Do you need antivirus for IPads?

[happy.plinker]

I have an IPad and my kids say because it's Apple it doesn't need antivirus,I reckon you do. What's your thoughts please.

[lksopener]

No you don't. There's no point at all.

[shaun4860]

+1

 

[mossy835]

that answsers what i was thinig.

[Paul223]

We have two iPhones and an iPad, no antivirus, all run as smooth as can be

[happy.plinker]

Looks like the kids are right again! I'll stop worrying, thanks.

[lord_seagrave]

Er, why?

 

Is it built in or something?

 

LS

[Billy.]

Er, why?

 

Is it built in or something?

 

LS

 

 

I'm not sure if you're asking why it doesn't need antivirus, but I'll answer it for the sake of the thread.

 

No, it's not built in - quite the opposite, there's none...! Apple mobile devices are a 'walled garden' product, whereby access to the root directory of the device is not made possible. Viruses and malware work because they trick machines into allowing root access and they either delete stuff, or install things which shouldn't be there. Their apps are controlled to only be downloadable via the App store, which in turn are vetted by Apple staff prior to release. Apple also has the power to remotely delete any App which you have downloaded in the event of a maliciously written one slipping the net (you can disguise some nasty code in an app).

 

The data on an iPhone is also scattered about in a huge mess, which is called ASLR - Address Space Randomisation Layout. One iPhone hacker once said that it's like trying to solve a Rubix Cube, in the dark, with your hands behind your back. Gaining access to the Root directory is one thing, actually finding where all the billions of pieces are for it, is another!

 

Apple products in general have been nearly virus free throughout the entire company history. In comparison to the millions, if not billions of viruses, malware and trojan horses that are out there for your Windows based machine, there have only been a handful of reported cases of Mac, which were promptly patched. Again, this is down to root access, but mainly thanks to the BSD/Unix architecture.

 

There have only been two iPhone viruses, one which would infect your phone and turn your background into..... A photo of Rick Astley. The only phones vulnerable to the attack were those which had been Jailbroken, which basically meant that root access had been granted to the user, meaning they were susceptible to the attack anyway. The second being a vulnerability with the USB connection, which did put all iPhones at risk, but a software patch was all that was needed.

 

The most important thing to do is to always keep your devices up to date with the latest software. For any device, Apple or not, the software updates are there to make sure that any vulnerabilities are patched and to protect your device and data.

Edited September 3, 2015 by Billy.

[JABB]

The only time you need something is if you are jailbroken. Then it can be hacked

[Cambsman]

I'm not sure if you're asking why it doesn't need antivirus, but I'll answer it for the sake of the thread.

 

No, it's not built in - quite the opposite, there's none...! Apple mobile devices are a 'walled garden' product, whereby access to the root directory of the device is not made possible. Viruses and malware work because they trick machines into allowing root access and they either delete stuff, or install things which shouldn't be there. Their apps are controlled to only be downloadable via the App store, which in turn are vetted by Apple staff prior to release. Apple also has the power to remotely delete any App which you have downloaded in the event of a maliciously written one slipping the net (you can disguise some nasty code in an app).

 

The data on an iPhone is also scattered about in a huge mess, which is called ASLR - Address Space Randomisation Layout. One iPhone hacker once said that it's like trying to solve a Rubix Cube, in the dark, with your hands behind your back. Gaining access to the Root directory is one thing, actually finding where all the billions of pieces are for it, is another!

 

Apple products in general have been nearly virus free throughout the entire company history. In comparison to the millions, if not billions of viruses, malware and trojan horses that are out there for your Windows based machine, there have only been a handful of reported cases of Mac, which were promptly patched. Again, this is down to root access, but mainly thanks to the BSD/Unix architecture.

 

There have only been two iPhone viruses, one which would infect your phone and turn your background into..... A photo of Rick Astley. The only phones vulnerable to the attack were those which had been Jailbroken, which basically meant that root access had been granted to the user, meaning they were susceptible to the attack anyway. The second being a vulnerability with the USB connection, which did put all iPhones at risk, but a software patch was all that was needed.

