How To Keep Your iPad Secure

How To Keep Your iPad Secure, safe and out of harms way.

..."The iPad has great tools for keeping your data safe and personal information out of harms way"...

The iPad is one of the safest computing devices you can use. Its combination of hardware and software security give you a device that probably more secure than your Mac or PC. Especially if you take the right steps to secure it. Because there are currently no known remote attacks against iPads, the biggest security risk that is present at the moment is physically losing the device itself. Thus the first step is to make sure your tablets data is safe in case it gets lost or stolen. For that Id suggest a combination of encryption and remote wiping.

Passcode Encryption
By Default iPads encrypt the data stored on them. You can encrypt email messages and attachments as well by turning on the data protection option on your iPad. To do so go to Settings/General/Passcode Lock and then enter a four digit code twice. If you want to be extra safe, turn off the Simple Passcode option on that same page you can then use longer codes. This will ensure your device is safe and cant be hacked or passcode bypassed by anyone or anything. While youre there set require Passcode for no more than 15 minutes and turn on Erase Data. You can make those passcodes even more powerful by downloading and launching Apples (now poorly named) iPhone Configuration Utility (Macworld/7185).

Designed for enterprise IT managers, it provides a number of additional security and business settings. To start, tap Configuration/Profile/New and select Passcode from the list. Youll now have lots of options. At the very least specify a minimum length for the passcode. To activate these password settings, fill in a name and identifier for your new profile on the General Tab. If nobody else uses the iPad, set the Security drop down menu to always. If youre configuring an iPad for someone else and dont want him or her to change settings without your permission, set it for Never or With Authorization (and then provide a password).When the profile is set, click share to send it in an email message to your iPad. On the iPad, open Mail and find the message Click on Attachments and select install.

Remote Wipe or Remote Wiping
Remote Wiping allows you to delete data on a lost or stolen iPad when it connects to the internet. If you have MobileME account, you can set this up by enabling Find My iPad in Settings/Mail Contacts, Calendars/MobileME. Business users who connect to a Microsoft Exchange Server (or Alternatives Such As Kerio Connect) can use the Exchange Active Sync support to Wipe there devices. This is managed on the server not on your device so youll need to work with your IT administrator.

In Use
There are also things you can do in daily use to make your iPad more secure. One of the best is to use VPN (Virtual Private Network). Another way is to use Secure connections for email. Properly configured Microsoft Exchange Servers Encrypt Data by Default. If you use an IMPA or POP3 server, and it supports SSL, you can go to Settings/Mail Contacts Calendars/Your Account Name/Advanced On Your iPad and enable it there. Although data protection encrypts your email attachments the moment you send them off to an app such as pages they are protected by the iPads basic encryption only. If youre really worried about such documents, you can use a special secure email server tool like good enterprise (macworld.com/7202) and its free companion iPad App. Good for enterprise locks encrypted email attachments (and any files downloaded from its secure browser) inside the app which means that you can read them but not edit them.

If you do lose your iPad one of the first things you should do is change your password and DE-authorize the device for any services such as Drop box or iDisk. That you used for connecting to it the device your Apple iPad. Finally consider getting the 1Password Pro App ($15.00 macworld/5943). It enables good password habits (requiring a different complex password for every site). It syncs with your Mac and other devices over the network or VIA drop box and it stores secure notes and other information, including passwords. It even comes complete with its own embedded Web Browser so you can log in to sites without having to copy and paste your credentials.

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