Gen. Alexander has an iPad, but is it Secure Against Cyber Attacks?
During his recent hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander, who has been nominated to head the new U.S. Cyber Command, told committee members that, as a technology lover, he has already purchased the new iPad from Apple and that it was “wonderful.” But is the iPad cyber secure?
Prior to its release, a number of security researchers voiced their concerns over the new technology. Additionally, several universities, including George Washington University and Princeton University, have rejected the use of the iPad, according to the Wall Street Journal. Below is our list of the security concerns but also some of the perks of the iPad.
Malware from Attachments: While the iPad and iPhone have some similar features, the iPad can be set to automatically open PDF attachments. PDFs are one of the most common attack vectors for distributing malware.
Keith Alexander
“The device is really close to an iPhone, so we should expect a similar security. However, unlike the iPhone, it would be able to open PDF documents by default,” Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs says. “2009 has been a year with a number of different vulnerabilities exploited through PDF documents. So this will be one of the major risk vectors that the iPad will face.”
In an article published on Forbes.com, several researchers discussed their opinions regarding the security (or lack thereof) of the iPad. For one, a number of researchers feel that the iPad is too similar to the iPhone, with the same vulnerabilities, such as poor encryption.
Charlie Miller, a security researcher known for his attempts to hack new Apple devices, said that he hasn’t tried yet because the iPad is too similar to the iPhone. “I have one. I’m not currently actively trying to break it,” Miller says. “Mostly this is because, from a security perspective, it’s just an iPod Touch.”
However, for the IT professional, there is a great counterpoint to concerns over the iPad. The iPad, particularly if it is used by employees for personal use, would cut down significantly on some of the challenges that IT professionals face in securing their networks, according to a recent article on Computer World.
Instead of employees using their work computers for personal surfing and browsing, the iPad offers a platform that is fast enough to allow users to go to websites that many companies are forced to block. Also, if someone does manage to infect their iPad with malware, the rest of the company would remain relatively safe.
Granted, all of this raises concerns for the HR department regarding the productivity of workers, but at least it cuts down on some security risks. The best advice for maintaining security when using an iPad is to follow similar procedures that one uses with a personal computer, don’t click on links in emails, be wary of attachments and avoid visiting less than legitimate sites.
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