Ipad Hacked - I watched somebody go into my contacts and browse around

Alekandr,

I have had the exactly the same experience as you mentioned with my iPad 1st Gen. I too have had the password changed on Router/Mac, and use strong encyption. I also took to the apple shop but they couldn't help as the issue didn't happen whilst at the shop?. I am asking my broadband supplier in the UK (SKY) to look at the issue too.

Did you ever discover what the issue was?. i have virus checked using Sophos and also Little Snitch and no issues have been found.

Sergio

There is no known way of remotely controlling the screen on an iPad that has not been jailbroken. Dirty or defective screens have been known to make this happen, which can look very deliberate sometimes.

Regarding the router, note that the encryption you're using on your network doesn't mean anything if you've got your router set to allow remote administration. This would allow anyone who brute-force cracks your password over the internet to change your router settings. Make sure to turn off remote administration in your router.

Thomas,

I haven't jailbroken my iPad and it has been factory reset and checked by Apple Store in the UK.

I have changed default passwords for SKY's router and my MBP and iPad, but still the problem occurs i have video'ed the actuall "remote" connection showing how the ipad's keyboard pops up and starts typing as experienced the same by Alexandr previously.

I have checked and remote management of the router is not enabled.

Do you know if any Mac Software that can navigate around on the iPad (e.g. similar to PC Anywhere or remote Desktop) when connected via the USB cable ?

There may be some iOS app that would allow you to remotely access the screen of that app, while that app was open. It's possible, but may or may not actually exist. However, iOS apps are not allowed much runtime in the background, and cannot install any kind of hooks to allow this sort of thing. So there's no way for someone to remotely control the screen like this in general.

Turning off UPnP in the router is a good idea to enhance security.

Did you ever find out anything about your remote indruder or any way to prevent it. I have a friend with an ipad and she aparently has had this exact problem several times now.... in fact the other day a notepad file full of important passwords was deleted..... she had gone off and left the ipad online and when she came back the file was gone. Also she had had passwords changed aparently done remotely.....

thanks

As has already been pointed out, it's not possible at this time to hack an (un-jailbroken) iPad remotely and control it over the network. That's not what the problem is.

These symptoms could potentially be explained easily by someone hacking her accounts, specifically her iCloud account. Hacking an iCloud account would allow the attacker to access any Notes files that were synced with iCloud. So, once the attacker got access to her iCloud account, that Notes entry full of passwords would give the attacker access to everything else. Putting passwords on a Notes page is a VERY bad idea!

She should change the passwords on her iCloud account immediately, as well as the passwords on all accounts described in that Notes page. And then should delete that Notes page. She should use something like 1Password to manage passwords securely.

Hey. This happened to me too - about 4 times - fourth today..

I don't store any private data on my ipad as I use it only for game/ watching tv on it so when it first happened to me, I was shocked. As soon as I saw it moving and typing things on the internet (For me they typed netframework 4 on google search) I exited safari and went to settings and turned the wifi off (during this process the hacker disturbed me to the point of me freaking out). My ipad does not have the 3G support however my ipad was still being controlled - entering gallery / camera ect. My first instinct was to cover the camera and then I recovered from the shock and force turned it off. It seems that once I turn it off the hacker cannot access it. I was annoyed - and after few hours I turned my ipad on again - it was fine for 30 minutes or so then the hacker returned. Since remote control should not work once internet has been disconnected - but it still moved - it seems it is some sort of zombie file installed in the ipad.

So this happened to me about 4 times including today... I didn't really mind if it got hacked since nothing is stored on my ipad except a few photos I took. Since I couldn't be bothered to clean up this mess I just left the ipad on my shelf for a few months... then I returned to it. Everytime I returned to it the same thing happened and ipad got abandoned again... I don't think it is to do with the internet security - I think it'a virus zombie file that was installed onto the ipad - so unless you swipe/format your ipad it won't be solved.

Now I can't be bothered to proof read what I've written so..

Just wanted to say it happened to me too

oh by the way - everytime it happened I was on safari - watching tv series (Safe sites with no adverts, virus etc)

So I think it is to do with safari? some sort of virus running while on safari..

my ipad is un-jail broken too

Again, not possible. You are not being remote controlled. There is no malware of any kind currently able to infect an iPad that hasn't been jailbroken, and there's no way to remote control it either. Either you have a very dirty screen that's reading sporadic touches, you have a very serious software issue and need to either reset or restore the iPad or you have a hardware issue that needs to be addressed. I would make an appointment at the Genius Bar at your nearest Apple Store if you need assistance with this.

A dirty screen is only one option. You need to explore the other possibilities. This is NOT the work of a hacker.

This is obviously an issue Apple needs to check into. I have seen multiple forums, not just Apple's, where people are experiencing this. I know you guys are proud of your products and stand by their un-hackability but let's face it. People can do anything they want to these days. My iPad 2 has a VERY clean screen and got hacked. Today. Typing in legible things with the on screen keyboard is random? I think not. Don't get me wrong, I will continue to use and purchase Apple products. Lets face it, if the NSA can do what they do, why couldn't someone find a way to control an iPad?

I have a Gen4 iPad 16GB Running iOS 7.0.4

My Wi-Fi Network has a 63-character WPA2 PSK.

It happened to me as soon as I turned my iPad on: Web Browser, then the App Store [selected the app on the top banner and looked through the screenshots], then Settings, then Notes, then Google Docs (which luckily wasn't logged-in). I kept hitting the home button to try and keep "whoever" out of things.

I turned the iPad off and back on, and it stopped.

I still feel pretty insecure about the whole incident.