I opened a e-mail from my frind on my Ipad. Come to find out my friends e-mail was hacked into and a e-mail was sent out to everyone on his email list. It was a email for some pills. Any chance that my Ipad now has a virus???

No - it's impossible - see below...


Apple took the decision to 'sandbox' the programs (apps) in the iPad. This means that apps have only a very limited ability to interact - and this interaction is *absolutely* controlled by the operating system (iOS). So if you tried to write a 'virus' program for the iPad it would have no effect, because it couldn't interact with any other program or the operating system.

That, inevitably, has other consequences and places restrictions on what programs can do. In Windows, for example, applications (programs) can interact and this can be very useful. So some (clever) programmers found a way to 'jail break' the iPad and remove this restriction (effectively 'jailbreaking' means your iPad can 'run' non-Apple approved apps from the Cydia website, where they make such non-approved apps available). They can now run 'unauthorised' apps on the iPad that 'take advantage' of the removal of this restriction. The downside - technically a 'jail broken' iPad could be vunerable to viruses.

But don't worry - a 'regular' (non jail broken) iPad is not vunerable to any 'viruses' that a deviant programmer might write to 'infect' a jail broken iPad. So your IT manager need have no worries - if your iPads are not 'jailbroken' they are absolutely safe from viruses.

Basically, if you accept the restrictions that Apple place on your iPad and don't jail break, you're completely safe - a virus cannot 'infect' you.

Additionally, any 'app' that a normal (non-jail broken) iPad can download will have been thoroughly checked and approved by Apple, so could not contain any malevolent code...

OK - I'll get 'hacked' by the iPad 'jail breakers' - sorry for the 'pun' but, basically, you're safe.

Apple have a number of 'white papers' and other documents on their web site that address this issue if you'd like the links...

Tim

Originally Posted by Tim SPRACKLEN

No - it's impossible - see below...

Apple took the decision to 'sandbox' the programs (apps) in the iPad. This means that apps have only a very limited ability to interact - and this interaction is *absolutely* controlled by the operating system (iOS). So if you tried to write a 'virus' program for the iPad it would have no effect, because it couldn't interact with any other program or the operating system.

That, inevitably, has other consequences and places restrictions on what programs can do. In Windows, for example, applications (programs) can interact and this can be very useful. So some (clever) programmers found a way to 'jail break' the iPad and remove this restriction (effectively 'jailbreaking' means your iPad can 'run' non-Apple approved apps from the Cydia website, where they make such non-approved apps available). They can now run 'unauthorised' apps on the iPad that 'take advantage' of the removal of this restriction. The downside - technically a 'jail broken' iPad could be vunerable to viruses.

But don't worry - a 'regular' (non jail broken) iPad is not vunerable to any 'viruses' that a deviant programmer might write to 'infect' a jail broken iPad. So your IT manager need have no worries - if your iPads are not 'jailbroken' they are absolutely safe from viruses.

Basically, if you accept the restrictions that Apple place on your iPad and don't jail break, you're completely safe - a virus cannot 'infect' you.

Additionally, any 'app' that a normal (non-jail broken) iPad can download will have been thoroughly checked and approved by Apple, so could not contain any malevolent code...

OK - I'll get 'hacked' by the iPad 'jail breakers' - sorry for the 'pun' but, basically, you're safe.

Apple have a number of 'white papers' and other documents on their web site that address this issue if you'd like the links...

Tim

Nice job Tim!
But, even if you jailbreak, and install nothing onto mail, it still can't give you a virus. The mail app is sandboxed.
But anyway, great explanation.

thanks. My Ipad is not "jailbreaked".

In addition to what Tim posted, the virus would have to be compatible with your iPad to do any damage to it. That is either very rare or non-existent right now. Regular ol' PC viruses won't run on it, although in the future somebody could come up with one I'm sure.

My iPad send out emails all the time that are not from me. It says at the bottom sent from my iPad. Anyway, if my iPad is off, they dont get sent. If my iPad is on, they get sent. I keep getting the email back saying that "such and such" unable to send.

Any ideas?

Originally Posted by Breezss

My iPad send out emails all the time that are not from me. It says at the bottom sent from my iPad. Anyway, if my iPad is off, they dont get sent. If my iPad is on, they get sent. I keep getting the email back saying that "such and such" unable to send.

Any ideas?

Do you have an autoreply setup like on an exchange server where it's saying you're on vacation, and you sent the original email to your self?

VicoPad addict!

Originally Posted by mikescott1976

I opened a e-mail from my frind on my Ipad. Come to find out my friends e-mail was hacked into and a e-mail was sent out to everyone on his email list. It was a email for some pills. Any chance that my Ipad now has a virus???

Was it per chance Hotmail?
My sister got that on her Hotmail account and it sent to everyone in her address book. Even though she hasn't used her Hotmail in months someone sent an email to her from Hotmail that was infected and it went from there. She has a Mac fwiw. I found out it was a virus before opening in my regular email because it sent to my vtext.com email address, which is a texting address, so it showed up as a text on my phone with a link. I texted her back on her phone number instead of replying to the text from her Hotmail and she said she had not sent it.
It can't infect your address book on your ipad but don't open any email away from your ipad titled "hi!", "hey there ", etc, even if you know the sender.

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Originally Posted by Breezss

My iPad send out emails all the time that are not from me. It says at the bottom sent from my iPad. Anyway, if my iPad is off, they dont get sent. If my iPad is on, they get sent. I keep getting the email back saying that "such and such" unable to send.

Any ideas?

The iPad mail app CAN be used by applications running on your iPad to send out email. It will look as though you sent it manually, it will appear in your outbox as regular outgoing mail, and it will be sent using the default email address and signature on your iPad.

You must have something installed that is sending email...

-t

Well I loaded that app from Mac app world and ran it. There were 8 viruses on it it said. We will see in the next few days if that took care of the problem. Thanks for the help

Sheila