I have an ipad that got infected with a trojan horse virus, by transfering the chip will this trojan virus also go to the new i pad?

my i pad got infected with a trojan virus and has destroyed my i pad, by transferring the chip to my new i pad will that virus be transfered as well?

iPad mini 6, iPadOS 15

Posted on May 9, 2022 10:22 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on May 9, 2022 10:37 AM

What leads you to believe that your iPad has been infected with malware?


Providing that you have not attempted to jailbreak your device - or have bypassed protections by side-loading third-Apps (if you don’t know what this is, then don’t worry about it), then it is highly unlikely that your device will actually have been infected with a virus or other malware.


However, there is one potential source of immediate issues with your iPad that you may need to check - this being for a vulnerability that is often exploited that gives the appearance of a malware infection. This involves your iPad/iPhone Calendar - the symptom being your Calendar appearing to have been populated with regular events that warn of malware infection.



Calendar Infection


Whilst not a malware infection in the traditional sense, if this exploit is observed on your device, it is highly probable that you were manipulated (via a simple click on a website link) into “subscribing” an additional (unwanted) Calendar to your device - and this unexpected Calendar is exposing unwanted calendar events and sending you unexpected “adverts” or other warnings. 


If you see this issue, you’ll need to check for what’s out of place...

iOS/iPadOS13 and earlier: Settings > Passwords and Accounts

iOS/iPadOS14: Settings > Calendar > Accounts


Look for an “account” that shouldn’t be in the list of accounts - as this will likely include the Calendar that contains all the unwanted events. When/if you find the suspect account, tap - then select Delete Account. This should resolve this specific problem in its entirety.



Malware


Most alerts that you see are pop-up messages from websites - these being designed to scare the unwary into giving away sensitive information - or to fool you into doing something that you shouldn’t.


Due to the system architecture of iOS/iPadOS, unless jailbroken, your iPad is not susceptible to traditional malware infection per-se. However, as with all computer systems, there are still vulnerabilities and exploits to which you remain at risk.


Browser-based attacks can largely be mitigated by installing a good, trusted, Content and Ad-blocking product. One of the very best and most respected within the Apple App Store - designed for iPad, iPhone and Mac - is 1Blocker for Safari.

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/1blocker-for-safari/id1365531024


1Blocker is highly configurable - and crucially does not rely upon an external proxy-service of dubious provenance. All processing takes place on your device - and contrary to expectations, Safari will run faster and more efficiently. 


Unwanted content is not simply filtered after download (a technique used by basic/inferior products), but instead undesirable embedded content blocked form download. A further benefit on metered services, such as cellular connections where you data may be capped or chargeable, this not only improves speed but also saves you money.


When using a good quality Content blocker, a high proportion of otherwise inescapable risk when using your Safari browser, or linking to external sources from email, is effectively mitigated before it even reaches you.


There are additional protections that can enhance protection further, such as using one of the better Recursive DNS Services in preference to automatic DNS settings. This can either be set on a per-device basis in Settings, or can be set-up on your home Router. I recommend using one of the following services, for which IPv4 ad IPv6 server address are included here:


Quad9 (recommended)

9.9.9.9

149.112.112.112

2620:fe::fe

2620:fe::9


OpenDNS

208.67.222.222

208.67.220.220

2620:0:ccc::2

2620:0:ccd::2


Cloudflare+APNIC

1.1.1.1

1.0.0.1

2606:4700:4700::1111

2606:4700:4700::1001


Use of the above DNS services will help to shield you from “known bad” websites and URLs - and when used alongside 1Blocker, provides defense in depth.


I hope this reassurance and guidance proves to be helpful in resolving any issues with suspect malware and malicious websites.

3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

May 9, 2022 10:37 AM in response to lillooet2022

What leads you to believe that your iPad has been infected with malware?


Providing that you have not attempted to jailbreak your device - or have bypassed protections by side-loading third-Apps (if you don’t know what this is, then don’t worry about it), then it is highly unlikely that your device will actually have been infected with a virus or other malware.


However, there is one potential source of immediate issues with your iPad that you may need to check - this being for a vulnerability that is often exploited that gives the appearance of a malware infection. This involves your iPad/iPhone Calendar - the symptom being your Calendar appearing to have been populated with regular events that warn of malware infection.



