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On my iPad 2 (running iOS 9) there's a "Virus Detected" email popping up that I can neither delete or change. No matter what I do, the "Virus Detected" email keeps opening on my screen whenever I attempt to use Safari.

I've attempted to delete the email, change the email and to close Safari but the email keeps returning and makes using the browser impossible. I have no intention to either call the provided phone number or sending this email as it directs me to do. The email is as follows:

To: foo@example.com
Subject: Warning! Virus Detected! Immediately Call Apple Support +1-800-876-6855. Your credit card details and banking information. Your e-mail passwords and other account passwords.Your Facebook, Skype, AIM, ICQ and other.Call Apple Support +1-800-876-6855. Your private photos, family photos and other sensitive files.Your webcam could be accessed remotely by stalkers with a VPN virus.
CC: bar@example.com
Message: Apple Tech Support

How do I remove this email and regain access to my browser?

owlswipe
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E. Hoover
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1 Answers1

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Basically, this is a website that repeatedly spawns email templates by repeatedly opening a new tab with a mailto: link, causing iOS to open email templates repeatedly. This is a known vulnerability in iOS, fixed in iOS 10.2.

To fix the issue without updating your software, go to Settings -> Safari -> Clear Website and History Data. Alternatively, on an iPhone 6S (or newer) with 3D Touch, you can force-press on the Safari icon, open a New Tab, then immediately press down and hold the tab switcher icon, and hit Close All Tabs.

Learn more about this issue.

Note: This is fixed in iOS 10.2 (which, sadly, your iPad 2 can't update to), which prevents websites from opening mailto: links until the user specifically approves it.

owlswipe
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