Can your iphone or ipad device be hacked

Unless you are a high-value target - of interest to a nation state actor with the technical means to perform a very sophisticated attack - compromise of your iPad and iPhone to the extent that you outline is unlikely.

Providing your iPad/iPhone has been kept up-to-date with system software updates, you should not be overly concerned for your iPad being directly compromised by malware.

Due to the sandboxed 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. For older devices, no longer benefiting from regular security updates, the risk of an unpatched vulnerability being exploited increases. Regardless of the installed version of iPadOS, there are useful mitigations that can be used to significantly reduce your exposure to risk.

Be wary of an often repeated myth that Apple devices are immune to malware; those that perpetuate this fallacy, perhaps with good intention, do not necessarily comprehend the broader threat landscape. Apple expend considerable resources in developing and issuing regular software security updates and patches for its products; if the myth had any substance, regular security updates would be unnecessary.

The majority of threats to which you will be invariably exposed will surface via web pages or embedded links within email or other messaging platforms. In addition to native protection within iOS/iPadOS, there are simple strategies to mitigate a significant proportion of threats that you are likely to encounter.

Mitigation

Browser-based attacks can be largely and successfully mitigated by installing a good 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, often utilised by so-called AntiVirus products intended for iOS/iPadOS. Instead, all processing by 1Blocker 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 is blocked form download. 1Blocker has also recently introduced its new “Firewall” functions - that are explicitly designed to block “trackers”. Being implemented at the network-layer, this additional protection works across all Apps. Recent updates to 1Blocker has introduced additional network extensions, extending protection to other Apps.

A further measure to improve protection is to use a security focussed DNS Service in preference to automatic DNS settings. This can either be set on a per-device basis in Settings, or can be set-up on your home Router - and in so doing extends the benefit of this specific protection to other devices on your local network. I recommend using one of the following DNS 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

2620:119:35::35

2620:119:53::53

Cloudflare

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, or other Content Blocker, provides defense in depth.

There are advanced techniques to further “harden” iOS/iPadOS (such as using DoH, DoT and DNSSEC); while fully and effectively supported by iOS/iPadOS, Apple doesn’t expose this capability via device settings - but there are easy ways to access this functionality. Aside from installing a device-profile from a external device-management system, a really easy way to set and manage DoH/DoT settings is to use a third-party utility App - DNSecure:

https://apps.apple.com/app/dnsecure/id1533413232

This App does exactly what is needed to effectively configure DoH/DoT - and is free to download and install. Many DNS providers are already preconfigured - including Quad9 and Cloudflare. Additional secure DNS providers can be added if required.

Apple has recently introduced its new Private Relay to its iCloud+ subscribers - in part employing ODoH (a variant of DoH) as an element of this new functionality. More details of this feature can be found here:

About iCloud Private Relay - Apple Support

In summary, there are many mitigations that you can use to better secure your iPad from malware and other potential threats. A good content blocker, combined with secure DNS and other protections offered by iPadOS can reduce your exposure to malicious links, content and threat actors.

I hope you find this information and insight to be helpful.

SL2506 wrote:

Can an iPhone or iPad device be hacked to a point where your voice or video be recorded by the hacker while you watch a video on internet

Sure. Are you subject to that? Almost certainly not. Available information indicates that the sorts of exploits necessary for your posited case are exceedingly expensive, and very targeted. And there can be vastly easier ways to achieve those same results, and not involving an iPhone exploit. A cheap audio-capable camera located where you watch videos, for instance.

Now if you are targeted—investigative journalist, rich or with access to rich, political dissident or political candidate, with access to sensitive or classified data, etc—you will want to acquire tailored and specific security advice.

For the rest of us: Personal Safety User Guide - Apple Support (there’s a PDF containing all that at the bottom.)

Per the reply above (and mentioned), Using iCloud+ and Private Relay avoids needing to set up and manage preferred DNS servers for each connected network. Private Relay encrypts your DNS traffic, and sends it to CloudFlare. Redirecting DNS doesn’t encrypt that traffic. And resetting DNS manually can potentially cause other issues in some networks.