"Apple security center" message on iPad
this came up on my iPad
it has shut my iPad down
[Personal Information Edited by Moderator]
iPad Air, iOS 12
Question marked as
Scam.
See >>> Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support
Don’t respond to, or engage with, the message. Certainly do not, under any circumstances, attempt to contact anyone using the contact details that may have been provided.
Alerts of this nature are designed to scare the unwary into giving away sensitive information - or to fool you into doing something that you shouldn’t - usually to defraud you financially.
If you suspect that your AppleID has been compromised, follow the advice outlined here:
If you think your Apple ID has been compromised - Apple Support
In more detail…
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 have been infected with a virus or other 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, 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 Content and Ad-blocking product. For devices capable of update to iOS/iPadOS 14.2 or later, one of the very best and most respected within the Apple App Store - designed for iPad and iPhone - 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 from download. 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 a security focused DNS Service in preference to automatic DNS settings - this measure being available for all devices, Apple or otherwise. 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
2620:119:35::35
2620:119:53::53
Cloudflare
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.
