Ipad antivirus question

Legacy_user

When I bought my ipad a couple of months ago, I'm sure I read there was no need to install an antivirus, hopefully that's right. So I'm tempted to ask why Apple offer a free antivirus app for iPhones.

bod1467

Apple offer it? Or it is available in the App store?

The latter applies equally for Android ... such an app is not necessarily needed, but there are offerings in the Play store for such types of app. (I use the 360 Mobile Safe app).

System

Again I am guilty of mis-use of words, you are right, I did mean App Store. Trying to keep an eye on 2yr old. My son-in-law is asking questions before he buys his wife one.

Just google 360 mobile safe app for ipad, but you have to log in via Facebook and I'm not in that

Gram_Parsons

I've had an ipad for about three years and I've never added any anti-virus apps or anything of that nature and I've had no problems. Not sure what is built into iOS regarding security? Any apps you d/load must come via the App Store so I assume they are vetted for any malware by that stage. Unlike a Windows PC, you can't download any old file you like and run it which could install a virus.

System

Gram_Parsons wrote: »

I've had an ipad for about three years and I've never added any anti-virus apps or anything of that nature and I've had no problems. Not sure what is built into iOS regarding security? Any apps you d/load must come via the App Store so I assume they are vetted for any malware by that stage. Unlike a Windows PC, you can't download any old file you like and run it which could install a virus.

So if someone sent you an email which contained a virus, isn't there a chance you would get it?

JJ_Egan

Apple does not need an AV.
Read about the 7 Million that may have a different view .
http://www.av-test.org/en/news/news-single-view/mac-os-x-in-the-crosshairs-18-malware-scanners-put-to-the-test/


From a number of security sites i and security authors i have read over the last year or so the mobile world is being targeted .Where a large percentage of users are ignorant on security then they have to be a target at some stage .
Bearing in mind that a smartphone with the right product can read a credit card i have definitely put my mobile use in the beware box .

Cisco001

JJ_Egan wrote: »

Apple does not need an AV.

Read this news
http://www.itproportal.com/2014/10/05/os-x-iworm-botnet-has-spread-over-17000-macs-worldwide/

GunJack

JJ_Egan wrote: »

Where a large percentage of users are ignorant on security then they have to be a target at some stage

...and this is the rub..... apple stuff was previously just not really targeted by malware writers, now it's more likely to be because of the above...

bout time apple fanboys stopped pedalling the "apple are immune to viruses" malarkey

securityguy

islandman wrote: »

So if someone sent you an email which contained a virus, isn't there a chance you would get it?

It's not immediately obvious how. It's nowadays almost impossible to propagate viruses by mail: you instead send a link to a file which, when downloaded, does a bad thing. Because iOS won't execute unsigned binaries and sandboxes each distinct binary, that last stage is very, very difficult, to the point that it hasn't yet been done. There's a theoretical literature about executing malware on iOS, but it's mostly just that. The hole that allows Malware to be injected via USB chargers is fixed in iOS 7, for example.

InsideInsurance

islandman wrote: »

So if someone sent you an email which contained a virus, isn't there a chance you would get it?

Only if its written to infect iOS devices and can get round the basic protection in the OS itself.

The biggest risk for those with apple devices and non-apple devices on the same network has always not been that the apple device will become infected, as predominately people dont write viruses for OSX or iOS but that the apple device will pass it on to Windows based machines which will not trigger the same level of checks because it originates from within the network.

Apple are not technically any more secure than any other device but their relative obscurity has always helped them not be targetted and the default settings tend to be more protectionist than others. Of cause when you look specifically at iOS then its such a closed environment that its even harder to target than OS X. That isnt to say it cannot be done, just there arent any reported cases yet.

As per the link above, 17,000 macs are estimated to be infected with a virus world wide, where as you get bot nets of millions of infected windows machines. Similarly no iOS devices yet infected but 1 in 10 Android apps currently thought to contain malware.

A basic user at the moment is unlikely to run into problems without ever running AV on an apple device but that may change in time and its never good to advocate a head in the sand approach

DevCoder

I'd disagree (slightly), iOS is technically more secure in that an app has to be digitally signed and cross-signed with Apples own key before it can even launch within its own sandbox. This does not have to happen with Android.

Yes, you could jailbreak the device which removes the code signing checks but this is an action the user has to perform themselves.

The Mac app store and OS X version of Mavericks and above (Yosemite) also enforce this protection by default.