# Can the Kindle Fire get a virus?



## teachmath912

I have had my Kindle since November and have enjoyed it a lot. 
However, lately I have been getting "app suggestions" and then random pages will load if I click on the Web button.  
Is it possible to get a virus or is it from an app that I got?
Anyone know?
Thanks.


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## KimberlyinMN

Yes, the Android OS can get viruses.  I use Lookout Mobile Security on my Android tablet. I just checked and this is available in the Amazon market. It's free.  I think the majority of attacks could come from apps side-loaded on the Fire.  I'm fairly confident that apps available in the Amazon market are safe.


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## Cyanide5000

Depends what you would class as a virus, A virus is a self replicating, self distributing piece of software. In which case - you probably wouldn't find a 'virus' on your Kindle, that's not to say it couldn't happen tho.

Sounds more like you have malware (annoying software) on your kindle, as Kim said, use some kind of scanner/cleaner on your device


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## yourkrishna

Yes Kindle fire get affected with virus But don't worry you can remove them  by use few apps of available at Amazon store.


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## Ann in Arlington

In terms of semantics, I think cyanide is right. . . . .the fire can get infected with stuff that might affect it's behavior, but there's little likelihood that the infection would spread, which is sort of the point of a virus.  

BUT, it is possible to write bad stuff into Android Apps and if you load such an app on the Fire it'll get sick.  There are apps available in the Amazon Appstore which will help protect/cure the device.  But the best thing is to just be very careful what you load. . . . use a store that vets uploaded apps thoroughly, rather than one that lets anyone put up pretty much anything. Amazon and Google Play both vet reasonably well and 1mobile has a good reputation, too.  GetJar not so good, which means be doubly careful about what you use from there.

Setting it to NOT allow downloading from elsewhere than the Amazon Appstore will help as you won't be able to load something from elsewhere with out making the change which will, one hopes, remind you to double check that what you're loading is clean -- i.e. check the reviews on the site, etc.  You know if something crashes devices, there will be reviews that say so!


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## Malweth

I agree with the others. The Fire can load "bad" software that does not perform as intended, but for the most part the device is very safe (un-rooted). Android OS is very secure overall.

It is also possible, however, for the Fire to contain a virus that affects windows (or Mac / Linux). You're essentially mounting an external hard drive if you plug it into your computer via USB. If you did this on many different computers (even just to charge the battery) you could pass a virus along from computer to computer. This is probably not something most people do, though... just something to be aware of.


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## AvidHuman

Can you take a kindle or ipad or anything like that to a regular computer shop or does it have to go back to the OEM? That opens up a line of possibilities for ereader shops to start opening kind of like computer repair shops in the 90s.


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## Raheulon

teachmath912 said:


> I have had my Kindle since November and have enjoyed it a lot.
> However, lately I have been getting "app suggestions" and then random pages will load if I click on the Web button.
> Is it possible to get a virus or is it from an app that I got?
> Anyone know?
> Thanks.


Copy all the books that are on the device to your computer.

Do a full reset: Menu -> Settings -> Menu -> Reset to Factory Defaults. (NOTE! All data on the device will be deleted.)

In this case, you'll be 100% sure that the malware removed.


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## Ann in Arlington

AvidHuman said:


> Can you take a kindle or ipad or anything like that to a regular computer shop or does it have to go back to the OEM? That opens up a line of possibilities for ereader shops to start opening kind of like computer repair shops in the 90s.


For a Kindle Fire, there's a one year warranty -- as is explained on the full product page at Amazon. If anything goes wrong within the year, you contact Amazon and they send you a new one. You then have 30 days to return the broken one. If it's past a year, they may, in some cases, still replace it. . .really depends on what went bad. But even if not, they often offer a good discount on a new device.

As the Fire is only $199, it's usually not economical to take it somewhere for repair given that Amazon's customer service is so good. Some people have purchased and replaced the batteries on their own (for eInk devices), but, again, this isn't recommended unless it's fully out of warranty.


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## Ann in Arlington

Raheulon said:


> Copy all the books that are on the device to your computer.
> 
> Do a full reset: Menu -> Settings -> Menu -> Reset to Factory Defaults. (NOTE! All data on the device will be deleted.)
> 
> In this case, you'll be 100% sure that the malware removed.


I'm not certain of that. . . . as I don't know exactly what the reset to factory results does (and that sequence is for the eInk Kindles, not the Fire.)

I DO know that folks have done the factory reset but that it hasn't, for example, removed the screensaver hacks from eInk kindles.

My suggestion would be to first try a restart -- which is basically holding the button until it asks if you want to turn the thing off. Say yes. Give it a minute or so and then boot it back up.

If you're still having issues, try this sequence from the FAQ above: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,91485.msg1527766.html#msg1527766 It's for a different symptom, but may still help since it's the applications that are causing problems.

Factory reset would be the final thing to try. If you want to do that on the Fire you tap the gear settings and 'more'. Then go to 'device' and the bottom option is 'reset to factory defaults'. You will lose all your personalization and will have to re-download any books or apps or personal documents that were resident.


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