 

The most important thing to do is to always keep your devices up to date with the latest software. For any device, Apple or not, the software updates are there to make sure that any vulnerabilities are patched and to protect your device and data.

Like he said!

[Redditch]

There WERE no virus/malware around for Apple products.

HOWEVER, this has changed recently, and there are now at least two floating around. That said, I believe they are email transmitted, and HAVE to be opened by the user to activate them.

Simple answer, open NO attachments from unknown sources and you should be safe

[Billy.]

HOWEVER, this has changed recently, and there are now at least two floating around.

 

I'd like to see some proof of this. A vulnerability like this would be patched very quickly and I didn't see anything in the last changelog.

[Paul223]

And this is why we love our iProducts and hate windows

[Laird Lugton]

Thanks Billy for a very informative answer

[happy.plinker]

Wow Billy thanks for the explanation,I didn't know any of that but I will check for updates.

[MrM]

 

I'd like to see some proof of this. A vulnerability like this would be patched very quickly and I didn't see anything in the last changelog.

 

There was a report a couple of months ago about a very low level virus that could affect the BIOS on CNNs site - however I don't think it should worry the home user !

http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/03/technology/mac-bug/

Edited September 4, 2015 by MrM

[Deker]

Redditch has give the right answer.. saying I have no AV and don't have a virus makes no sense, you actually mean I have no AV and don't think I have a virus.

 

While it's pretty much impossible to get a virus from an app directly (non-jailbroken), the apps themselves can open up a malware vulnerability (facebook & twitter being the highest profile ones), there's also increased risk if you connect the iPad to a Mac or PC (WireLurker)

 

Some info here: http://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/iosapps/is-ipad-iphone-ios-safe-what-security-software-need-3453938/

[Billy.]

 

There was a report a couple of months ago about a very low level virus that could affect the BIOS on CNNs site - however I don't think it should worry the home user !

http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/03/technology/mac-bug/

 

What you are talking about is a bug on a Mac. What this is implying is that someone could exploit this bug to allow the installation of a virus into the Mac system. However, you'd need administrative rights on the machine, which basically requires you to have the password, which negates the entire need to exploit it in the first place.

 

Jailbreakers use bugs to exploit iPhones. It's the only way to jailbreak an iPhone, but it requires an incredible level of skill and ability to spot an error amongst millions of lines of code. Think of it like hunting out a spelling mistake in War and Peace.

 

At this point you have three options; Hand the exploit over to the company and do a good deed, make a hack/jailbreak/backdoor and publicly offer it, or keep it a secret and sell it to the highest bidding country/government/intelligence agency. The first two mean the error gets patched very quickly and the latter is a worrying case for everyone. So companies such as Google offer a 'Hackaton' and pay tens, if not hundreds of thousands to anyone who can hack/crack/exploit their software.

[Carman06]

 

What you are talking about is a bug on a Mac. What this is implying is that someone could exploit this bug to allow the installation of a virus into the Mac system. However, you'd need administrative rights on the machine, which basically requires you to have the password, which negates the entire need to exploit it in the first place.

 

Jailbreakers use bugs to exploit iPhones. It's the only way to jailbreak an iPhone, but it requires an incredible level of skill and ability to spot an error amongst millions of lines of code. Think of it like hunting out a spelling mistake in War and Peace.

 

At this point you have three options; Hand the exploit over to the company and do a good deed, make a hack/jailbreak/backdoor and publicly offer it, or keep it a secret and sell it to the highest bidding country/government/intelligence agency. The first two mean the error gets patched very quickly and the latter is a worrying case for everyone. So companies such as Google offer a 'Hackaton' and pay tens, if not hundreds of thousands to anyone who can hack/crack/exploit their software.

+1

The joys of an ethical hacker.