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iPhone keeps redirecting to spam websites

When I go to a news website I keep getting redirected to http://nljpergeriihrgerg.arotrk.com/. How can I stop this?


It's also happening on my wife's ipad4 and iPhone 5s.



​[Re-Titled by Host]

iPad Pro Wi-Fi + Cellular, iOS 10.3.3

Posted on Sep 19, 2017 3:36 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Sep 26, 2017 10:24 AM

Hi all,


I am pleased to join this thread as I have been experiencing this redirect issue for the past 10 days and I have tried any possible step to fix it but unfortunately this browser redirect still occurs. I don’t know the risk level of this redirect issue (pure adware, malware, ransomware). I have spent tons of hours on this issue so I will jot down anything that can be helpful.


First of all I have noticed that this browser redirects only happens on sites that have ads in it. So far I have had this issue with Italian online newspapers (repubblica.it , gazzetta.it , corriere.it) and some forums such as tomsguide.com . I These are pages I normally visit and I never had any issue in the past. All of these sites have ads in their webpages and maybe this is one of the roots that triggers this issue. If I surf on pages such as Wikipedia, Apple website or other pages that do not have ads in them the browser isn’t redirected.


I would also like to point out that so far the issue only happened on iPhone or iPad, none of the desktop devices connected to my network have been impacted (i.e. laptop that runs windows 7). Besides, the redirect occurs regardless of the ways the devices are connected online (wi-fi or 4G).


Having said so, I will point out all the steps of the issue, the devices impacted and the troubleshooting I have done so far:



Issue

- While surfing the internet Safari redirects to the incriminated site mentioned in this thread

- If I click on the backwards button to go back to the page I was visiting I am redirected again to a page normally happyrewards.org but lately I have been redirected to other pages

- The page displays a message saying that I have won a Tesco Voucher or I have been selected to test a new iPhone X or I have won one of the new iPhones

- In order to get rid of this I need to close the browser


Devices impacted:

- Ipad Mini 4 (iOS 10.3.3 and the upgraded to iOS 11)

- Two Iphones SE (iOS 10.3.3)


Troubleshooting:


- Closed browser, turned on flight mode and deleted cache and cookies from Safari > Issue persists

- Reset network settings > Issue persists

- Erase all settings > Problems persists

- Erase all content and settings > Problem persists

- Reset the iPad via iTunes and installed new operating system > Problem persists

- Deleted all the iPhones and iPad iCloud back-ups from iCloud > Problem persists

- Downloaded Opera and Chrome > Problem persists

- Surfed with Private mode on > Problem persists

- I have tried all the above mentioned steps one more time and tried to connect to a different Wi-Fi from a different router > Problem persists

- Reset router > Problem persists


When the redirect doesn’t happen

- Java script turned off and Block all cookies activated (obviously, the pages do not load correctly).

- Surfing pages without ads


Yesterday I have left my iPad to the Apple reseller I bought if from for some diagnostic and they advised me that they have never experienced such issue. They said that once you wipe out everything from the iPad and reinstall everything then the redirect should disappear. I am still waiting for their response on the diagnostic tests. In the meanwhile, I have also got in touch with Apple and opened a case accordingly. I have also checked with my internet provider and they said that everything looks ok.



At this stage I don’t know what could be the steps to solve this issue.


My unsolved questions are the following:



- Can this be a case of DNS poisoning?

- Can somebody control the devices remotely through a hidden Java script or flash script?

- Is it possible that one of the devices on the network has an adware software installed and this is controlling the other devices that at one stage shared the same connection?

- Will a site blacklist solve this issue?

- At a stage the impacted devices have been connected to the same Wi-Fi and exchanged Facebook messages or normal messages. Can this be the reason why the issue occurs on all these devices?



Options:


- Should we report these websites to Google?

- Can Apple jump in and add a patch or something to the operating system to fix this?


If you type the incriminated URL in Google you will come across threads external to this Apple forum where the issue is flagged. In most of the cases the issue happened in the past 15-30 days, so I guess this might be kind of new and there are other people affected.



P.S. I have also noticed that when I surf the sites that trigger this issue, and I check the cookies in the Website Data (Settings>Safari>Advanced>Website Data) I notice a large amount of Ad cookies.


