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Anti virus apps in the Apple store?
Franglais
14-11-2012
Can anybody recommend a good app for this - free or otherwise?

Or is it not necessary for the iPad?
psionic
14-11-2012
Not really necessary for the iPad.
Rodney McKay
14-11-2012
A lot of security issues these days come from fake website and links that make you think you're visiting the real site and it asks you for log in details or credit card numbers etc.

I would assume an iPad is just as vulnerable as any other computer to being directed to a fake website, many anti virus apps are wise to that sort of thing, so whilst the iPad and other tablets might not be vulnerable to traditional viruses I don't know if they are just as vulnerable to other forms of hacking or stealing information?
barky99
14-11-2012
it's advisable to have antivirus/antimalware .... 90%+ threats aren't the classic virus any more & logins, identity theft & trojans are a hazard whichever platform you use as even the mighty apple cant control what sites you view .. some of which will be infected
chenks
14-11-2012
Originally Posted by barky99:
“it's advisable to have antivirus/antimalware .... 90%+ threats aren't the classic virus any more & logins, identity theft & trojans are a hazard whichever platform you use as even the mighty apple cant control what sites you view .. some of which will be infected”

not required on an ipad though.
apps are sandboxed, and apps require approval before getting into the store.
Stuart_h
14-11-2012
Originally Posted by chenks:
“not required on an ipad though.
apps are sandboxed, and apps require approval before getting into the store.”

Apple users tend to go for the "bury head in sand" approach

Whilst virus are rare malware is still possible......

As with android just be aware of what you install.
chenks
14-11-2012
Originally Posted by Stuart_h:
“Apple users tend to go for the "bury head in sand" approach

Whilst virus are rare malware is still possible......

As with android just be aware of what you install.”

we're talking about an ipad here.
unless you have jailbroken, you can't install apps that haven't been approved, and apps are sandboxed.
paulbrock
14-11-2012
well I agree that careful use can eliminate most risks, anyone that thinks its impossible to get a dodgy app on the Apple store is kidding themselves.

e.g. http://www.ibtimes.com/apple-ios-app...s-your-friends
chenks
14-11-2012
Originally Posted by paulbrock:
“well I agree that careful use can eliminate most risks, anyone that thinks its impossible to get a dodgy app on the Apple store is kidding themselves.

e.g. http://www.ibtimes.com/apple-ios-app...s-your-friends”

no anti-virus or malware app would have stopped that though.
and it's not something that could auto-install itself, it still requires the user to download and install the app (and entering their password to do so).
paulbrock
14-11-2012
Originally Posted by chenks:
“no anti-virus or malware app would have stopped that though”

not the point I was making....
chenks
14-11-2012
Originally Posted by paulbrock:
“not the point I was making....”

the thread is about anti-virus though.
Stuart_h
14-11-2012
Originally Posted by chenks:
“no anti-virus or malware app would have stopped that though.
and it's not something you could auto-install itself, it still requires the user to download and install the app (and entering their password to do so).”

So there IS malware but nobody has built an iOS app to catch it

...... Even more dangerous surely

As I say. Rare but not impossible.
chenks
14-11-2012
Originally Posted by Stuart_h:
“So there IS malware but nobody has built an iOS app to catch it

...... Even more dangerous surely

As I say. Rare but not impossible.”

well reading the article, the app developer says it was a bug and not intended (they would say that though i suppose).

i don't think the iOS platform allows a system where an app could run as a scanner to detect if an app is doing something it shouldn't.
Roush
14-11-2012
Originally Posted by Stuart_h:
“So there IS malware but nobody has built an iOS app to catch it

...... Even more dangerous surely

As I say. Rare but not impossible.”

As was pointed out, there isn't any way of stopping a third party you've chosen to trust from betraying that trust.

That's a problem in all walks of life, not just in computing.
Stuart_h
14-11-2012
Originally Posted by Roush:
“As was pointed out, there isn't any way of stopping a third party you've chosen to trust from betraying that trust.

That's a problem in all walks of life, not just in computing.”

My point was that no platform is risk free.

I think we are both agreeing on that.
MassiveDynamics
15-11-2012
"Apple allowed two scam apps to appear in its App Store - and the dodgy software remained on sale for five days until a Reg reader raised the alarm."

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11...ves_scam_apps/
chenks
15-11-2012
Originally Posted by MassiveDynamics:
“"Apple allowed two scam apps to appear in its App Store - and the dodgy software remained on sale for five days until a Reg reader raised the alarm."

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11...ves_scam_apps/”

those 2 apps were neither viruses or malware though.
they claimed to do one thing but actually did another, they posed no security threat apparently.
grumpyoldbat
15-11-2012
Originally Posted by Franglais:
“Can anybody recommend a good app for this - free or otherwise?

Or is it not necessary for the iPad?”

There isn't anti virus for the iPad.

What you can do is go to Settings > Safari > Fraud Warning and make sure it's switched On so if you visit any phishing sites (sites pretending to be something that they're not) the iPad should display a warning.

It's not going to be 100% foolproof, so as with any sites on the web, you should satisfy yourself that the site you're visiting is where you want to be, but this Fraud Warning should highlight the majority of fake sites.
MassiveDynamics
15-11-2012
Originally Posted by chenks:
“those 2 apps were neither viruses or malware though.
they claimed to do one thing but actually did another, they posed no security threat apparently.”

Yes, but read the reader comments. It sounds like it is far too easy to bypass Apple's app review process - and as an iPad (and Mac) owner that worries me.
paulbrock
15-11-2012
Douglas Adams - "The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at and repair."
chenks
15-11-2012
Originally Posted by MassiveDynamics:
“Yes, but read the reader comments. It sounds like it is far too easy to bypass Apple's app review process - and as an iPad (and Mac) owner that worries me.”

having submitted a few apps to the store, i can say that it's not too easy to bypass at all!

yes sometimes something will slip thru, but it would be interesting to see just how many have compared to the amount that are actually in the store - maybe a small handfull in total?

and even if an app does slip thru, it still requires the end-user to download and install, so there isn't anything that can automatically install without the users knowledge.
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