword LeakSecurity researchers have uncovered a significant escalation in iPhone vulnerabilities following the public release of the DarkSword exploit kit on the code-sharing site GitHub. Unlike sophisticated zero-days that require specialized knowledge to deploy, the leaked files are uncomplicated HTML and JavaScript scripts that can be hosted on a server in a matter of minutes. This accessibility has turned a tool previously associated with state-sponsored actors into a potential weapon for any criminal actor.The toolkit specifically targets iPhones and iPads running older versions of Apple’s operating system, such as iOS 18, which have not yet been updated to the latest iOS software. The code is designed to work "out of the box," meaning no iOS expertise is required to execute the attack. Researchers note that the leaked samples share infrastructure with previous campaigns analyzed by iVerify and Google, indicating a continuity in the threat landscape.The Scale of the VulnerabilityThe implications of this leak are vast, given the sheer number of devices potentially affected. According to Apple’s own data, approximately one-quarter of all iPhone and iPad users are still running older operating systems. With over 2.5 billion active devices globally, this suggests that hundreds of millions of users are currently exposed to the capabilities of DarkSword.Targeted Data: The exploit is capable of exfiltrating forensically relevant files, including contacts, messages, call history, and the iOS keychain (which stores Wi-Fi passwords and secrets).Historical Context: DarkSword was previously alleged to be used by Russian government hackers against Ukrainian targets, linking this new leak to geopolitical cyber warfare.From State-Sponsored to Criminal PlaygroundThe ease with which DarkSword can be repurposed has raised alarms within the cybersecurity community. Matthias Frielingsdorf, co-founder of mobile security startup iVerify, described the situation as "bad" and warned that the tool cannot be contained. The transition of such advanced spyware from a restricted government tool to a public commodity lowers the barrier to entry for cybercriminals.Kimberly Samra of Google and security hobbyist matteyeux have independently confirmed that the leaked code is trivial to use. Matteyeux successfully demonstrated the exploit on an iPad mini running iOS 18, proving that the threat is immediate and actionable for malicious actors.The Future of iOS Security and Lockdown ModeApple has responded by issuing an emergency update on March 11 for devices unable to run recent versions of iOS. The company emphasizes that keeping software up to date is the "single most important thing" for security and notes that devices with updated software are not at risk.Furthermore, Apple highlighted that Lockdown Mode would block these specific attacks. As the industry moves forward, the reliance on software updates and hardening features like Lockdown Mode will become increasingly critical in defending against the commoditization of exploit kits like DarkSword.