If you’re like many people, you might have thought at some point that Apple iOS gadgets, like your iPad or iPhone, were immune to viruses. However, hackers have started to pay more attention to these gadgets over the years, and today, the device that holds your family photos, contacts, email, and so much more could be at risk for getting malware or a virus.
In one case, protesters in Hong Kong were tricked by hackers into downloading an app that was designed to steal valuable information on their iOS. Since the malware was disguised as a helpful app for coordinating protest efforts, it might be scary to think that you could unknowingly infect your Apple device, but luckily, there’s still a way to tell if your gadget is infected.
First, you need to ask yourself if your device has been jailbroken. By jailbreaking your device, you instantly expose it to whatever hackers think of next, so it’s best to avoid doing this at all possible. Next, ask yourself if your device is exhibiting any symptoms of an infection. For example, virus-infected apps will be unstable and crash, hang, or show other odd behaviors when they run.
If your device does get infected, don’t worry! All you have to do is wipe it clean and bring it back to factory settings. You can do this by using iCloud to back up your personal data, hitting the reset option under general settings, erasing all “content and settings,” and restarting your iOS.
If you still feel like resetting your device didn’t do the trick, bring your device into Apple’s Genius Bar. They have system-scanning software they can use to detect viruses and remove hidden files.