Link redirect to App Store

Question

Level 1

5 points

Link redirect to App Store

When clicking on legit links within Facebook or Safari, and while using legit sites like Shutterfly or trying to use a legit search box on a common shopping site, I am randomly redirected instead to the App Store, and I never get to see the intended link or type in the search box or whatever. It's like there's something over-laying invisibly, and it's as if I'm clicking inadvertently a viral-acting link instead of what I intend to tap. To my knowledge, I have not downloaded any foolish apps (at least I hope I'm not being mislead by "honest" companies), and this has been happening for a week. The problem is that it's also happening on my Windows 7 laptop, and I'm afraid that backing up my iphone on it has either caused the "virus" to go to my iPhone or vice versa. Either way, can anyone help? Is this happening to anyone else? I have deleted my Facebook and social media apps and even some others, and would delete Safari if I could. I've deleted all of the browsing data and cookies I could find on my iPhone, and it's still happening if I try to use Safari to test it out.

What else do you need to know to help?

Posted on Jun 27, 2014 9:21 PM

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Answer 1

thomas_r.

Level 7

31,989 points

Jun 28, 2014 3:18 AM in response to ald13

If you're having the same problem on both a Windows laptop and an iPad, either the sites in question have been hacked in the same way, or your network itself has been compromised somehow. I'd guess that you probably have a wireless router that has been hacked. See:

How to manage a hacked wireless router

There is no known malware capable of infecting an iPad that hasn't been jailbroken (ie, hacked to allow apps from outside the App Store). Besides which, there's no malware at all capable of infecting both an iPad and a Windows machine. So it's not possible that this is being caused by malware.

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Answer 2

ald13 Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 11, 2014 8:36 PM in response to thomas_r.

Somehow I missed this reply but I did figure out that I needed to change my DNS settings, which I did on all of my devices and router, although I just saw someone mention changing it in the modem too but I don't know how to do that. Thank you for your reply!

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