Can Viruses Be Transferred to an iPod?

by Steve Lander Google

As iPods have matured from being dedicated music players to being full-fledged pocket computers they have become commonplace in business settings as well as in homes. The devices themselves remain, as of February of 2013, essentially virus-free. Unfortunately, they can carry viruses that infect other computers, making them yet another potential security and network operations issues for companies that allow them to be connected to their computers or networks.

iPod Classic and Shuffle

Apple iPods that do not run iOS, like the Classic, the Shuffle and earlier iPod Nano media players, have never fallen victim to a destructive virus in the field. In 2007, a virus research lab detected a virus that could run on the iPod. The virus was simply a harmless proof-of-concept, though.

iPods Running iOS

As of February 2013, no viruses have been recorded on iPods running iOS. Given their power and their ability to both run software and connect to the Internet, a virus could be extremely destructive. However, the combination of the Apple iTunes App Store's screening and the iPod's internal controls have kept them virus-free.

The iOS Security Model

The iOS security model starts with the App Store. Apple reviews every submitted app before making it available for download, and so can weed out destructive programs. At the same time, the operating system itself contains a compartmentalized model where each piece of the device's internals are insulated from each other. This prevents Web pages loaded in the browser, for instance, from being able to load malicious code into the rest of the device. The most significant weak link in iOS occurs if the device gets "jailbroken." Jailbroken devices give the user direct access to the device file system and the ability to download software from alternate sources. Without the security protection Apple builds in, your iPod could become exposed to malicious software.

iPods Carrying Viruses

While iPods are relatively safe from viruses, they can be carriers of viruses that infect other computers. Any iPod that is connected to a computer as a storage device could end up storing a virus file that then gets sent to other computers to which it is connected. IPods can also download and forward compromised document files. To help protect against an iPod serving as an unwitting link in a chain of virus transmission, third-party virus protection software is available from the App Store.

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