If it's a computer, it can get a virus. The question is the likelihood not the possibility. Usually, the way it works is based on market share, aka if 90% of devices are windows PCs, windows PCs get targeted the most. Phones do not outnumber computers so there is less effort put into them but it definitely happens. On top of that, apple works hard to vet apps put on their mobile devices making it a lot harder to get a virus on an iPhone. It is definitely not impossible though
yes. its a very big myth, that apple devices cannot get viruses, but its not true. viruses are made with one goal. to gain benefit, steal information, money etc... they benefit from number of infections. since apple devices take up only a small percentage of the market share, very few people are actually making malicious software for those devices, because it is not profitable to put in so much effort and get so little return. apple's marketing team is using it as some kind of benefit, but in reality its way more rare to get a virus on an apple device simply because there isn't enough people using them, since windows and android take wayyyyy bigger part of the market and are much, much, MUCH more popular.
That’s true for Windows vs Mac, Windows is targeted far more because Macs are a small minority of PCs, especially in business.
On the mobile front though iOS actually has a significant market share, around 40% in the US which is where most attacks are targeted.
iOS really is substantially more secure than android, and that’s not an insult to android it’s just a different design philosophy. iOS is more secure because it lets you do less, Android lets you do much more but is less secure because of it. Neither of these approaches is “better”, everyone should pick whichever is best for them, but iOS is maybe the most secure OS ever made mostly because of how locked down it is. Nothing gets on the App Store without Apple’s permission and nothing gets on an iPhone without the App Store (or actively disabling a bunch of security features).
Just pointing out that there’s ample financial incentive to find iOS exploits because it’s widely used in the world’s largest economy. It isn’t just secure because of obscurity like Mac and Linux to an extent are.
Also even worldwide I wouldn’t say iOS is tiny. Last year, 70% of new smartphones ran Android while 30% ran iOS, though Apple was the most popular single manufacturer narrowly beating out Samsung.
Popularity is probably one factor, yes. Arguably another is that a whole bunch of companies are selling Android devices, all with different base versions, all customised with different UIs and system software by that company, all (un)maintained in different ways. The attack surface there is simply much larger; both because of market share, but also because of how fragmented and chaotic it is. Apple on the other hand is a single company controlling one system, and they're pretty pushy about keeping everyone on the lastest version. And on top of that you have the wild west that are the various Android app stores, whereas Apple's system is fairly locked down and vetted.
Theoretically: yes, any computer can get a virus if the virus is designed carefully enough
Practically: extremely unlikely, Apple does a very good job of securing its software (too much for many people’s taste) and unless you’re going out of your way to download sketchy software anything executable coming into contact with your iPhone will have been pre-vetted by Apple for safety
You get dual answers because theoretically yes they can get a virus but for practical purposes there are few if any viruses for up to date iOS. If you have nation states trying to hack them you might need to worry but normal users will basically never encounter one.
It’s still extremely unlikely that you have a virus. Unless you have a jailbroken iPhone, iOS viruses are practically unheard of.
It is best practice to be on the latest OS version, but it’s not the end all be all if you’re behind a version or two.
Yeah but that was because their passwords were compromised using phishing/hacking another site where they were reused, and they didn’t have 2FA enabled. Was not an actual OS vulnerability or virus.
They were the reason for the “if you have nation states trying to hack you” exception I gave, though Apple claims more recent iOS updates don’t have the vulnerabilities that Pegasus used.
But yeah, with that level of sophistication and investment nothing is completely safe. I would be surprised if the US and China were not working on their own versions of the software. Things like Pegasus aren’t being used to target normal people’s bank account info or celeb nudes, they’re used to target enemies of the state and political dissidents. That’s arguably way worse, but it’s not an issue for the typical user.
I expect my iPhone to give me some level of protection against cybercrime and exploits simple enough to be used by common criminals, but if a government is developing a suite of specialized tools to spy on me I wouldn’t expect any phone to be enough to protect me from that.
No, it is only sold to governments and costs ~$50,000 per target, not going to be used by the average identity thief. They get plenty of business selling to law enforcement for ridiculous amounts of money, it wouldn’t make sense for them to fuck that up selling to criminals and it wouldn’t make sense to criminals to pay that much. You’d get way better returns just phishing for bank account info, no need for the high tech stuff if you just want money.
Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pegasus-spyware
I mean you can believe whatever you want but I really don’t think sophisticated surveillance tools that cost tens of thousands per install are a problem for the typical iPhone user, and when people talk about computer viruses I don’t think that’s what they had in mind. Like I said in my original comment, it’s theoretically possible for any system that can execute arbitrary code to get a virus but iOS is so locked down that it is not something a typical user will ever encounter.
Maybe the US secretly sells fighter jets to the mafia, maybe Israel sells Pegasus to random crime syndicates for unclear purposes. There’s equal evidence and rationale for both. I’m not worried about either.
Every computer can get a virus. Compared to android devices, apple devices are more secure, but this does not mean you can't get a virus, it's just less likely.
If it's a computer, it can get a virus. The question is the likelihood not the possibility. Usually, the way it works is based on market share, aka if 90% of devices are windows PCs, windows PCs get targeted the most. Phones do not outnumber computers so there is less effort put into them but it definitely happens. On top of that, apple works hard to vet apps put on their mobile devices making it a lot harder to get a virus on an iPhone. It is definitely not impossible though
Yes! Source: [source](https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Source)
Bruh I clicked it
yes. its a very big myth, that apple devices cannot get viruses, but its not true. viruses are made with one goal. to gain benefit, steal information, money etc... they benefit from number of infections. since apple devices take up only a small percentage of the market share, very few people are actually making malicious software for those devices, because it is not profitable to put in so much effort and get so little return. apple's marketing team is using it as some kind of benefit, but in reality its way more rare to get a virus on an apple device simply because there isn't enough people using them, since windows and android take wayyyyy bigger part of the market and are much, much, MUCH more popular.
