Derek1952
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: SAFARI VIRUS

My iPad Safari has a virus rendering everything useless. I can find no recent comments about this anywhere on the internet. This is also rather strange as I doubt that I have been singled out by this virus. No help from Apple whatsoever (you have to pay for a support call).

 

What's going on here? There is no anti-virus or any way that I know to fix this issue. The virus was there before AND after a recent ios upgrade, so I doubt that there is an easy re-boot fix.

 

This is a pop-up screen virus that disables everything else in safari. The usual "you have won a new Apple iPad" nonsense.

 

I cannot believe that Apple are NOT AWARE of this - but it seems that they are choosing to ignore it. Not a good policy.

 

Does anyone in the community know about this, and how to fix it, and prevent it happening again? I have NO IDEA how to fix this. If it was a PC, I could fix it in a jiffy.

 

Hmm, Apple has viruses, and no anti-virus software. Really? I think if I owned any shares I'd be thinking about off-loading them by now.

iPhone 5, iOS 6.0.2

Posted on Jul 14, 2015 9:19 PM

by ShagCA,Solvedanswer
ShagCA ShagCA
Level 4 (2,532 points)
iPad
A:

Check your router. It may have been broken into and it's now serving ads and web redirects.

This may help: http://www.thesafemac.com/how-to-manage-a-hacked-wireless-router/

Posted on Jul 15, 2015 8:51 AM

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Derek1952

Q: SAFARI VIRUS

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Niel,

    Niel Niel Jul 14, 2015 9:22 PM in response to Derek1952
    Level 10 (314,422 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 14, 2015 9:22 PM in response to Derek1952

    Click here and follow the instructions in the first paragraph of the last section.

     

    (130244)

  • by ChrisJ4203,

    ChrisJ4203 ChrisJ4203 Jul 14, 2015 9:23 PM in response to Derek1952
    Level 9 (59,779 points)
    iPhone
    Jul 14, 2015 9:23 PM in response to Derek1952

    Unless your iPad has been jailbroken, you do not have a virus. That is why you cannot find any recent comments on the internet. What you do have, is adware, usually from a java script on a bad website. Disconnect the device from the internet, usually by turning off Wi-Fi. Double-tap the home button to bring up the multi-tasking bar and swipe upwards on the thumbnail for Safari to force closed the app. Then go into Settings>Safari>Clear History and Website Data. Now you can turn Wi-Fi back on and connect again. Your problem should be corrected.

  • by Derek1952,

    Derek1952 Derek1952 Jul 14, 2015 9:44 PM in response to Niel
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 14, 2015 9:44 PM in response to Niel

    Thanks - but .. I tried again (another twice). Followed instructions exactly as described. No go. Maybe without JavaScript but the web is pretty useless with that these days. And even news sites complain if you don't accept cookies. I must have the new-improved adware, and the sites that I connect to are pretty mainstream (e.g. this is happening with Google News). Doesn't happen on Windows with safari or any other browser.

  • by Derek1952,

    Derek1952 Derek1952 Jul 14, 2015 9:57 PM in response to ChrisJ4203
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 14, 2015 9:57 PM in response to ChrisJ4203

    Same response as per Neil. Now I have tried it all over again 3 times. WiFi off - clear history, cookies off - everything off except JavaScript - back to Google News - same issue.

     

    The iPad is not "jailbroken", but I think "virus" is a pretty good term for this. Where is this java script lurking? It must be the iPad.

  • by Briansyddall,

    Briansyddall Briansyddall Jul 15, 2015 12:37 AM in response to Derek1952
    Level 6 (9,330 points)
    Apple Watch
    Jul 15, 2015 12:37 AM in response to Derek1952

    Hi

    You also need to update your software to 8.4ios

    Cheers

    Brian

  • by ShagCA,Solvedanswer

    ShagCA ShagCA Jul 15, 2015 8:51 AM in response to Derek1952
    Level 4 (2,532 points)
    iPad
    Jul 15, 2015 8:51 AM in response to Derek1952

    Check your router. It may have been broken into and it's now serving ads and web redirects.

    This may help: http://www.thesafemac.com/how-to-manage-a-hacked-wireless-router/

  • by ChrisJ4203,Helpful

    ChrisJ4203 ChrisJ4203 Jul 15, 2015 9:07 AM in response to Derek1952
    Level 9 (59,779 points)
    iPhone
    Jul 15, 2015 9:07 AM in response to Derek1952

    Derek1952 wrote:

     

    Same response as per Neil. Now I have tried it all over again 3 times. WiFi off - clear history, cookies off - everything off except JavaScript - back to Google News - same issue.

     

    The iPad is not "jailbroken", but I think "virus" is a pretty good term for this. Where is this java script lurking? It must be the iPad.

    No, virus is not it. But then, you could try turning off Java in Settings>Safari to test. It could be your router as ShagCA mentions, or it is the fault of the website you are visiting.

  • by Derek1952,

    Derek1952 Derek1952 Jul 15, 2015 3:30 PM in response to ShagCA
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 15, 2015 3:30 PM in response to ShagCA

    This is the correct answer.

     

    I connected the iPad via Bluetooth to my iPhone 4GS network and the issue appears to be resolved.

     

    Now I have to find out what/why/how about the router/wi-fi. I have 1 ADSL NetComm NB304N router provided by my ISP (TPG, Australia), and an Apple Wi-Fi Time Capsule. My routers have secure passwords.

     

    Just a quick check so far, but it may be the DNS as suggested. My ADSL router is pointing to 2 rather strange looking DNS IP addresses in Germany.

     

    85.114.135.20 (Primary)

    217.79.182.212

     

    Anyway, thanks for the help.

     

    Does anyone know why these people are allowed to operate with impunity?

  • by Derek1952,

    Derek1952 Derek1952 Jul 15, 2015 7:37 PM in response to Derek1952
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 15, 2015 7:37 PM in response to Derek1952

    Additionally - note that any DNS redirects appear to be specifically targeting iPads. There is a 2nd iPad here - which I now discover was also affected. No MACS or PCs using the router were affected. Other than fixing the DNS (and everything working) - I have had no time to further investigate how the router got hacked. My starting guess would be that the feeble NetComm NB304N is exploitable. It's probably the cheapest, nastiest router that ISPs can sell.