Please get back to this thread so that we can share as much information as possible to solve this issue.


Thanks

39 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Sep 26, 2017 10:24 AM in response to LesLeaf

Hi all,


I am pleased to join this thread as I have been experiencing this redirect issue for the past 10 days and I have tried any possible step to fix it but unfortunately this browser redirect still occurs. I don’t know the risk level of this redirect issue (pure adware, malware, ransomware). I have spent tons of hours on this issue so I will jot down anything that can be helpful.


First of all I have noticed that this browser redirects only happens on sites that have ads in it. So far I have had this issue with Italian online newspapers (repubblica.it , gazzetta.it , corriere.it) and some forums such as tomsguide.com . I These are pages I normally visit and I never had any issue in the past. All of these sites have ads in their webpages and maybe this is one of the roots that triggers this issue. If I surf on pages such as Wikipedia, Apple website or other pages that do not have ads in them the browser isn’t redirected.


I would also like to point out that so far the issue only happened on iPhone or iPad, none of the desktop devices connected to my network have been impacted (i.e. laptop that runs windows 7). Besides, the redirect occurs regardless of the ways the devices are connected online (wi-fi or 4G).


Having said so, I will point out all the steps of the issue, the devices impacted and the troubleshooting I have done so far:



Issue

- While surfing the internet Safari redirects to the incriminated site mentioned in this thread

- If I click on the backwards button to go back to the page I was visiting I am redirected again to a page normally happyrewards.org but lately I have been redirected to other pages

- The page displays a message saying that I have won a Tesco Voucher or I have been selected to test a new iPhone X or I have won one of the new iPhones

- In order to get rid of this I need to close the browser


Devices impacted:

- Ipad Mini 4 (iOS 10.3.3 and the upgraded to iOS 11)

- Two Iphones SE (iOS 10.3.3)


Troubleshooting:


- Closed browser, turned on flight mode and deleted cache and cookies from Safari > Issue persists

- Reset network settings > Issue persists

- Erase all settings > Problems persists

- Erase all content and settings > Problem persists

- Reset the iPad via iTunes and installed new operating system > Problem persists

- Deleted all the iPhones and iPad iCloud back-ups from iCloud > Problem persists

- Downloaded Opera and Chrome > Problem persists

- Surfed with Private mode on > Problem persists

- I have tried all the above mentioned steps one more time and tried to connect to a different Wi-Fi from a different router > Problem persists

- Reset router > Problem persists


When the redirect doesn’t happen

- Java script turned off and Block all cookies activated (obviously, the pages do not load correctly).

- Surfing pages without ads


Yesterday I have left my iPad to the Apple reseller I bought if from for some diagnostic and they advised me that they have never experienced such issue. They said that once you wipe out everything from the iPad and reinstall everything then the redirect should disappear. I am still waiting for their response on the diagnostic tests. In the meanwhile, I have also got in touch with Apple and opened a case accordingly. I have also checked with my internet provider and they said that everything looks ok.



At this stage I don’t know what could be the steps to solve this issue.


My unsolved questions are the following:



- Can this be a case of DNS poisoning?

- Can somebody control the devices remotely through a hidden Java script or flash script?

- Is it possible that one of the devices on the network has an adware software installed and this is controlling the other devices that at one stage shared the same connection?

- Will a site blacklist solve this issue?

- At a stage the impacted devices have been connected to the same Wi-Fi and exchanged Facebook messages or normal messages. Can this be the reason why the issue occurs on all these devices?



Options:


- Should we report these websites to Google?

- Can Apple jump in and add a patch or something to the operating system to fix this?


If you type the incriminated URL in Google you will come across threads external to this Apple forum where the issue is flagged. In most of the cases the issue happened in the past 15-30 days, so I guess this might be kind of new and there are other people affected.



P.S. I have also noticed that when I surf the sites that trigger this issue, and I check the cookies in the Website Data (Settings>Safari>Advanced>Website Data) I notice a large amount of Ad cookies.


Please get back to this thread so that we can share as much information as possible to solve this issue.


