The iPad has one of the leading tablet computing solutions in the world today. Powered by its brilliant operating system the tablet has been a sweetheart for those who enjoy mobile computing. It is this massive increase in iPad users that has made iOS a big target for hackers and cyber criminals. Take the iCloud hack for instance which lead to very sensitive photos of prominent actresses being leaked online.
The discovery of malicious threats like Masque Attack, XCode Ghost and the Wire Lurker Trojan has exposed the Apple iPad to various vulnerabilities. Although the iPad never needed any anti-virus apps to defend its interface, it is now essential that iPad owners secure the Wi-Fi networks they connect to using Virtual Private Networks or VPN:
- ExpressVPN
- NordVPN
- Ivacy
- PureVPN
- Cyberghost
Why use an iPad VPN?
Most readers will question at this point that Apple devices have the most sophisticated device security in the world, why use a VPN for my iPad? The answer is simple Apple devices are not as secure as they used to be.
After the massive data breach of the iCloud service, the release of Trojans on various Apple App Stores, the Wire Lurker Trojan that copies itself through USB connections and the SSL flaw that basically opened up iOS devices to hacks& vulnerabilities online. Anyone on a shared public network could easily hack into an iPad or an iPhone and access all of its data.
The iCloud hack was completely blamed on the device owners who accessed these devices over public Wi-Fi. Yes, Apple Inc. never took responsibility or admitted that their operating system or cloud storage had flaws. Similarly, the XCode Ghost vulnerability was pinned on Chinese App Developers with Apple maintaining that their technology was robust.
We don’t have to go too far to remember the Oleg Pliss vulnerability. In May 2014, Apple iPad & iPhone users in Australia, UK and a handful of European countries had their Apple IDs compromised, using the Find My iPhone feature built into the device. While the features function was to allow Apple device owners to lock and track their devices if stolen. Unfortunate users claimed their devices were locked and hacker by an entity known only as Oleg Pliss who demanded $100or €100to unlock the devices.
Take a guess what Apple Inc. said? After the Oleg Pliss incident Apple claimed there was no vulnerability in the iCloud or their devices. There are a dozen other cases just like the ones mention above. Bottom line here is that iOS (the iPad’s operating system) and Apple Inc`s various services are indeed vulnerable.
How does iPad VPN Work?
It is essential that beginners learn exactly how an iPad VPN service works. By definition a VPN for iPad establishes an encrypted& tunneled connection with one of its many servers laid across the world. This protects the user, their identity, the device and the data on or passing through it. Consider the following illustration:
If you notice the two way arrows indicate the tunneled connection between user and VPN server. The arrow has a red outline which denotes data encryption which is employ to ensure all your online activities are secure by converting it into meaningless characters. This connection is also secure using tunneling protocols which ensure that no one can see you online on private or public Wi-Fi networks. Once the virtual connection is create with the VPN server, all data now passes through it rather than your ISP or a public network.
Your email, chats, online searches, form data, torrents, streaming, banking, shopping, in-app activity, music etc. all passes through the secure iPad VPN tunnel. The best iPad VPN also ensure that they bypass deep packet inspection by ISPs (monitoring of users by ISP), unblock geo-restricted streaming services& websites, inspect the integrity of data packets (for malicious data)and secure iPad user devices against hack attacks.
The Best iPad VPN Providers
A range of iPad VPN providers offer their exclusive premium worldwide servers, proactive encryption, network monitoring and leading iPad apps for security. Here are some features to look for in the best iPad VPN.
The best VPN for iPad will normally offer a vast global server network to ensure you can unblock websites, access web services and secure your online activities behind different IP addresses. One of the leading VPN uses including unblocking video streaming services, downloading torrent securely, banking securely, shopping in international web stores, accessing geo-restricted services like Gmail and much more.
It is not necessary that the best iPad VPN is one with hundreds of servers. It is also necessary for the iPad VPN provider to have a high speed network infrastructure, for instance Hong Kong based provider Ivacy VPN offers a 1 Gigabit/ Sec network backbone for turbo speed streaming and torrents.
The ideal VPN providers offer cutting edge iPad apps to ensure users of all levels find it easy to connect. One click connectivity, categorized server selection, protocol selection. And other interactive features all sum up a terrific iPad app for VPN. You can also free trial some of the iPad VPN providers listed in the table above. Simply downloading the app and creating a limited feature trial account.
Best VPN
The best iPad VPN provider will usually offer a variety of tunneling protocols combined with different encryption strengths. The combined effort of these two technologies is what constitutes a good VPN service for iPad devices.
Tunneling protocols enhance online privacy by securing the user identity. Online activities, hiding the real IP address and completely making them anonymous online. This when combined with data encryption secures the user completely leaving no margin for error when online.
Leading tunneling protocols include PPTP, SSTP, OpenVPN, iKEV2 and L2TP/IPSec. Each protocol has its unique attributes for instance PPTP is excellent for streaming video & music while L2TP is a great protocol for confidential online data transfers.
Leading data encryption algorithms include 128bit and 256bit encryption keys. When you send a message over VPN it is first coded (encrypted) into alphanumeric code. And can only be decoded using the encryption key which is either 128 or 256 characters long. Good luck finding that out hackers and cybercriminals!
Value Added Features
The best VPN providers for iPad devices will also offer various value added services like 24/7 live chat, on website knowledge base & FAQ, split tunneling, internet kill switch, stealth browser, SmartDNS and much more.
Best iPad VPN for China
China holds its unique place when it comes to the internet and its local cyberspace. Moreover, china employs the most sophisticated firewall technology in the world to censor and restrict websites, news sources (New York Times, London Times etc.), blogs, web services (Google), social networks (Facebook & Twitter), streaming services (YouTube, Netflix), and other online media for their people.
China has the largest online populations in the world now bypassing some 680 million netizens. But they are also the most unfortunate one who have to bear the Great Firewall of China. There is also a massive populace of Apple iPad user in China that affect by various malware and hacks.
During our rigorous testing we found three iPad VPN services working brilliantly in China. Hong Kong based Ivacy VPN was better than the other two in terms of speed. Chinese netizens have historically complained about ridiculous declines in surfing speed after connecting to VPN. Ivacy VPN kept bandwidth loss close to 43% on a 10 Mbps connection.
PureVPN was working fine until it leaked the local DNS from our PC. But we changed servers and it worked perfectly fine from there. IPVanish VPN was decent but speeds dropped by 67% so not an ideal choice for Chinese cyberspace.
In A Nutshell
Apple devices have lost ground over network security and user identity protection. It is essential for all Apple iPad users use VPN. Whenever connected to public Wi-Fi and4G mobile networks to ensure robust online privacy. Multiple threats are lurking online in search for apple devices including cyber criminals. Malicious apps and public Wi-Fi attacks that steal data from Apple iPads.
Test out the best iPad VPN providers today, check out their features and read exclusive reviews to know more. DO remember to share our page if you liked it and leave us some feedback for improvements to the page.
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