VPN, MALWARE, ANTIVIRUS for iPad Gen 7.
I cannot discover any apple recommended VPN or Malware/Virus software?
iPad, iPadOS 13
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AntiVirus
Due to the system architecture of iOS/iPadOS, unless jailbroken, your iPad is not susceptible to traditional malware infection per-se. However, as with all computer systems, there are still vulnerabilities and exploits to which you remain vulnerable. There are multiple techniques that you can use to reduce and mitigate risk. Here are two of the easier approaches to employ with iOS/iPadOS.
Browser-based attacks can largely be mitigated by installing a good, trusted, Content and Ad-blocking product. One of the very best and most respected within the Apple App Store - designed for iPad, iPhone and Mac - is 1Blocker for Safari.
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/1blocker-for-safari/id1365531024
1Blocker is highly configurable - and crucially does not rely upon an external proxy-service of dubious provenance. All processing takes place on your device - and contrary to expectations, Safari will run faster and more efficiently.
Unwanted content is not simply filtered after download (a technique used by basic/inferior products), but instead undesirable embedded content blocked form download. A further benefit on metered services, such as cellular connections where you data may be capped or chargeable, this not only improves speed but also saves you money.
When using an effective content blocking App, a high proportion of otherwise inescapable risk when using your Safari browser, or linking to external sources from email, is effectively mitigated before it even reaches you.
A further measure to improve protection is to use a trusted Recursive DNS Service in preference to automatic settings. This can either be set on a per-device basis in Settings, or can be set-up on your home Router. I strongly recommend using one of the following services - for which IPv4 and IPv6 server addresses are listed:
Quad9 (recommended)
9.9.9.9
149.112.112.112
2620:fe::fe
2620:fe::9
OpenDNS
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
2620:0:ccc::2
2620:0:ccd::2
Cloudflare+APNIC
1.1.1.1
1.0.0.1
2606:4700:4700::1111
2606:4700:4700::1001
Use of the above DNS services will help to shield you from “known bad” websites and URLs - and when used alongside 1Blocker, provides defense in depth.
There are other advanced techniques that employ additional secure protocols such as DNSSEC, DoH and DoT - but these are somewhat more complex and beyond the immediate scope of this reply.
VPN
As for VPN software and services, you need to precisely understand what you are attempting to achieve - as this will influence your choice of VPN configuration and service provider.
Whilst VPN is generally utilised to protect your network traffic on “untrusted” WiFi networks - or providing a link to a corporate network or video streaming service - your security at the VPN Gateway (to which you ultimately connect) must also be considered - as all your network traffic can be seen here. In general, you would be best advised to avoid all VPN services that claim to be “free” - as these will be harvesting your data or serving advertising content.
When choosing a commercial VPN provider, the more expensive service providers tend to have better privacy policies and reputation for privacy and security, their “paid” service model being sufficient to profitably fund their service without resorting to more dubious means of paying for the service. If your data is sensitive, you might be best advised to conduct due diligence in obtaining audited reports of their security.
If you just need a reliable VPN service to provide additional protection when using “public” WiFi hotspots, perhaps choose one of the bigger and well known providers of good reputation - such as Symantec/Norton - who have a basic VPN service. Another I might recommend is hide.me.
I hope this information and insight proves to be helpful.
