Does An Ipad Need A Virus Programme On It ?

[pattricia 574]

My next door neighbour has an iPad, which he says he can’t use because it has a virus on it. He says that a virus control programme cannot be used on it like a laptop can. Is this true ? He’s a pensioner and is really missing his iPad.  He cannot take it to a specialist computer shop because of the Coronavirus. Any information on this subject ?

[Ghozer 112]

There are Virus Scanners for iPads / iPhones etc yes...

But the virus can usually only get on there via an app thats been installed etc, so figure out which app caused it, and remove that

[pattricia 574]

40 minutes ago, Ghozer said:

There are Virus Scanners for iPads / iPhones etc yes...

But the virus can usually only get on there via an app thats been installed etc, so figure out which app caused it, and remove that

Thanks Ghozer I will pass your information on to my neighbour.xx

[pattricia 574]

32 minutes ago, glitterballs said:

I don't know if this may help but Sophos might work https://bestfreeipadapps.com/sophos-for-ipad-free-download/#/?playlistId=0&videoId=0, its in the app store.

Thank you , any information is helpful.

[Jomie 30]

An iPad does not need an antivirus app and it is highly unlikely  that it has a virus.  It's possible that your neighbour has heard about viruses and is assuming that he has one because the iPad is malfunctioning in some way. If you can find out exactly what problems he is having with the device and post back perhaps someone can help.  It's also worth doing a bit of maintenance ie clear cookies/history, reboot, delete unused apps, transfer data to external devices. 

Edited February 17, 2021 by Jomie

[pattricia 574]

5 hours ago, Jomie said:

An iPad does not need an antivirus app and it is highly unlikely  that it has a virus.  It's possible that your neighbour has heard about viruses and is assuming that he has one because the iPad is malfunctioning in some way. If you can find out exactly what problems he is having with the device and post back perhaps someone can help.  It's also worth doing a bit of maintenance ie clear cookies/history, reboot, delete unused apps, transfer data to external devices. 

Thanks Jomie, I will pass this information on to his son.

[Ghozer 112]

8 hours ago, Jomie said:

An iPad does not need an antivirus app and it is highly unlikely  that it has a virus.  It's possible that your neighbour has heard about viruses and is assuming that he has one because the iPad is malfunctioning in some way. If you can find out exactly what problems he is having with the device and post back perhaps someone can help.  It's also worth doing a bit of maintenance ie clear cookies/history, reboot, delete unused apps, transfer data to external devices. 

You certainly CAN get a virus on your iOS device, same as any Android device..

Sure, it's less likely, and happens MUCH less often, but it can happen...

[Jomie 30]

Well, you know better than me. All I can say is that I have never heard of anyone having a virus on an iPad. I assume it is a very rare occurrence, especially when the iPad is used correctly and not tampered with. I still think that this elderly gentleman may be mistaken - at least I hope so. 

[Mossway 15]

Pattricia,presumably your neighbour has already re-booted it a few times. Next he should try ‘Reset’- go to Settings/General and next to the bottom is Reset. It’ll reset all settings but no media or data will be deleted. I did it recently when my Pressreader App wasn’t working properly.

[Waldo 96]

Are there any verified instances of virus on iOS?

 

Not 100% sure; but fairly sure iOS apps run sandboxed and can only modify data that the OS assigns specifically for their use; unless there is some kind of exploit? Or we're talking about something that isn't an app.

 

Interestingly, Israel have a cyber security firm, NSO group I think who developed some spyware (Pegasus) which I understand they sell to foreign governments to spy on 'enemies of the state'. There was an interesting think on YouTube about it, I think by the Aljezeera English channel. Was that the kind of thing you had in mind Ghozer, or something else?

 

I've had iOS devices since iPhone2s; and never had anti-virus; no problems thus far (none that I'm aware of at least), though I would strongly caution against clicking on links in suspicious emails (which I've been getting a few of those lately).

Edited February 19, 2021 by Waldo

[Waldo 96]

Also, just to add; I could be wrong but I think I read the vulnerability in iOS which Pegasus exploited was fixed in iOS9.something.

[swarfendor437 14]

Good article here:

 

https://www.lifewire.com/does-ipad-virus-exist-1994321