Do You Need Antivirus on iPhone? | ZoneAlarm Security Blog

• May 26th, 2022
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• antivirus, Mobile Security

It allowed Apple to claim that Android (the main rival to iOS) has 47 times more malware than iOS. And as such, Apple claims that iPhone (and iPad) users do not need to add mobile antivirus software to protect their devices and data.

But does this lead people into having a false sense of security? After all, even Apple’s closed-off eco-system has vulnerabilities, and no device is fully protected from threats. But above all, there is a sense that iPhone users are being told that their devices are 100% secure when they are not. While uncommon, it is still possible to get an iPhone virus, normally after the device has been jailbroken, i.e., Apple’s operating system has been bypassed and third-party, non-vetted apps have been downloaded.

A risk of overconfidence in Apple’s security

And yet, if iPhone users think their devices are secure because they are virus-free, they are almost certainly overlooking other non-virus threats. Phishing, smishing, Wi-Fi sniffing, and man-in-the-middle attacks are just some of the attacks that any mobile phone is vulnerable to, and that includes iPhone. Indeed, it’s worth remembering that Apple users are often specifically targeted by hackers. For example, research by IBM has stated that Apple IDs are the number one target for credential theft emails.

Other threats include remote hacking, which Apple itself admitted was a threat last year. The company announced that users’ devices could be compromised by remote hackers, and it scrambled to release an update to patch the vulnerability. In addition, there was the well-publicized NSO spyware scandal reported in the summer, where Apple users were targeted via iMessage. It took Apple a few months to fix that issue, and it is now suing the NSO Group for the “surveillance and targeting of Apple users.”

The point is that these are not virus threats, or at least not in the traditional sense. And if you want your iPhone to be truly secure, you should take steps to implement complete mobile network protection. There are two ways of doing this. First, you should make yourself aware of the risks. There is often an overconfidence – not just with iPhone users, but within all of us – that phishing scams, for example, are clumsy and ineffective, and not targeted at someone like me. Some are unsophisticated and clunky, of course, and there are ways to spot phishing scams. But others are sophisticated examples of social engineering, and they can be as effective on iPhones as on any other device.

ZoneAlarm offers complete protection for iPhone

More importantly, you can get full peace of mind by using ZoneAlarm Mobile Security App on your iPhone. Available to download from the Apple App Store (or Google Play if you are on Android), it has been called “the best malware protection possible for mobile devices” by Steven Lentz, Director of Information Security at Samsung Research America. The protection offered by the ZoneAlarm app is multi-layered, focusing on all types of cyberthreats.

So, what can installing the app do for your iPhone? For a start, there is Zero-Day Phishing Protection. This means phishing websites are monitored and identified in real-time, including new phishing sites, and the technology will prevent the input of your credentials if the site is deemed malicious. The app also offers URL filtering and DNS security, which can automatically detect and alert you to malicious sites when browsing the web on your iPhone. Remember that iPhone is effective in vetting apps downloaded from the App Store, but it cannot do the same for websites. That’s where options like ZoneAlarm’s Mobile Security App give you an extra layer of protection for safe browsing.

One cyberthreat often overlooked for iPhone users is the one posed by public Wi-Fi networks. Bars, cafes, hotels, airports, hospitals, and a whole host of places offer you the chance to connect when you are out and about. Without protection, public Wi-Fi can leave your iPhone exposed to a range of cyberthreats, including man-in-the-middle attacks, session hijacking, and packet sniffing. Again, we should stress that iPhones can be vulnerable to Wi-Fi threats, and Forbes reported on the problem last summer. With ZoneAlarm’s Mobile Security App, you are protected from these public Wi-Fi threats through complete Wi-Fi network security.

We should also stress that iPhones can be vulnerable to botnet attacks. Indeed, the high-profile court case between Apple and Epic Games in 2021 led to the disclosure that Apple hid the fact that 128 million devices were hacked back in 2015 with malware known as XCodeGhost, which made the devices (iPhones and iPads) part of a wider botnet. Sure, Apple might claim that happened over six years ago, and its security has improved, but so too has the sophistication of botnet attacks. ZoneAlarm Mobile Security has enterprise-grade antibot capabilities that run alongside its virus and malware protection for mobile devices.

Complete security for your iPhone

Apple rightly gets credit for its security credentials. The very nature of its wall-garden approach means iPhones are more secure than Android mobile devices. Viruses are rare on iPhone, unless the user has jailbroken the device and bypassed Apple’s protocols. However, there are many other security threats to iPhone. And if you want complete security for your Apple smartphone, you should download the ZoneAlarm Mobile Security App. It will offer multi-layered security for viruses and other cyberthreats, allowing safe browsing on iPhone.