How to remove Do you want to download “ids”

Do you want to download “ids” – a suspicious prompt that iPhone, iPad, and Mac users see on various websites

Do you want to download “ids” is a download prompt that users reported seeing on various websites for the past few days. According to reports, the pop-up is very plain – asking to download something, which is accompanied by a “Download” button. In some cases, users are redirected to the cdn.districtm.io domain, which does not incorporate any content, although it asks to open the link with an application. 

So far, the Do you want to download “ids” issue is only affecting Macs, iPhones, and iPads, and seems to mostly come up on Safari web browsers. Nonetheless, it does not mean that Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or another web browser will not be affected in the future.

There is also no consistency when it comes to which sites are affected by this problem, as users reported seeing it on sites that are related to news (Fox News, CNN), recipes, forums (ResetEra), and other random sites, although some cases were only related to one particular website. Since the pop-up appears on many reputable websites, it is definitely not related to them. So, what is Do you want to download “ids”? Is it a virus? As for now, there is no straightforward answer, although we will try to get to the bottom of it in this post. 

Do you want to download “ids” popup does indeed seems suspicious, as unknown download prompts are often associated with a virus or other malware-laden websites. However, considering that it is shown on many legitimate sites, the scenario is highly unlikely.

It seems like that Do you want to download “ids” problem has been affecting many users who use iPhones and iPads to view the online content and visit various websites. Here are a few posts:^[1]

Do I have an infected iPhone? After clicking a link through Facebook messenger (from a friend who was hacked), I noticed these pop up randomly while surfing safari. iPhone 11 Pro Max. Any help greatly appreciated, this is my first iPhone, just bought it a few weeks ago.

So I keep getting a pop-up only on resetera saying “Do you want to download ids?”, and I can’t figure out why. Anyone know what it is and how to stop it? Happens on every page on resetera.

Looking at these messages, and considering the suspicious nature of the Do you want to download “ids” prompt, one might assume that this is an infection of an iPhone or another device. Of course, there is a possibility that there is a deceptive app installed on all the devices affected by this issue. Shady apps might have asked for elevated permissions during the installation process to be able to display over other apps, hence they can show prompts at any time during the operation of the device.

Nonetheless, since the issue began abruptly and is associated with multiple domains, it is highly likely that it is caused by one (or both) of the following reasons:

• A bug within ad delivery process. Instead of sending a HTML version of the ad, a TXT version is sent instead, which automatically prompts the download.
• An update within Safari or the way how websites deliver ads. According to ResetEra administrator, the problem to users began after they changed the way ads are shifting around content on desktop.^[2]

While it is generally presumed that it is safe to download the file, security experts do not recommend doing so. Instead, you should remove Do you want to download “ids” popup by pressing the “X.” When it comes to the solution to this problem, you should clear the browser cache and data, and then scan the device with reputable anti-malware, such as SpyHunterCombo Cleaner or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes. For further checks, we recommend using FortectIntego.

Never download files that come seemingly out of nowhere

Safari is a relatively safe browser, along with Apple products. Even those who attempt to download unknown files will not be able to (even if they will, the file will sit in the “Downloads” folder without being executed). Nonetheless, there are plenty of techniques that can allow the attackers to bypass the implemented defenses, as cybercriminals are constantly working on them.

For example, since February 2020, Apple introduced the notarization process – the developers need to upload their apps to the notary service to check for malicious components and other issues. While this seems to be like a strong attempt to prevent malware, cybercriminals behind OSX/Shlayer managed to bypass this process,^[3] and many users got infected by it. Thus, being careful is always advised – you should never download apps from unknown sources or agree to unknown prompts. If you are not sure about something, simply leave the page and never engage with its contents.

How to get rid of the Do you want to download “ids” problem?

Since there is no particular explanation to where the suspicious prompt is coming from, users were flooding various IT forums in the hopes of finding methods for Do you want to download “ids” removal. Unfortunately, if the issue seems to be related to an ad network or other parties. Some users claimed that resetting the web browser or clearing website data/cookies helped to get rid of the problem – check for details below.

If you are using an iPhone, follow these steps:

• Go to Settings and then pick Safari
• Select Clear History and Website Data
• Press Clear.

As evident, Do you want to download “ids” is not a virus or a browser hijacker (like some websites might claim), but most likely a bypass product of complicated ad networks and ad delivery services. In other words, some elements might start acting abnormally, and many users assume that the activity is malicious (similar issues happened with Gstatic, for example). While the definite answer is not there yet, we recommend taking precautions regardless and ensuring that all the software on the device is updated and that it is secured with SpyHunterCombo Cleaner, MalwarebytesMalwarebytes, or another reputable anti-malware app.