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Why doesn't iOS get viruses?

The question was posed to me by a Norton Support Agent.


Why doesn't iOS get viruses?

iPad 2, iOS 5.1.1, iPad 3 gen 64 GB, 4G

Posted on Aug 8, 2012 8:39 PM

Reply
13 replies

Aug 9, 2012 5:46 AM in response to Willie rom Boulder

Viruses, by definition, spread themselves by propogating across an operating system, compromising program after program. SInce the iPad doesn't allow apps to talk to each other, without direct intervention from the user, viruses can't spread on the iPad. In addition, 'normal' virus files are written for different operating systems and literally don't speak the language that the iPad understands.

Aug 9, 2012 5:55 AM in response to Willie rom Boulder

Norton, as well as its competitors, salivate like Pavlov's Dog at the mere speculation of viruses for iOS (and Mac OS, for that matter). But the bottom line is that they have no product to offer that makes either system more secure. Particularly with iOS, it's core design and that fact that the user MUST take a specific, and heavily controlled action, to install ANYTHING on it provides a level of security they cannot match.

Aug 25, 2016 4:28 PM in response to Rudegar

Here's one: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/26/technology/apple-software-vulnerability-ios-pa tch.html?_r=1

Here's technical analysis if you're interested:

https://www.lookout.com/trident-pegasus-enterprise-discovery?utm_source=blog&utm _medium=blog&utm_article=tridentlearnmore&utm_region=us&utm_segment=ent&utm_camp aign=trident


Granted Apple has patched it. Who knows how many more vulnerabilities still remain a secret. If you think an operating systems can be immune, you're really naive.

Aug 25, 2016 5:13 PM in response to LivingAimlessly

Strictly speaking, a zero day exploit is not a virus, it is a security vulnerability that may be used to insert malware or virus software, but the exploit itself is not a virus. The exploit is a weakness in the operating system with previously unknown and unintended functionality.


Of course any operating system, unless it is run in complete isolation from any and all outside connections, is theoretically vulnerable. iOS and OS X have historically shown themselves to be highly unlikely to become infected in normal real-world daily use. With iOS that is largely due to the sandboxed nature of the OS design. In OS X it is largely due to the application of a strict(er) permissions model that requires explicit admin permissions for many things, including any software installations.


IMO, Windows main problem historically has been that it has inherently been a highly permissive operating system, so software could run rampant without any input at all from the user or admin. This was argued to be favorable for user friendliness and usability, but it inherently made Windows a much more easily exploited target than other operating systems with a stricter permissions system. Note that almost all OS X vulnerabilities that have made it in to the wild have still involved actual naive user intervertion, with users entering their admin password to install or run downloaded content. And also note that WIndows 10 is moving towards a more restrictive permissions model out of the box (although still has a lot of catching up to do to eqaul the out of the box security of OS X or Linux/UNIX).

Jan 30, 2017 12:19 AM in response to ShagCA

I guess what's important is 'how easy' it is to run malicious software is what's most important. It's difficult to hack iOS, that's why they pay a lot of money to those who discover exploits. Basically, you don't have anything to worry about unless your someone on the 'Blacklist'. Whereas Android has literally zero security measures lol.

Why doesn't iOS get viruses?

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