Can Your iPhone Get Viruses by Clicking On a Link?

The iPhone is well known for its security measures. Undoubtedly, the malware protection offered by Apple is one of the main reasons people buy these devices.

But be careful; your phone is not 100 percent protected from threats. You can catch malware on your iPhone just by visiting a web page. Even without jailbreak! Let’s find out how this is possible.

Many sources and forums wrote the fact that the absolute invulnerability of the iPhone is a myth. Malware for Apple smartphones exists, although it is far less common than that for Android devices. Therefore, now we can say with absolute certainty that it is possible to infect an iPhone through a link. Is there any evidence for this?

The Infamous 2019…

Researchers from the GoogleProjectZero group have discovered several hacked sites attacking iPhones since 2017. The attackers did this by exploiting 14 separate device vulnerabilities. Seven of these are in Safari, Apple’s main iOS web browser that most iPhone users use.

Two other loops allowed the virus to escape the sandbox, an isolated area that prohibits one application from seeing the data of other apps. And the final five have been registered in the iOS core – the operating system’s key component: hacking it grants infinite access that even the owner of an iPhone doesn’t have.

Malicious sites were able to attack almost all current versions of the Apple mobile system. As updates were released, the attackers changed their strategy: they abandoned old vulnerabilities, sometimes without waiting for patches to appear, and adopted new ones.

How Can Suspicious Links Infect iPhones?

Infected sites usually install spyware on devices. This program gets unlimited rights and runs in the background, so the user can’t notice it. The malware copies and sends data from the device to the command and control server and does this every minute.

Here is what interests the spyware in the first place:

• Passwords and authorization tokens stored in iCloud Keychain
• Correspondence in iMessage, Hangouts, Telegram, Skype, and WhatsApp messengers
• Emails in mail applications
• Call and SMS history
• Real-time location of the device if GPS is enabled on it
• List of contacts
• Photo
• Notes

Malware that gets onto your iPhone can cause serious damage. In some cases, it will cause minor inconveniences, such as a quickly drained battery. However, if personal data was stolen, the consequences could be much more severe. Cybercriminals will sell or use stolen information to break into your accounts.

In addition, when your phone is affected by malware, the device overheats faster. There can be other reasons for a phone to overheat, such as overcharging or running too many apps. However, if the phone has malware installed, it will work harder and overheat.

A more severe consequence of iPhone malware is that your phone will eventually stop working altogether.

How Not To Catch Malware On iPhone

As you can see, picking up an infection on an Apple smartphone from a malicious site is possible. Therefore, we recommend that you be careful, even if you are sure that nothing threatens your gadget.

1. Periodically check your device for viruses. Learn here how to check an iPhone for viruses.
2. Update your iPhone operating system as soon as an update becomes available. In current versions, developers fix vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit. Of course, there are downsides to Apple’s tight control over everything that happens on its platform. But there’s no doubt it creates a safer environment for casual users.
3. Don’t click on links from advertisements, emails, messages from strangers, and so on. Search results should also be treated critically. If you have doubts about the integrity of a particular resource, it is better not to open it at all.
4. Download apps only from the App Store. Apple developed iOS so that users may only download apps from the company’s app store (unless they jailbreak). Furthermore, Apple’s censors individually scan each program for malware. If something questionable is discovered in the program code, the application is returned to the developer for correction.
5. Recheck free storage space from time to time. Your phone’s storage might be almost full due to too many apps or photos. But if the remaining storage space is significantly less than expected, your iPhone may be infected with malware.

Final Thought

So, is it true or a myth that an iPhone can become infected when visiting a dangerous site?

Truth. Malicious sites can exploit vulnerabilities in the browser and iOS and download malware on smartphones. So follow the best safety rules and check if your iPhone is infected with malware.