How safe is the iPad?

[Reynold Willians]

Hello everyone.
A friend who works wifh cybersecurity says that most likely my network, my desktop (windows 10) and my smartphone (android 12) was hacked, he also assumed that criminals could be reading the iPad data packets. As my ISP is stupid and does not allow the user access to the router to make updates, my friend then recommended me to use a paid VPN like NordVPN with IKEv2 protocol on iPad OS 16.2. My question is: Even if I use an encrypted tunnel, a hacker or group of hackers could gain access to my offline data (data that do not establish any kind of connection), right? But what is the chance and investment needed for this to happen in this case?

 

[Arctic Moose]

Short answer: it’s complicated.

There have always been exploits for iPadOS and iOS. The Pegasus spyware is one recent example that could be installed by one tap from the user. There are certainly other unknown and unpatched vulnerabilities that either have been exploited or will be exploited.

However, iPadOS and iOS are typically pretty safe, especially if you are a little mindful about which apps you install and which links you tap. Exploits are expensive and require hard work to put in place.

I would NOT rely on a VPN for protection. In your shoes I would disconnect everything, reinstall and patch everything, log out all clients from services you use, change all the passwords, turn on multi-factor for anything that offers it and use hardware keys if possible.

Must you use the router supplied by your ISP? If not, can you set it to pass-through mode? If you can, you can just get another router to put in front of it. If you cannot, you can still do that, and just deal with double NAT. It isn’t ideal, but I have never had any issues when forced to use it.

Of course there are many other firewall, VPN and warning systems you could use as well, of varying cost and complexity.

 

[Reynold Willians]

Short answer: it’s complicated.

There have always been exploits for iPadOS and iOS. The Pegasus spyware is one recent example that could be installed by one tap from the user. There are certainly other unknown and unpatched vulnerabilities that either have been exploited or will be exploited.

However, iPadOS and iOS are typically pretty safe, especially if you are a little mindful about which apps you install and which links you tap. Exploits are expensive and require hard work to put in place.

I would NOT rely on a VPN for protection. In your shoes I would disconnect everything, reinstall and patch everything, log out all clients from services you use, change all the passwords, turn on multi-factor for anything that offers it and use hardware keys if possible.

Must you use the router supplied by your ISP? If not, can you set it to pass-through mode? If you can, you can just get another router to put in front of it. If you cannot, you can still do that, and just deal with double NAT. It isn’t ideal, but I have never had any issues when forced to use it.

Of course there are many other firewall, VPN and warning systems you could use as well, of varying cost and complexity.

Thank you man. Yes! i already restored my desktop and updated to windows 12, my smarphone model no longer supports another android besides 12.05, however i will stop using it until i buy a new one, i also restored my ipad and started to use 2FA with google authenticator in all my accounts since some say that using 2FA with the phone number is not so safe. Anyway, I just can't change the state of my router, but following what you said I'm going to try to put a signal repeater ahead to try to have a little more security.

 

[ct2k7]

Is there any reason to believe that you were hacked or targeted? It's unlikely that you've been targeted unless you're a high profile person (e.g PEP / Politically Exposed Person).

In most cases - especially where there's been a targeted attempt, there are no obvious signs, as that the aim is to extract as much useful information, not disrupt.

Windows 12 doesn't exist, so you likely only upgraded to Windows 11 from a prior version. Android devices work differently, in that I don't think security updates are tied to major versions, but can be patched in service.

What @Arctic Moose suggested was not to use a signal repeater, but to double NAT using a second router southbound of the existing modem router device. A signal repeater is unlikely to provide any security benefit.

 

[Reynold Willians]

Is there any reason to believe that you were hacked or targeted? It's unlikely that you've been targeted unless you're a high profile person (e.g PEP / Politically Exposed Person).

In most cases - especially where there's been a targeted attempt, there are no obvious signs, as that the aim is to extract as much useful information, not disrupt.

Windows 12 doesn't exist, so you likely only upgraded to Windows 11 from a prior version. Android devices work differently, in that I don't think security updates are tied to major versions, but can be patched in service.

What @Arctic Moose suggested was not to use a signal repeater, but to double NAT using a second router southbound of the existing modem router device. A signal repeater is unlikely to provide any security benefit.

Yes, there is a reason, but this is a private matter involving another person I have intrigued with, I suspect she has placed a bounty on my head in order to obtain intimate data that could be used on later occasions with the intention to inhibit a conduct of mine that proved to be unlikely, but despite that, those responsible decided to go ahead with this unnecessary violation of privacy.
I have been pursued by these guys and your hints that allude to the data obtained. I am completely convinced that there was an invasion, I must have clicked on some malicious link, they had my email and social networks for that.

So… I updated windows to version 11 and restored, I also have linux ubuntu installed, but I use it occasionally and I don't know if that could have compromised the restoration, besides, I don't know how big the technical capacity of violators and malware is to remain on my computer even with all these measures.

And as for the repeater, I thought it might provide a similar level of security as the router, but that's ok, I'll get some tech help to try to add that possible layer of protection.

 

[Arctic Moose]

Yes, moving away from 2FA/MFA based on your phone number is a good idea, I forgot to mention that. For your most important accounts, use something like a Yubikey. (Both your Google account and your Apple ID are compatible.)

Also, install Malwarebytes everywhere you can and run it:

Cyber Security Software and Anti-Malware | Malwarebytes

Protect your home and business PCs, Macs, iOS and Android devices from the latest cyber threats and malware, including ransomware.

www.malwarebytes.com

 

[madat42]

iPadOS 16 also has the Lockdown mode feature that helps prevent zero-click malware. I’ve been testing it out - it impacts the Safari browsing experience plus removes some convenient features from other apps but may be worth the extra security. As Apple puts it, Lockdown is for those rare individuals that might feel targeted by cyberattacks. Not sure why they don’t feel everyone would benefit from this feature but then again it does disable some things that you might be used to.