Thanks

Sep 24, 2017 12:47 PM in response to anger232

I checked it as well:

1) the redirection happens if:

Are you blocking all cookies? No/Yes

Are you using Private browsing? No/Yes

Is JavaScript disabled? No


2) the redirection does not happen if:

Are you blocking all cookies? No/Yes

Are you using Private browsing? No/Yes

Is JavaScript disabled? Yes


If JavaScript is disabled most of the news sites won't work properly because they use AMP to load the images and other dynamic content, it's not an option to do this.

Sep 24, 2017 1:04 PM in response to Diana.McCall

I forgot to mention that this doesn't happen on my Windows laptop, using my iPhone as hotspot to connect to Internet, and when visiting the same sites there's no redirection, although the Windows llaptop has antivirus and firewall.

In my iPhone I don't have antivirus, no specific firewall settings, no VPN, and no special DNS.

The redirection started to happen around 10 days ago.

Sep 25, 2017 11:47 AM in response to LesLeaf

My wife found a solution to this which has worked on both her iPad 4 and my iPad Pro (both are running iOS 11).


1: Clear all the browsing history

2: Reboot the iPad (holding down the on/off switch)

3: Manually type in the website and where the box pops up regarding the websites use of cookies, click ACCEPT


This method has cured the problem on all our devices, hope it’s of some use to everyone else who’s been plagued by this problem.


(the news website in question for us was: express.co.uk)

Sep 25, 2017 12:52 PM in response to LesLeaf

Sorry everyone, shortly after writing last post regarding a possible cure my iPad started redirecting again. The solution I posted does provide a short term solution which may allow you to navigate the site for a short while. In my case, it lasted long enough to be able to contact express.co.uk and report the tech issue. Will post any solution if it becomes available.

Sep 26, 2017 11:25 AM in response to Diana.McCall

Just checked my settings, limit Adtracking was already switched on.


It‘s worth noting that this issue manifests itself differently on each device. For instance, my iPhone 5c doesn’t have this issue at all. On my iPad Pro, it only happens on express.co.uk. On my wife’s iPad 4 it happens on dailyecho.co.uk, bournemouthecho.co.uk, express.co.uk, independent.ie, irishmirror.ie. It also happened on the Pinterest app. Her iPhone 5s had all the same issues.


Sky News is NOT a problem on any of these devices.


One last thing, the issue can be intermittent. For instance, after the browsing history is cleared and ipad is rebooted, and cookies are accepted, things work for a short while, but then it’s back to redirecting.


Might be worth checking the difference between all the news websites mentioned and Sky News (news.sky.com).

Sep 26, 2017 11:52 AM in response to LesLeaf

Hi all,



Limit Adtracking is switched on for me as well. I was over the phone with Apple care and we checked the settings. I had the same issue on independet.ie and irishmirror.ie in the past days. It happens way more often on the iPad than on the iPhone. So as soon as I get it back from the Apple center I will give it another try.


I agree that after the browsing history is cleared and ipad is rebooted, and cookies are accepted, things work for a short while, but then it’s back to redirecting.


As soon as I have more information or as soon as the issue comes back, I will update this thread.


@Diana.McCall: I doubt it is something we are doing as today when the issue occurred, I checked all the settings of the phone and compared them with those of a friend who has the same phone. We went on the same page and I had the issue, while he hadn't.


This redirect issue is becoming a brain teaser for me.

Sep 26, 2017 1:58 PM in response to LesLeaf

Apparently, you did not understand my suggestion.

I suspect that Limit Ad Tracking is the cause of your problems. I sends a zero value for the unique device identifier, and those tracking servers are not handling it well. Try turning off Limit Ad Tracking, and see if it solves the problem. If that works, then you can decide if you wish to continue using those new sites.

Sep 26, 2017 2:33 PM in response to Diana.McCall

What I think is that you don't want to understand the issue.

All of us were using national news websites all around the world, and without changing any setting we started to get redirected to the same website.

It's very obvious that this is some sort of virus that affects iPhone and iPad devices.

Since today the Spanish news websites don't have the redirection problem when accessing from my iPhone, so I guess they've fix the virus in the JavaScript code.

iPhone keeps redirecting to spam websites

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