Hi and thank you for a great site, my iPad arrived yesterday and I'm really happy. Do I need to now download security eg kaspersky etc or does the iPad not need this? This is all new to me

No, your iPad is secure by default.

Your iPad is safe when it comes to virus's and things like that.
However, keep in mind that when ever you connect to a wifi hotspot that doesnt belong to you. Anything you do that goes over the Internet on that hotspot (emails websites) could possibly be intercepted by other people on that same hotspot. Banks normaly have SSL encryption setup on their websites so you should be OK with sites using encryption (HTTPS://)


Security freaks and those with technical knowledge will want to setup a secure VPN connection for when ever they connect to hotspots when away from home and force all network data over the VPN connection. There are also companies that sell access to secure VPN connections for iphone/iPads but they are pricey.

Most of the things a normal user would have to worry about are going to be taken care of by the https as Mike said, and the other things, like trojans and whatnot...can't be installed....because to install an app on your iPad as it is from the factory, it needs to be signed and verified by iTunes/Apple. So unless some sneaky developer sneaks a trojan into one of their games (which will never happen) or whatnot, you are fine.

Thanks for the responses, much appreciated

Originally Posted by Matth3w

Most of the things a normal user would have to worry about are going to be taken care of by the https as Mike said, and the other things, like trojans and whatnot...can't be installed....because to install an app on your iPad as it is from the factory, it needs to be signed and verified by iTunes/Apple. So unless some sneaky developer sneaks a trojan into one of their games (which will never happen) or whatnot, you are fine.

Even if they did, it would only effect JailBroken users.

Apple can't actually look at the code inside apps submitted to the app store, they can only run them and try to spot odd activity. The OS does whats called Sandbox each app. So official apps from the app store run but cant look at much of anything on the device outside of the apps own package and folder.



I would say that a non hacked, non Jailbroken iPad is a much safer device for surfing the web and doing stuff online than any regular PC or Mac. But like with any device, watch what you do on public hotspots as unencrypted traffic is visible to everyone on that network.

Thinking on... And a little off topic... How do I know my own wireless Internet is safe? Could my neighbours be watching?

Are there any precauions I can take to enhance/maximise safety?

Do you have a password or is it open?

A password I think, I copied the key from the bottom of the wireless box itself. I guess I maybe answered my question myself... I remember a tv programme that aired last year and it made recommendations for safety but I can't find their website.

An SSID and a password are different. If a new user could just log on and start using your internet without typing in a password, you need to change that asap.