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How do I clear possible browser malware on an iPad?

I am new to iOS, so please bear with me if my question seems a bit ignorant…


I recently purchased an iPad Mini 3 (LTE model)—it's running iOS 8.3.

Today I clicked on a seemingly legitimate website using Safari—I happened to be using private browsing mode at the time—and apparently hit some type of phishing attack. My iPad's screen immediately turned grey, and a pop-up appeared congratulating me for winning a prize and asking me to click "okay" to confirm the prize. The pop-up also correctly identified my mobile service provider. I did not touch the pop-up. Instead, I followed my first instinct, double-clicked the iPad's home button, and tried to close Safari by swiping it upwards. When I reopened Safari, the grey screen and the pop-up were still present. I then went to my settings app and pushed the "Clear History and Website Data" button; this action seemingly solved the problem. I subsequently reported the offending website to Google as a phishing site.


Two things concern me about this incident:

First, how was this malware able to determine the identity of my mobile ISP?

Second, is there any danger that additional malware or spyware was installed into either my browser or my iPad, even though I did not click "okay"?


What should be my next course of action?

Is it necessary to change the password connected to my Apple ID and the two other email accounts that are installed on this tablet?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated…

iPad Mini, iOS 8.3, 64 GB LTE

Posted on Apr 25, 2015 7:04 PM

Reply
3 replies

Apr 25, 2015 7:16 PM in response to Jshewa

Nothing to be concerned about here. You did all the right things. It's just a web page re-direct. It is not possible for it to install anything, malicious or not, on your iPad that is not coming from the App Store. There are no viruses on iOS. Just don't be tempted to jail brake your devic.

Apr 25, 2015 7:54 PM in response to Rysz

Thanks Ethan7988 and Rysz.


Am I alright on the browser/cloud end of things?

As a long-time user of various Google products—both hardware and software—I am very aware of browser-based adware and malware. Can any such malicious software be inserted into the Safari browser or its installed search engines? If so, what steps should be taken to remove it?

How do I clear possible browser malware on an iPad?

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