Owning an iPad can be a great boost to your productivity. Unfortunately, many people misuse their devices in various ways, only to find themselves in serious trouble once they hit a security issue later on. With the amount of personal information you’re storing on your device, it’s important to know how to keep it secured.
Never Skip System Updates
There’s probably not a single person in the world who likes those annoying prompts to update their operating system. And yet, they exist for a good reason – those updates often introduce critical security fixes that address problems with the operating system you may not even be aware of.
Lock Down the Device
Use a password lock, and if you have a model with a SIM card, make sure you use a PIN on that, too. An attacker with physical access to your iPad can do a lot of harm, and you have to do everything in your power to limit their actions.
Only Install Trusted Apps
The app store exists for many reasons, one of them being that it allows Apple to control what gets published to it. And yet, we still often see users trying to circumvent those restrictions and install apps they’ve found somewhere else. The result is often a compromised device and lost personal information.
Understand the Dangers of Jailbreaking
On that note, be careful with the idea of jailbreaking your device as well. It might seem like a good option, unlocking so many new features of the tablet, but it can also introduce a variety of security risks that are not to be underestimated. If you do decide to attempt jailbreaking, make sure to familiarize yourself with the topic as much as possible beforehand.
Learn How a VPN Can Help You
A VPN is something that many people can benefit from, especially those who are always on the go with their iPads. You’d be shocked to find out how often you’ve compromised your device by connecting it to untrusted networks in public spaces, and this can be a huge security risk for those who use their devices for sensitive communication. A VPN (try one here: https://nordvpn.com/download/) can be a huge step in avoiding these problems.
Don’t Use Sketchy Repair Shops
If something goes wrong with your device, don’t just take it to the cheapest repair shop you can find. Apple has its own special licensing program for trusted repair shops, which gives you some reassurance that the people touching your device won’t have any malicious intentions.
Use Official Accessories
Similar to the above, don’t try to cut corners with your device accessories. Yes, you can find chargers and data cables for much cheaper than Apple’s own prices, but there may be some hidden costs that you might not like – such as something concealed in the charger designed to steal your data.
Don’t Add Random People on Social Media
Social engineering is another common angle for hackers trying to compromise devices, and you should be wary of random people adding you on social media, especially ones of the opposite gender who make it clear that they’re single and looking for a relationship.
Don’t Link Payment Credentials Without a Good Reason
Your iPad can make it very easy to save your payment information for the future, allowing you to purchase apps and other content with just one click later on. But this is also a very attractive point of attack for hackers trying to steal your credentials. Don’t use this function unless you have a very good reason to do so.
Subscribe to a Fan Forum
Last but not least, subscribing to an Apple fan forum – or just a general tech board – can provide you with constant useful insights. If something comes up on the security horizon, you can be sure that there will be countless threads talking about the problem, and you’ll know that something is up. It’s no guarantee that you’ll be alerted of issues fast enough, but it does go a long way.
As long as you use some common sense and don’t try to do anything unusual with your iPad, you should be able to see many years of great use out of it, even if you’re not a very tech-savvy person in the first place. Whatever you do though, don’t let your data get compromised – it only has to happen once to cause huge issues in your life.
