Cookie Monster and he’s not welcome anymore…

[Twiceon2sday]

There is a cookie/url in my website data page and while I’ve been plagued with malware or spyware or something, this is fairly new but I know it’s a part of something. I have cleared all browser history and I use a Private Browser however everytime I use safari no matter private or not there are always cookies in the file. So I go and erase them everytime. And for any curious ones I have resorted to private browser entirely because of this compromise issue and it also gives me the baseline as to what trackers and cookies embed themselves despite our best efforts.

All that being said this almost comical url of a site I’ve never visited or seen before and I don’t have any bookmarks on the subject but I hit erase go back to the website data and it’s ALWAYS THERE!

“leadingwithtrust.com”

The irony is beyond words considering they are breaching my trust in countless ways!!

Can anyone give me some advice on where to see this is linked to and/or the origins of it so I can remove it for good?? I’ve tried virustotal and a couple other things but nothing tells me if it’s from some app or it’s a file? I want to avoid having to reset my phone because I’ve done that and lost so much data at this point I’m digging my heels in and determined to cut them off at the pass

 

[mpavilion]

Have you googled (or tried visiting the site) to see what it is?

 

[NoBoMac]

Hard to tell. Could be a "free" app that's throwing it up there.

A website you're visiting might be displaying it.

So, can try this.

Block pop-up ads and windows in Safari - Apple Support

Learn how to block pop-up windows and handle persistent ads on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

support.apple.com

And get an ad blocker (I currently use AdGuard).

Nuclear option. Delete the sketchy apps on the phone and start adding them back one at a time. "Sketchy" being anything free, coming from a no-name developer, imo. "Free" games are a usual suspect, apps that do "cute" things ("add animated stars to you pictures with our app). Basically an app that is cheap/free and leaning toward the frivolous side.

ADD: and even with ad blocker, might not help. See these spam ads all the time on my mother's phone when she complains about all these ads in her Safari. Getting them from the "free" puzzle games she plays on her phone.

 

[Twiceon2sday]

Have you googled (or tried visiting the site) to see what it is?

Yeah it’s some motivational speaker and it’s just a blog site that has an article by this title. Totally random!!

 

[DeepIn2U]

Yeah it’s some motivational speaker and it’s just a blog site that has an article by this title. Totally random!!

Love this threads title honestly. By visiting you’ve just given the Cookie Monster some milk.

Although you cleared ‘Cookies & Website’ data that’s like clearing copies and cache. However like in Chrome on Windows you should also clear hosted site data, so in Safari in iOS goto Settings, Safari and Advance. Clear that mess of crumbs therein this monster left.

 

[Twiceon2sday]

Love this threads title honestly. By visiting you’ve just given the Cookie Monster some milk.

Although you cleared ‘Cookies & Website’ data that’s like clearing copies and cache. However like in Chrome on Windows you should also clear hosted site data, so in Safari in iOS goto Settings, Safari and Advance. Clear that mess of crumbs therein this monster left.

LOL, sometimes it’s easier to laugh at the pain…. But seriously I’ve done this and this is always my first step. Settings>Advanced>Remove All Website Data…. Everything goes away except this one!! And the only thing I can guess is possibly it’s something in my Pinterest?!? But as long as I’ve used Pinterest I’ve never had anything stick like so…. Maybe something in my email? I clear out the junk folder and also the trash. I can say I’m bad about cleaning up my email in general but nothing gets opened and every so often I just end up deleting all of them but that’s not even a new habit of mine. I don’t have any games on my phone and I don’t have any articles saved in my “Reading List” could it be something possibly sent to me via text or sms that has a link embedded in it possibly? I just thought of that so I’ll check that out.

 

[Twiceon2sday]

LOL, sometimes it’s easier to laugh at the pain…. But seriously I’ve done this and this is always my first step. Settings>Advanced>Remove All Website Data…. Everything goes away except this one!! And the only thing I can guess is possibly it’s something in my Pinterest?!? But as long as I’ve used Pinterest I’ve never had anything stick like so…. Maybe something in my email? I clear out the junk folder and also the trash. I can say I’m bad about cleaning up my email in general but nothing gets opened and every so often I just end up deleting all of them but that’s not even a new habit of mine. I don’t have any games on my phone and I don’t have any articles saved in my “Reading List” could it be something possibly sent to me via text or sms that has a link embedded in it possibly? I just thought of that so I’ll check that out.

It’s still here…. I was just analyzing it in Virustotal. On the surface the URL appears clean. With a couple exception but if you just follow one link it’s Trojan city. I’ve searched my phone nothing comes up. If it’s a URL in Website data, it’s more likely a bookmark in safari or an app that has a web interface and the app is really for convenience, eg. YouTube, Pinterest, Amazon, etc.??