Just got a full page message on my iPhone.

[multigraincracker]

Said my iPhone has been hacked


Backstage, or something like that
I shut my phone off
Came back, but I clicked on another site and it was gone.
Any suggestions?

[SheltieLover]

1. Probably a scam

[multigraincracker]

2. Pretty sure it's a scam wanting info.

Just want to be sure. Old fart and not very savvy.
Thanks

[SheltieLover]

3. Just don't ever click on anything like that!

Can you use a pop up blocker?

From one old fart to another...

[multigraincracker]

4. No tech savvy grandkids to help me.

[SheltieLover]

6. I'll share mine.

My 23 y/o gs is a guru & lives with me, but he isn't an apple guy.

[emulatorloo]

5. Probably a scam. Always check who the sender is. We constantly get messages from "USPS"

about how we need to click this or that link to “ensure our package will be delivered to the right address.”

But if you check the sender, it is clearly not from USPS.

p.s. it is really really really hard to “hack” iPhones.

[multigraincracker]

7. I don't click on most things I don't know about.

I have had great results calling Apple about problems. Anything goes south I’ll call them.
Thanks.

[emulatorloo]

9. Their tech support is great isn't it? I like how they'll call you back immediately and they

don’t give up!

[usonian]

8. No doubt a trick to get you to click on their button which downloads malware. Quit Safari (see below for details)

This is good advice: (It's what I would do)

https://macreports.com/your-iphone-has-been-hacked-immediate-action-needed-message-how-to-fix/

Scaring and tricking users into thinking that their devices are somehow compromised is a long-running scam. Apple users have been suffering from this scam, too, even though it is a known fact that security flaws in Apple devices are very rare. A common scam targeted toward iPhone or iPad users is the “your iPhone has been hacked” scam. Sometimes you may get a popup message or be redirected to a screen saying your iPhone is hacked, compromised or accessed, and your actions are being watched without your authorization. The message is designed to scare you. The message also urges you to take immediate action,

Do not interact with the notice

Do not tap anywhere. Usually, these popups have fake buttons. For example, it may say, “Close,” but that may be a button for something else instead of closing it. You may be redirected to another page or the App Store if you tap. If you are redirected to the App Store, do not download and install the app. Simply ignore it. Do not try to exit the popup by tapping the OK or Close buttons on the message.

Close the tab or the Safari window. If Safari is unresponsive, force-close the app:
If this is an iPhone X and later, swipe up to reveal the most recently used apps, and if you have a Home button, double press the Home button to open the most recently used apps, find Safari and then swipe up on Safari to close.
Now open Safari again. If the popups come back, again, close Safari. Then go to Settings > Safari and tap Clear History & Website Data. Then open Safari. You won’t see the popup again.

Turn on Safari security settings:

Go to Settings > Safari and turn on Block Pop-ups. This option is listed under the General section.
Also, go to Settings > Safari and find the Privacy & Security section and turn on Fraudulent Website Warning and Prevent Cross-Site Trackin

I have had unfriendly javascript go into a loop so Safari is unresponsive.
Just quit it as mentioned above.

See also:
https://malwaretips.com/blogs/remove-your-iphone-has-been-hacked/

[multigraincracker]

10. Thanks, I'm sure that was it.

Couldn't use my go back click, So I brought up my bookmarks and clicked on another site and got out of it.
I have Firefox on another desktop, Can I put that on my phone?

[usonian]

11. Oops, I gave instructions for iphone and ipad. But the same ideas work, just with different ways.

Firefox is available in the app store for phone.

But due to Apple rules, all browsers use the same engine as Safari, but sure, give it a try.

I use Firefox on the desktop, chiefly because it really supports autopager. The "reader" extension is not to my liking but when you go to print (to PDF) it works beautifully cleaning up web page trash. And You can even ask the print dialog for a "simplified" version of the page going to print or PDF.

Safari has a beautiful "Reader" mode that you can email nicely. With Firefox, you have to copy text and paste if you want to email more than the link itself. You can't select "PDF" as a default printer in Safari, so just hit the PDF button in the print dialog.

I use Opera Browser sometimes for its built-in mini-VPN. It only obscures your IP address, hence your location, as ICloud Private Relay does (if you pay Apple for iCloud Plus).

All work with the GhostText Extension, (desktop only) which mirrors your text box typing in your editor of choice. This has saved a lot of lost typing when the network hangs and you have to hit the back button to re-submit your post. Sometimes, it just gets lost.

https://ghosttext.fregante.com/

On each browser, I use an adblocker either uBlockOrigin or the closest I can get to it (on Safari) and have extensions on each to kill javascript selectively when it does bullshit things like happened to you, or which put up obnoxious cookie notices or demands to create an account or give an email address. (but that's for another post)

[multigraincracker]

12. I really need to learn more about VPNs.

On my desk top I use duckduckgo.. does that even work on an iPhone?

[usonian]

13. Duck Duck Go is a browser or website/search engine that erases history once a day, so you are not tracked.

That is the only privacy they offer.
They do not keep a profile, but offer ads based on your search terms only, and your estimated location.
They send ads and skew "search" results to their estimate of your geolocation
iCloud Private relay gets me DDG "results" (meaning where to buy stuff) for stores in Bakersfield, Sacramento and various far away places.
They push pretty hard on their app you can install. I don't know what it does, free or extra cost.
That said, it's my default. Mostly for the better.


For consistency reasons, I stick with a browser to do web search.
It also lets me choose a search engine as I wish. An app locks you in to their site, which often fails me, and I send in reports to that effect. I sometimes have to qualify search terms massively so that I get real answers instead of pages of sales pitches at the top of results.

Did you know that EBay has Richard Feynman himself for sale? I hate search engine optimization.

A real VPN encrypts all traffic from your computer, so that even your ISP cannot snoop on you.

I cannot recommend one, since I don't use one. It seems that all free ones either are weak or some actually are fake and leak your data.

Simple+? Here is a comparison table. Wow.
https://vpns.gg/

Users here can possibly make recommendations. You might want to make a separate OP for recommencations.

I am going to evaluate the free one at riseup.net
https://help.riseup.net/vpn

Riseup.net is a highly trustworthy operation which has been helping activists for a long time.
I hope that it works for me.

When I want to browse securely, I use tor browser.
https://www.torproject.org/

It is available for windows, mac Linux and android. Apple makes it impossible to use on ios. (Remember, they're protecting us ... )

Tor not only encrypts your data; it routes it through the onion network, erasing your tracks.
Rarely, an exit node may be compromised, but that gets remedied very quickly.