Calendar Infection


Whilst not a malware infection in the traditional sense, if this exploit is observed on your device, it is highly probable that you were manipulated (via a simple click on a website link) into “subscribing” an additional (unwanted) Calendar to your device - and this unexpected Calendar is exposing unwanted calendar events and sending you unexpected “adverts” or other warnings. 


If you see this issue, you’ll need to check for what’s out of place...

iOS/iPadOS13 and earlier: Settings > Passwords and Accounts

iOS/iPadOS14: Settings > Calendar > Accounts


Look for an “account” that shouldn’t be in the list of accounts - as this will likely include the Calendar that contains all the unwanted events. When/if you find the suspect account, tap - then select Delete Account. This should resolve this specific problem in its entirety.



Malware


Most alerts that you see are pop-up messages from websites - these being designed to scare the unwary into giving away sensitive information - or to fool you into doing something that you shouldn’t.


Due to the system architecture of iOS/iPadOS, unless jailbroken, your iPad is not susceptible to traditional malware infection per-se. However, as with all computer systems, there are still vulnerabilities and exploits to which you remain at risk.


Browser-based attacks can largely be mitigated by installing a good, trusted, Content and Ad-blocking product. One of the very best and most respected within the Apple App Store - designed for iPad, iPhone and Mac - is 1Blocker for Safari.

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/1blocker-for-safari/id1365531024


1Blocker is highly configurable - and crucially does not rely upon an external proxy-service of dubious provenance. All processing takes place on your device - and contrary to expectations, Safari will run faster and more efficiently. 


Unwanted content is not simply filtered after download (a technique used by basic/inferior products), but instead undesirable embedded content blocked form download. A further benefit on metered services, such as cellular connections where you data may be capped or chargeable, this not only improves speed but also saves you money.


When using a good quality Content blocker, a high proportion of otherwise inescapable risk when using your Safari browser, or linking to external sources from email, is effectively mitigated before it even reaches you.


There are additional protections that can enhance protection further, such as using one of the better Recursive DNS Services in preference to automatic DNS settings. This can either be set on a per-device basis in Settings, or can be set-up on your home Router. I recommend using one of the following services, for which IPv4 ad IPv6 server address are included here:


Quad9 (recommended)

9.9.9.9

149.112.112.112

2620:fe::fe

2620:fe::9


OpenDNS

208.67.222.222

208.67.220.220

2620:0:ccc::2

2620:0:ccd::2


Cloudflare+APNIC

1.1.1.1

1.0.0.1

2606:4700:4700::1111

2606:4700:4700::1001


Use of the above DNS services will help to shield you from “known bad” websites and URLs - and when used alongside 1Blocker, provides defense in depth.


I hope this reassurance and guidance proves to be helpful in resolving any issues with suspect malware and malicious websites.

May 9, 2022 10:51 AM in response to lillooet2022

What makes you believe that your old iPad "got infected with a Trojan horse 'virus'"...? It's IMPOSSIBLE for iOS/iPadOS to become infected with anything - unless it's jailbroken. Did you jailbreak your old iPad...? iOS/iPadOS are completely closed systems.


What, exactly, do you mean by it "destroyed my iPad" - what happened to your old iPad...? What "chip" are you talking about - do you mean the SIM card...? Is it a wifi + cellular model?


I can assure you that, whatever happened to it, it wasn't destroyed by a Trojan horse (a Trojan horse isn't a virus; it is malware which misleads the user of its true intent. Although its payload could be anything (like a virus), these days, Trojan horses usually act as a backdoor, contacting a controller which then gains control of the affected computer ( a backdoor is a covert means of bypassing the computer's security)). Trojan horses don't destroy computers (that said, they're often used to deploy a ransomware attack, which won't destroy the target computer, just its data if the ransom isn't paid)).


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_horse_(computing)

May 9, 2022 11:02 AM in response to NoctuaAthene

NoctuaAthene wrote:

What makes you believe that your old iPad "got infected with a Trojan horse 'virus'"...? It's IMPOSSIBLE for iOS/iPadOS to become infected with anything - unless it's jailbroken. Did you jailbreak your old iPad...? iOS/iPadOS are completely closed systems.


Untrue.


Be wary of the often repeated myth that Apple devices are immune to malware; those that perpetuate this falacy do not understand or comprehend the broader threat landscape. Consider that if the myth (and over-generalisation) were true, Apple would not expend considerable resources, as they do, in developing and issuing regular software security updates and patches for its products.


This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

I have an ipad that got infected with a trojan horse virus, by transfering the chip will this trojan virus also go to the new i pad?

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