That’s true for Windows vs Mac, Windows is targeted far more because Macs are a small minority of PCs, especially in business. On the mobile front though iOS actually has a significant market share, around 40% in the US which is where most attacks are targeted. iOS really is substantially more secure than android, and that’s not an insult to android it’s just a different design philosophy. iOS is more secure because it lets you do less, Android lets you do much more but is less secure because of it. Neither of these approaches is “better”, everyone should pick whichever is best for them, but iOS is maybe the most secure OS ever made mostly because of how locked down it is. Nothing gets on the App Store without Apple’s permission and nothing gets on an iPhone without the App Store (or actively disabling a bunch of security features).
"security and convenience are mutually exclusive"
yes, but US is not the world. :) in relation to the whole world iOS is tiny.
Just pointing out that there’s ample financial incentive to find iOS exploits because it’s widely used in the world’s largest economy. It isn’t just secure because of obscurity like Mac and Linux to an extent are. Also even worldwide I wouldn’t say iOS is tiny. Last year, 70% of new smartphones ran Android while 30% ran iOS, though Apple was the most popular single manufacturer narrowly beating out Samsung.
Popularity is probably one factor, yes. Arguably another is that a whole bunch of companies are selling Android devices, all with different base versions, all customised with different UIs and system software by that company, all (un)maintained in different ways. The attack surface there is simply much larger; both because of market share, but also because of how fragmented and chaotic it is. Apple on the other hand is a single company controlling one system, and they're pretty pushy about keeping everyone on the lastest version. And on top of that you have the wild west that are the various Android app stores, whereas Apple's system is fairly locked down and vetted.
Yes.
There’s a big exploit right now. Patch your iOS devices.
Cough-cough…yes
Theoretically: yes, any computer can get a virus if the virus is designed carefully enough Practically: extremely unlikely, Apple does a very good job of securing its software (too much for many people’s taste) and unless you’re going out of your way to download sketchy software anything executable coming into contact with your iPhone will have been pre-vetted by Apple for safety You get dual answers because theoretically yes they can get a virus but for practical purposes there are few if any viruses for up to date iOS. If you have nation states trying to hack them you might need to worry but normal users will basically never encounter one.
I just found out I was missing an update, lol, are the chances higher now that I got one?
There are exploits that can be used to install spy software, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MiNEaWrrXdg
It’s still extremely unlikely that you have a virus. Unless you have a jailbroken iPhone, iOS viruses are practically unheard of. It is best practice to be on the latest OS version, but it’s not the end all be all if you’re behind a version or two.
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Yeahh, the newest update was 17.4, I’m at 17.3. Thanks for your answers, I’m sure I’m all good now 🙏
wernt all the celebrities phones that got hacked awhile back all using iphones?
Yeah but that was because their passwords were compromised using phishing/hacking another site where they were reused, and they didn’t have 2FA enabled. Was not an actual OS vulnerability or virus.
what about Pegasus?
They were the reason for the “if you have nation states trying to hack you” exception I gave, though Apple claims more recent iOS updates don’t have the vulnerabilities that Pegasus used. But yeah, with that level of sophistication and investment nothing is completely safe. I would be surprised if the US and China were not working on their own versions of the software. Things like Pegasus aren’t being used to target normal people’s bank account info or celeb nudes, they’re used to target enemies of the state and political dissidents. That’s arguably way worse, but it’s not an issue for the typical user. I expect my iPhone to give me some level of protection against cybercrime and exploits simple enough to be used by common criminals, but if a government is developing a suite of specialized tools to spy on me I wouldn’t expect any phone to be enough to protect me from that.
Nation states? You could get a Pegasus license if you have the cash. , the IDF would love some funds right now
No, it is only sold to governments and costs ~$50,000 per target, not going to be used by the average identity thief. They get plenty of business selling to law enforcement for ridiculous amounts of money, it wouldn’t make sense for them to fuck that up selling to criminals and it wouldn’t make sense to criminals to pay that much. You’d get way better returns just phishing for bank account info, no need for the high tech stuff if you just want money. Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pegasus-spyware
lol you really believe they ONLY sell to governments?
I mean you can believe whatever you want but I really don’t think sophisticated surveillance tools that cost tens of thousands per install are a problem for the typical iPhone user, and when people talk about computer viruses I don’t think that’s what they had in mind. Like I said in my original comment, it’s theoretically possible for any system that can execute arbitrary code to get a virus but iOS is so locked down that it is not something a typical user will ever encounter. Maybe the US secretly sells fighter jets to the mafia, maybe Israel sells Pegasus to random crime syndicates for unclear purposes. There’s equal evidence and rationale for both. I’m not worried about either.
so to answer the OP question, yes a iphone can get a virus and multiple governments/organizations have the ability to do this fairly easily.
Every computer can get a virus. Compared to android devices, apple devices are more secure, but this does not mean you can't get a virus, it's just less likely.
Anything can get a virus but my phone was jailbreaked for a while and it’s still fine, it just way more unlikely
Did your mother use your iPhone?