Do You Need To Use Antivirus On Your iPhone?
Mac users have long assumed that they don’t need antivirus protection for their Apple devices, but that’s no longer true. While iOS and macOS do have their own built-in security features, that doesn’t mean iPhone and iPad users don’t need antivirus protection.
As Apple products get more popular, hackers are increasingly turning their efforts towards writing malware for macOS and iOS. With 5.5 billion malware attacks happening around the world in 2022, and new malware targeting iPhones every day, you can’t afford not to be extra cautious when it comes to the security of your iPhone or iPad.
Hackers Are Writing New Malware for iPhones
It used to be that Apple products weren’t as popular and, since they have a lot more built-in security features than Windows systems, hackers wouldn’t really bother writing viruses and malware for them. But all that has changed. Now iPhones, iPads, and Macs are super popular, and hackers are beginning to recognize – and take advantage of – the potential to target a new category of victims.
Hackers are writing new malware specifically for iPhones, and they’re finding ways around the security features built into iOS. One method they’ve come up with is to forge a developer signature so that the malware looks like a legitimate program to macOS and iOS. You definitely need an antivirus program for your iPhone to protect it from malicious apps.
Hackers can also take advantage of security vulnerabilities in iOS – just like they do with security vulnerabilities in Windows and other operating systems. Security backdoors can remain open for years, giving hackers the ability to target you for theft or surveillance over the long term.
iPhones Are Vulnerable to Phishing Scams
iPhones may be somewhat less vulnerable to viruses than Android phones, but viruses aren’t the only threat out there. There’s trojans, backdoor attacks, worms, ransomware, and more. But what hackers really want is your sensitive information – your birthday and Social Security number, or your bank account login credentials, for example. Hackers targeting iPhone users have figured out that sometimes it’s a lot easier to simply trick the user into giving up the goods themselves.
That’s why you have to be careful to protect yourself from phishing scams, which can land in your email inbox or your social media DMs regardless of what operating system your device runs. You need to learn the signs that you’re being targeted by a phishing scam, but that isn’t enough. You also need to do what you can to cut down on the number of these attacks that reach your eyes, because each time a hacker gets through to you with a phishing message, there’s a small chance that you’ll be taken in and act on the message without thinking to examine it more closely. It only takes one moment of weakness to fall victim to a phishing scam. Most antivirus programs for iPhones and iPads include an email filter to keep these fraudulent messages from reaching you so you don’t have to worry about it.
The Apple App Store Isn’t Safe Anymore
Apple won’t allow apps into its App Store without rigorously vetting them for security, but even Apple’s high safety standards haven’t been enough to keep malicious apps out of the App Store. That’s right, the App Store has malware in it, waiting for you to innocently download, assuming that because the app is in the App Store, it’s safe. It’s not.
You can be proactive about checking reviews before you download any apps from the App Store, and that’s good advice. But it won’t protect you when you encounter a relatively new piece of malware that has sneaked into the App Store, and you may have malicious apps on your iPhone or iPad right now that you downloaded from the App Store. Since you can’t rely on the Apple App Store to keep your iPhone safe, you need an antivirus program for your iPhone to detect and remove any malicious apps that you may have inadvertently installed.
Lots of people would still say that you don’t need antivirus for your iPhone unless it’s been jailbroken. But in today’s threat landscape, that’s just no longer true. You need a comprehensive antivirus app for your iPhone to protect you from malicious websites, phishing scams, and even malicious apps that somehow bluff their way into the App Store. Don’t keep using your iPhone without any protection. Secure your data, your accounts, and your family photos with antivirus for iPhone.
Also Read : The 5 Best Antiviruses For MAC In 2021
