Has my Iphone 5 been compromised?

So today I was looking at my spam box on my aol email account using my Iphone. I noticed a pretty legitimate looking message from Whatsapp saying that I had a new voicemail. I don't have that app and my paranoia kicked in thinking that someone had signed me up or was using my identity. I foolishly clicked the link. It opened safari. The address bar was flashing numerous websites and after no more than 2 or 3 seconds I closed out. I closed out faster than any content on any of the webpages could load, so I just saw a blank white screen with an address bar flashing different sites. After doing a few minutes of research I found out that I had clicked on a popular and vicious phishing email that installs malware and can even allow hacking and remote access. (A simple web search will yield a plethora of articles about this specific type of phishing email) After a few minutes I immediately powered down my Iphone 5.

Some quick details. I have not downloaded ANY of the IOS updates my phone has received over the years. This is because my phone has limited memory as I do not delete pics and vids. I also have never "jail-broken" my OS.

So what are some possibilities and the likelihood of each? With limited memory could malware have been installed within a few seconds? Could I have been hacked? What should I do to ensure my device is safe before I use it again?

Cool

Your iPhone should be fine. Malware can infect a device in two ways. One is you installing an infected app. The other is exploit through a vulnerability. Since your iPhone is not jailbroken and you didn't install any apps, the first way is not possible. The second way however is a little more likely. When your iPhone says you have an update, it's not just updating features. It fixes vulnerabilities in their code. A vulnerability is a hole in the code that could be used to exploit the system into doing something it shouldn't, like remotely allowing software to run without user interaction. IOS has had remote code vulnerabilities however I do not believe exploits have been made, though it is possible.

The best thing to do is to backup all your files. Move them to the cloud and or a computer. Then reset the phone to factory settings. This will remove an infection if you had one. Then from now on, keep iOS up to date and stop clicking random links.

You have clicked and thats enough to compromise it. Ok now i advise you link your iphone to an icloud account and or back your photos etc up to a google account. Ios updates often have security fixes etc but just to make clear to you… The ios you have now will be replaced and your old ios removed… All ios for each model are always around the same size. You could also sync your pics and vids to your pc / mac or to itunes… My advice would be to back them up via itunes and update the ios… Make sure over 60% battery power and if need do ota keep plugged in… Yyour dilemma is however your personal files maybe contain malware now as infections spread, back up to pc and scan with malware bytes, i would upload to icloud and return them to your iphone ota