My iPad has been hacked

Hi. Try a forced restart. Hold Sleep and Home buttons until you see the Apple, about 15 seconds. Then do the following:

Force quit Safari from the app switcher.

Also force quit any unfamiliar apps.

Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data.

How are they holding your iPad for ransom? How are they hacking it, I mean how do you know someone is hacking it. If someone got your password and was able to gain access to your iPad, it sounds like you need to get into your account and change your password. If you can’t get into your iPad and you have access to your Apple ID, you can restore your iPad and then setup as new or You can restore from backup IF it was backed up before a PIN was placed on the iPad.

It's not you iPad that's been hacked, it's your Apple user account. Someone who knew, or found out what your user name is, guessed your password, got into your account, and put the iPad into lost mode (activation lock). Because your Apple ID is your user name, they knew who to send the email to in order to extort a ransom so you can unlock your device.

DO NOT pay it. People who have don't get the unlock code anyway, or get one that doesn't work. These are crooks. All they want is your money. They don't care if you get access to your device back.

This is because they were able to get into your Apple ID and place your iPad into lost mode. I would suggest trying to get back into your Apple ID by going to Apple website and selecting “forgot password” and answer the security questions and reset your password so you can get your account back and then get your iPad out of lost mode.

You have to go to the website to get your account back. You aren’t going to be able to do it on your iPad, and you will have pretty limited website support on your phone. You need to use something other than your iPad, but your phone MAY work. Not sure if you’ll be able to but if you don’t have a computer to use to go to the website then you can try and see what you can come up with.

GentleHands wrote:

My iPad is now disabled for 1 hour.

Does this mean you tried your existing passcode multiple times and were told it was incorrect?

You must have had a passcode previously, or they could not have accessed your iPad this way. You must also have Apple's 2FA on your Apple ID. Was this iPad a trusted device? Did you get 6 digit verification codes sent to it?

Again, do not respond to a crook. He or she will get $100, and you are extremely likely to get nothing in return.

ZintainUSA just posted a possible way. Try that.

You'll of course need another device to try it from.

Your going to have to get into your Apple ID on the website. You aren’t going to be able to use your i

Ad till you get access back to your Apple ID.