iPhone and iPad virus scanner

iPhone and iPad virus scanner now available from Intego

While there might not be any active viral threats ravaging the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, there have been a handful of infections that targeted jailbroken devices in the past. Though it’s incredibly secure by design, iOS itself isn’t totally bulletproof — and it actually has a greater number of security flaws than Android.


There’s another kind of risk lurking inside your iOS device. Since its internal storage can host files from any number of sources, like email attachments or Dropbox and iCloud syncs. Those files aren’t likely to be infected with iOS malware, but they could be carrying malicious code that targets your Windows or OS X system. Plug in your iPhone or iPad, transfer the files to your system, and you could be in real trouble.

You probably have antivirus installed on your desktop computer, however, and it should intervene and prevent any infection from making the leap from removable storage like your iOS device. For those of you who would prefer an added layer of pre-plug anti-malware defense, there’s a new app from Intego that can help.

It’s called VirusBarrier (in keeping with the company’s desktop software branding), and it’s now available for purchase in the App Store for $2.99. Unfortunately, it’s a bit limited because of the way iOS is designed: realtime protection isn’t an option the way it is on Android, so files must be scanned manually one at a time.

Still, if you’re toting around critical files on your iOS device and want to check out new additions from outside sources before plugging in to one of your desktop systems, VirusBarrier for iOS is well worth the low price of admission.

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