Ransomware for Safari browser in iPhone

[AlomWare-com]

Just a heads-up to all... haven't seen this posted anywhere else yet.

I visited a website yesterday (that deals with news not shown on mainstream media) and suddenly my Safari browser was hijacked with this ransomware popup message:

http://i.imgur.com/K5gv56O.png

Force-quitting Safari did nothing: the same popup occurred every time I re-launched Safari. The only way to disable it was to go into Settings and delete all Safari web browsing data.

Take care!

 

[VolceOntra]

You should report it to apple

 

[AlomWare-com]

I actually googled "report malware safari iphone apple" before I posted here, but found nothing. Do you have a report link?

 

[ardchoille50]

I actually googled "report malware safari iphone apple" before I posted here, but found nothing. Do you have a report link?

Here you go: http://www.apple.com/feedback/

 

[C DM]

Sounds like some web site setting something somewhere. Nothing really actually happening just basically constantly loading that until the cache is cleared.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

It's not really ransomware (if only true ransomware was so easy to get rid of) - consider it a persistent/malicious web page. Over at The Safe Mac/Adware Medic, Thomas refers to these as "scam pop-ups" http://www.thesafemac.com/tech-support-scam-pop-ups/ - though the article addresses OS X, if you read down through the comments, iOS is covered as well.

The "fix" you found is the right one, but I wouldn't say, "The only way..." as if Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data was particularly burdensome or technically challenging. It's the correct and appropriate fix because these pages depend on the browser cache. Purge the cache, purge the problem.

(The equivalent fix in OS X is to quit/force-quit Safari, then shift-open Safari - this purges the saved application state.)

Fixing this problem is much simpler than, for example, manually deleting adware (https://support.apple.com/HT203987) (not that following this procedure is necessary, thanks to Adware Medic).

 

[Jtludwig]

Just a heads-up to all... haven't seen this posted anywhere else yet.



I visited a website yesterday (that deals with news not shown on mainstream media) and suddenly my Safari browser was hijacked with this ransomware popup message:



http://i.imgur.com/K5gv56O.png



Force-quitting Safari did nothing: the same popup occurred every time I re-launched Safari. The only way to disable it was to go into Settings and delete all Safari web browsing data.



Take care!

What kind of websites do you frequent? They sound pretty shady . Just kidding.

 

[AlomWare-com]

What kind of websites do you frequent? They sound pretty shady . Just kidding.

I sometimes visit news sites that provide stories that regular mainstream news don't show or report, because they are too sanitised. I normally visit them on my PC, but this was the first time I checked it with my iPhone, and was greeted with that ransom message.