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Do i need an anti virus on my new ipad3

tezza32

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Can any one please advise me I've just brought an ipad3 do I need an anti virus protection on it thanx very much
 

thewitt

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Can any one please advise me I've just brought an ipad3 do I need an anti virus protection on it thanx very much

No. Your iPad cannot be infected by a virus or malware.
 

Mini_mi

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Actually it could be infected just like any electronic device. Now the likelihood of it happening is slim due to Apple's tight control on software. If you were to jail break your IPad, your chances of infection go up.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 

scifan57

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Mini_mi said:
Actually it could be infected just like any electronic device. Now the likelihood of it happening is slim due to Apple's tight control on software. If you were to jail break your IPad, your chances of infection go up.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

It would be more correct to say that there is no virus that has yet been known to infect a stock iPad.
 

mrcupu

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at the moment and it happen only days ago that my ipad 3 shows pop up advertisement for games whenever i play some of my regular games (such as big fish casino and clash of clans advertisement) i don't know how or why it happening but i installed some games before that ads showing up on my gtr racing game (clash of clans ad pop up about once every 3 or 4 races and i think thats too often since a race only takes about 20 seconds) and also during zombie cafe or pucca restaurant would show the big fish casino pop ups.....:thumbsdown:
 

f4780y

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...If you were to jail break your IPad, your chances of infection go up.

Sorry, but I find this statement to be very misleading. Tell me please, in what way are all my devices at a higher risk of infection now, and infection from what exactly?
 

Mickey330

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Ah, but those are ads that are built into the game itself. That's the developer doing that to you, not malicious code found "in the wild" on the Internet.

Of course, it could be argued that it's the same (vicious code) :) - but still, it's two different things.

As to why it would be difficult for the iPad to get a virus - it's because viruses, by definition, spread themselves by compromising program after program on a computer. However, on the iPad, apps can't talk to each other (other than to call forth one using the "Open In..." function). So, since the apps can't talk to each other, unless you specifically ask them to (by using the open function), they can't spread a virus amongst themselves. it's the [in]famous "sandbox" security that Apple has developed.

Then, there is the fact that the only place to get apps is the App Store. Those apps are rigorously vetted to make sure they don't contain malicious code. Granted, one could slip through, but it would be rare (and probably quickly dealt with).

Granted, those of us that jail break don't get our tweaks from the App Store, so there is a bit of "danger" there. However, as long as we stick to the trusted repositories and download only the tweaks that are from reputable coders, we're very safe. If jail breakers were to get malicious code from one of the trusted repositories, the community would be up in arms, same as if it happened at the App Store. So, I'm confident my iPad is just as secure as a stock one.

Of course, if a jail breaker wanders off into the piracy related areas and starts downloading stuff willy-nilly, well then, he or she runs a much greater risk of contamination. But, since I don't like pirates (thieves) anyway - I'm okay with that. :)

Again, as was said, this doesn't mean the iPad can't get a virus or malicious code. It just makes it very difficult. So, for now, we (stock owners and jail breakers alike) are pretty safe.



There, probably more than you though you wanted, eh? :) Hope it helps/clarifies.

Marilyn
 

buerkletucson

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Ah, but those are ads that are built into the game itself. That's the developer doing that to you, not malicious code found "in the wild" on the Internet.

Of course, it could be argued that it's the same (vicious code) :) - but still, it's two different things.

As to why it would be difficult for the iPad to get a virus - it's because viruses, by definition, spread themselves by compromising program after program on a computer. However, on the iPad, apps can't talk to each other (other than to call forth one using the "Open In..." function). So, since the apps can't talk to each other, unless you specifically ask them to (by using the open function), they can't spread a virus amongst themselves. it's the [in]famous "sandbox" security that Apple has developed.

Then, there is the fact that the only place to get apps is the App Store. Those apps are rigorously vetted to make sure they don't contain malicious code. Granted, one could slip through, but it would be rare (and probably quickly dealt with).

Granted, those of us that jail break don't get our tweaks from the App Store, so there is a bit of "danger" there. However, as long as we stick to the trusted repositories and download only the tweaks that are from reputable coders, we're very safe. If jail breakers were to get malicious code from one of the trusted repositories, the community would be up in arms, same as if it happened at the App Store. So, I'm confident my iPad is just as secure as a stock one.

Of course, if a jail breaker wanders off into the piracy related areas and starts downloading stuff willy-nilly, well then, he or she runs a much greater risk of contamination. But, since I don't like pirates (thieves) anyway - I'm okay with that. :)

Again, as was said, this doesn't mean the iPad can't get a virus or malicious code. It just makes it very difficult. So, for now, we (stock owners and jail breakers alike) are pretty safe.



There, probably more than you though you wanted, eh? :) Hope it helps/clarifies.

Marilyn

Thanks for the in-depth information.......
No market for Norton here. :D
 

The OB

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Thanks also Marilyn. All the more reason for liking my iPad. Greater peace of mind than experienced on my PC with its virus software, malware notifications etc.
Regards, Andrew
 

theTimo

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Actually, the App Store doesn't have much to do with the virus threat. Of course the threat would be bigger if there were lots of suspcious apps to be downloaded. But the viruses might as well come along with email and just plain surfing in the web.

I think it's only matter of time that the threat grows to be worth taking care of. The amount of iOS devices is so big already.
 

scifan57

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theTimo said:
Actually, the App Store doesn't have much to do with the virus threat. Of course the threat would be bigger if there were lots of suspcious apps to be downloaded. But the viruses might as well come along with email and just plain surfing in the web.

I think it's only matter of time that the threat grows to be worth taking care of. The amount of iOS devices is so big already.

Even if a virus infected app were to somehow get onto an iPad, it would be prevented from spreading to any other apps by the sandboxed nature of how apps operate on the iPad.
 

f4780y

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Even if a virus infected app were to somehow get onto an iPad, it would be prevented from spreading to any other apps by the sandboxed nature of how apps operate on the iPad.

But of course, a talented virus author would utilise a kernel exploit to gain root access and break out of the sandbox in exactly the same way a jailbreak tool does... There would be little or no point in authoring a virus payload if it was not able to gain root access to the device ;)
He'd also need an exploit to "untether" the virus, otherwise it would cease to operate after a reboot.

The irony is that nobody but Apple would be able to write any kind of effective anti-virus tool, IF a virus was to be written and released into the wild, as a 3rd party tool cannot operate outside of the sandbox!
 
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theTimo

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The irony is that nobody but Apple would be able to write any kind of effective anti-virus tool, IF a virus was to be written and released into the wild, as a 3rd party tool cannot operate outside of the sandbox!

That's noteworthy. And writing such a virus would require just one very unhappy ex-Apple coder (or someone else, of course).
 

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