Fake "Your device has been infected with 27 viruses" Alerts - How to remove

If you see a warning on your screen saying that “Your device has been infected” with however many viruses, then don’t panic – it’s just a fake pop-up. Close the browser tab and you’ll be fine.

The full warning headline is “Your device has been infected with 27 viruses after visiting an Adult website” (the specific number of viruses varies) and it’s made to scare people. It claims that you’re being hacked and that something bad will happen to your device and your computer.

However, “Your device has been infected” can be safely ignored as it’s just a deceptive advertisement for some low-quality apps.

About the “Your device has been infected with viruses after visiting an Adult website” warning:

Threat type	Scareware, fleeceware.
How it spreads	Malicious redirects on infected websites, links shared by malicious accounts in social media, displayed by adware infections.
The harm of the “Your device has been infected…” warnings	Unnecessary stress and wasted time, money lost to useless subscriptions, personal information revealed to an untrustworthy company.
How to remove the “Your device has been infected…” pop-ups	Close the warning, block ads and malicious websites, if needed, check your device for malware (Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, others).

What is the “Your device has been infected…” warning?

Fake security alert

Sometimes, when you’re browsing the internet, you may suddenly get a warning on your screen that says:

CRITICAL THREAT!

Your device has been infected with 27 viruses after visiting an Adult website. If the problem is not resolved immediately, viruses will damage your device, harm the Sim card and delete all your contacts.

The warning has a countdown of 2 minutes.

The “Your device has been infected…” warning is made to look like an alert and displays the System Preferences icon, however, it’s not a genuine alert. Rather, it’s a pop-up on a webpage.

It advises you to install an app from the App Store. As you can probably guess, the app is also not a first-party iOS app, but an application developed by an independent dev.

Do not worry about the timer or threats of your device being damaged and your contacts being deleted. “Your device has been infected…” is nothing but a scam.

It is very similar to some other fake warnings, such as Your System Is Infected With 3 Viruses!: this one would perform a whole show – it’d imitate a scan of your computer. It would also display your location and your IP to appear more believable. In contrast, “Your device has been infected…” is simpler – it appears, threatens you a bit, and then directs you to the App Store.

Fleeceware

The apps that are promoted by “Your device has been infected…” are varied. Sometimes, it’s a shady VPN service, other times – an iffy antivirus app.

The “Your device has been infected…” alert is basically an advertisement for those apps. Except, instead of talking about the good qualities of the advertised product, it’s trying to scare people into installing and paying for the application – just like scareware.

The apps that “Your device has been infected…” promotes are often fleeceware – that is, subscription-based apps that don’t do anything worth paying for. Such fake VPN apps were in the news a few months ago. They ask for your payment information and sign you up for a subscription, charging you a pricey monthly fee.

Other types of macOS and iOS malware include clicker trojans, adware, malicious browser extensions. Not to mention all the phishing scams aimed at Apple users, such as the Apple ID locked emails.

Honestly, when someone in a forum is telling you that “Macs don’t get viruses”, they’re being unhelpful. Scams, adware infections, and other malicious software aren’t viruses by definition (as they don’t replicate), but they are still harmful. And that’s what really matters to users.

How to recognize fake warnings

When you see a warning on your screen like the “Your device has been infected…” one, try not to panic. Remember: if an alert is trying to scare you with countdowns and threats, it is likely a fake.

In contrast, real security warnings are short and simple, such as the “this will damage your computer” alerts on Macs.

Another thing you can do is look at the reviews of the app that “Your device has been infected…” is pushing. If they are very negative or polarized, that is suspicious. If they mention pop-ups like the one that you saw, that is very telling:

You should also look at the developers of any app that you consider installing. The apps that “Your device has been infected…” promotes are often made by unknown companies with no history or reputation, making it difficult to know if you can trust them.

And remember that cybercriminals want your money or your information. So, do not reveal your personal information or your payment data to an app that you aren’t sure is trustworthy.

Even if your device was infected with malicious software, any app that uses “Your device has been infected…” warnings to advertise cannot be trusted to have your best interests in mind.

When in doubt, contact Support.apple.com or ask for advice on Discussions.apple.com.

What to do about the “Your device has been infected…” warning

Remove unwanted apps

First of all, if you installed an app that was promoted by this warning, then remove it.

If you signed up for a subscription with your credit card, then cancel it. Keep an eye on your bank account. If money is charged by an unfamiliar company, then contest that charge. Ask your bank for advice.

Find the cause of the warnings

Here are some of the ways that the “Your device has been infected…” ads appear:

• They’re shown by websites that are infected with malicious redirects. Usually, these are old or small sites whose administrators aren’t very active.
• They are displayed on pirating and free (infringing) streaming sites. These sites attract show lots of dubious advertisements.
• The warnings are displayed by an adware infection, a bad browser add-on, or by a notification spammer.

Disable notifications from unwanted sites in Safari and your other browsers. Check your extensions. Use an anti-malware app, a real one, like Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes, to check if there is any suspicious software on your device.

Consider using an ad blocker or an anti-malware program to block malicious webpages from showing up on your screen. You should also be careful about what links you click and what websites you frequent.

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