Do I need malware protection for iPad or iPhone?
Want to know if surfing web on iPad or iPhone carries risks of being hit with viruses or malware.
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Paul
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How Do I Protect My iOS Devices From Viruses or Malware?
Comments: 5 Responses to “How Do I Protect My iOS Devices From Viruses or Malware?”
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No, you don't need malware protection. On iOS and iPadOS, you can only download apps from the App Store, so you can't accidentally install something malicious from a website or anything like that.
In fact, there is no such thing as anti-malware software for iOS because apps are isolated and can't mess with the system. So just as no app can "infect" your system, no app can "examine" your system either.
Sorry, but that’s rubbish - https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2022/08/great-now-the-apple-app-store-has-malware-too/
https://www.tomsguide.com/news/iphone-apps-infected-malware
https://www.wired.com/story/apple-app-store-malware-click-fraud/
Jim: Only the first link is recent. The others are from 2020 and 2019. They all show that Apple takes care of security issues. Even the 2022 article states "...Apple has scrubbed these apps from the macOS App Store..." The others have also been dealt with and were very small problems affecting very small number of users before updates took care of it.
If you want perfect security, you'll have to do without any Internet connection at all. But using iOS comes pretty close. Either way, no third-party app or service would have helped.
Gary: If what you say in your original response is true, then how do you explain the presence of Pegasus on iOS phones and the reportedly numerous deaths that have occurred around the world as a result of various governments surveillance?
Jim: You can read all about Pegasus here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegasus_(spyware) But this is highly-targeted spyware that is very rare and not something the vast majority of people need to worry about. We don't even know the specifics of if and how *updated* iPhones are affected. But it is not something most people need to worry about since it is literally "spy stuff." If you are a target of something like this, there is more to worry about than just Pegasus and hopefully you have support staff to help.