Should You Worry About iPhone Viruses?

It is good to hear that most iPhone users don’t need to worry about their phones getting a virus. It is a rare occurrence and there is only one scenario where the iPhone can get a virus.

Although it is technically possible for iPhones, iPad, and iPod touches (all run on similar OS) to get viruses, the chances are very slim. In fact, only a few iPhone viruses have been developed until now and many of them were developed by security professionals for research and academic purposes and weren’t released on the internet.

Why Are The Chances Low For iPhones To Get Viruses?

Viruses are programs designed to perform malicious functions including taking over the control of your computer or stealing your data. Viruses spread from the infected computer to other computers by various means. For attaining its goals, the virus has to be installed on your phone and it should be able to run and communicate with other programs to get access to their data or exert control over them.

The specific architecture of the iOS operating system does not let apps do malicious activities. The design of iOS is in such a way that every app runs in a restricted space reserved for it. Although iOS apps have the freedom to communicate with one another, the options are limited. Apple succeeded in reducing the risk of viruses by restricting the interaction of the apps with one another and with the operating system.

Risk is further lowered based on how users get apps. Users can install approved apps from the app store, indicating that the viruses cannot install themselves. Additionally, Apple conducts a detailed evaluation of every app before it is introduced into the app store to ensure that it does not have any viruses. With multiple layers of security, the system is pretty safe.

What Factors Increase The Risk Of Getting Viruses?

Worms are the only iPhone viruses that prove to be a real threat to iPhones. However, worms almost exclusively attack jailbroken iPhones alone. Hence if you haven’t jailbroken your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you should be article 77 (DMWEB-STAFF-OK-Nov 2)safe from viruses.

To get an idea about the risk associated with getting an iPhone virus, check out the antivirus software available in the App store. There isn’t any.

All major antivirus companies like Trend Micro, McAfee, Symantec, etc have security apps for iPhone but they do not have antivirus tools. They focus on helping you get track of lost devices, securing web browsing, backing up data, and guarding your privacy.

There aren’t any antivirus programs in the App store. The ones that come in that name are games or tools for scanning attachments for viruses that cannot infect iOS in any way. McAfee was the only company that came closest to releasing an antivirus program for iPhone. In 2008, the company developed an internal app but that was never released. In case iPhones get viruses in any serious way, you are assured of the availability of apps.

In What Ways Can You Keep Your iPhone Secure?

If you have noticed that your phone is acting in strange ways, it could be because one of your apps needs to be updated or deleted.

If your iPhone is jailbroken, it may have a virus. Getting rid of the virus in such cases is not easy. You can try the following remedies.

• Delete the apps that you suspect of carrying the virus.
• Restore from a backup that is not infected.
• Restore your phone to factory settings, but do this only after backing up your data.