Are “iPhone Hacked” Pop-Ups Real?

As you’re browsing the internet on your phone, you encounter a pop-up message saying, “Your iPhone has been hacked!” The message claims your device has been infected with malware. Is this message even real? No, pop-ups claiming that your iPhone has been hacked are not real. These kinds of pop-ups are scams that cybercriminals create intending to scare you into clicking them. After you click on these pop-ups, malware can start downloading on your device. Malware can not only take data from your device but also steal private information of other devices sharing the same network.

Continue reading to learn what these fake pop-ups look like on your iPhone, some common signs of these pop-ups and how to protect your iPhone against scammers.

Fake “iPhone Hacked” pop-up examples

Several types of fake pop-ups might appear that indicate your iPhone has been hacked. Let’s explore a few.

Tech support scams

In a tech support scam, scammers will pretend to be tech support to get your personal information. Scammers will act as Apple customer support and may contact you through phone calls, emails or pop-ups. If you believe you’re speaking with Apple, scammers can obtain your name, home address, Apple ID information and passwords. By claiming to need private information to help you resolve an issue with your iPhone, these scammers can steal your information and even take over your online accounts.

Update scams

Scams that appear to be software updates are known as update scams. These scams appear as notifications that resemble the official iOS pop-ups, which notify you that your iPhone needs to update its software. If you believe these notifications are truly Apple notifications, you risk installing malware onto your device instead of a new software update.

Alert scams

Some pop-ups will notify you about a security threat or virus and encourage you to remove all viruses from your iPhone. However, by interacting with this kind of pop-up scam, you will actually download viruses or malware onto your iPhone. Alert scams intend to scare you into believing that you already have viruses or malware on your iPhone, but their real purpose is to trick you into installing viruses or malware instead.

Signs of a fake “iPhone hacked” pop-up

If you ever receive a pop-up that your iPhone has been hacked, here are a few examples of phrasing within the pop-ups that indicate they’re scams:

u003c!u002du002d wp:list u002du002du003ernu003cul class=u0022wp-block-listu0022u003eu003c!u002du002d wp:list-item u002du002du003ern tu003cliu003e“A virus has been detected”u003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003e“Immediate action is required to avoid ____”u003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003e“There is serious security damage”u003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003e“Your device has been hacked”u003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003e“Personal information has been leaked”u003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003e“Install this application immediately”u003c/liu003ernu003c!u002du002d /wp:list-item u002du002du003eu003c/ulu003ernu003c!u002du002d /wp:list u002du002du003e

Notice that in some of these messages, there is a sense of urgency to eliminate the virus or take action. When messages urge you to do something quickly, they are generally trying to incite fear and urge you to act without thinking. By doing this, you will be more likely to click or download malware onto your iPhone.

How to keep your iPhone protected against scammers

Luckily, there are a few ways to protect your iPhone against malware and scams.

Never click pop-ups claiming your iPhone is hacked

One of the best ways to protect your iPhone from scammers is to ignore any pop-ups that claim your iPhone has been hacked. It’s likely that cybercriminals created these pop-ups, anticipating that you will click on the ones claiming your iPhone has been hacked, in order for them to actually hack your iPhone. You should never interact with any pop-ups that seem suspicious or indicate that your iPhone has been hacked since it is likely a ploy for cybercriminals to access your device.

Secure your Apple ID

Protect your iPhone by securing your Apple ID. You can do this by resetting your Apple ID password and creating a strong password for your account. Use a password generator, which will allow you to choose your password criteria such as character length and the mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Another thing you can do to secure your Apple ID is enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), which gives your Apple ID an extra layer of security by requiring additional authentication to log in to your account. By keeping your Apple ID account secure, you will make it much more challenging for cybercriminals to gain access to your private information.

Don’t jailbreak your iPhone

To maintain a safe iPhone, do not jailbreak it. Jailbreaking your iPhone means surpassing Apple’s iOS software in order to download and allow third-party apps and software to function on the device. Instead of installing apps and software through the official App Store, jailbreaking your iPhone can lead to unapproved apps or software containing malware infecting your device.

Keep your iPhone up to date

It’s important that you keep your iPhone’s software updated because the most recent versions contain bug fixes, new security features and overall performance improvements. You might think that software updates only add new features, but one of the most important parts of software updates is that they fix old problems. If there is a security issue with your iPhone and you don’t install the newest iOS update, you could risk cybercriminals taking advantage of your outdated software’s weaknesses.

Don’t click unsolicited links or attachments

Avoid clicking on any links or attachments in unsolicited messages because they most likely contain malware that will infect your iPhone. Before clicking on any unsolicited links, make sure to check if the link is safe by hovering your cursor over it. If the preview of the URL does not match what the link says it is, the link is likely malicious. You could also safely copy and paste the link into a URL checker, like Google Transparency Report. For unsolicited email attachments, you should check the sender’s email address and have antivirus software scan the attachment before opening it.

Only download apps from the official App Store

The official App Store is the only place you should download any apps from on your iPhone. As mentioned before, if you jailbreak your iPhone or download apps from a third-party source, you risk the third-party app containing malware or capturing your private information.

Be wary of Apple phishing scams

Always be cautious of Apple phishing scams, which aim to trick you into believing that messages are from the official company. You might receive these Apple phishing scams through emails claiming to need you to enter your Apple ID information immediately to prevent your Apple ID account from being deleted. Be wary of urgent and threatening messages, and double-check the sender of any messages from Apple before believing a message’s contents.

Don’t let fake “iPhone hacked” pop-ups place your data at risk

Even if your iPhone receives pop-ups that your device has been hacked, don’t place your data at risk by interacting with these messages. The intention of these messages is to scare you into acting quickly, without thinking, and entering your login credentials. You can protect your iPhone and online accounts from scammers by using a password manager like Keeper^®.

Store your passwords in a secure, digital vault and increase the overall security of your online accounts by starting a free 30-day trial of Keeper Password Manager today.