Is It Possible To Get A Trojan Virus on My iPad?

Q: How do I remove a Trojan virus from my iPad 2?

A: I’ve never heard of anyone getting a Trojan virus on his or her iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch, as long as the iDevice is still locked into Apple’s control. There are cases where those who have jailbroken their iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch download an app from a third-party jailbreaking site (a site other than Cydia’s recommended apps) and ends up installing a virus. Australian jailbreakers found themselves with a virus on their iDevices about two or three years ago, so it is possible to get viruses on your iDevices. If you’re getting popup message on Safari, Check this Simple Virus/Aware iPad Removal.

With that said, however, you may be seeing a message that tells you that you have a virus. I have seen the same messages, except that they were on an Android smartphone while surfing on T-Mobile’s 4G LTE network on a site based in India. In this situation, however, the problem was malware at the site I visited, a site that was recommended by Google, nonetheless. I was told at the time to contact the site by email and tell them that they have malware on their site. I would recommend for you, however, some steps to help you detect if you have a virus.

First, I would suggest that you send yourself an email to your email account, then check it on another device such as a laptop or desktop PC. If you have an antivirus program set up on your laptop, it will help things a lot. If you have a Trojan virus, then it’s likely to be detected by Google (if you use Gmail), and your own antivirus program on your laptop.

If neither of these sources detect a Trojan virus, then there’s one other way to check your iPad: send an email from your iPad to someone you know, and have them run his or her antivirus program from a laptop or PC to see if their program detects a virus. What I was told by a Best Buy representative when I purchased my Apple MacBook Pro in 2011 is that, while Apple’s sandboxing app technique prevents viruses from clawing through your precious documents and apps, you can, however, send viruses to other individuals who do not have Apple computers. Of course, Trojan viruses have spread before on Apple computers, but no such statement yet on an iPad.

Last but not least, it could be the case that you’re seeing nothing more than a Trojan virus scam. The scam works by sending you a pop-up message that says “You have a Trojan virus,” all to get you to download whatever it is that they’re promoting. The problem is that, once you download the file, you’ve downloaded malware onto your device. At that point, it’s no telling what the malware can do to your device. If this happens to you, take a screenshot of the pop-up message and attach it to your email when you contact the site. Having a screenshot handy is an excellent way to prove your encounter without the site writing back and saying, “It must be a virus on your device.”

I hope this advice helps. If not, you can always defer to a local statement about viruses and malware at the link provided.