Given the somewhat recent revelation that the NSA can hack an iPhone and iOS7,
Actually, the information on DROPOUTJEEP is from 2008 and listed as "in development." We don't know for sure that:
1. DROPOUTJEEP ever left development stage
2. iOS7 didn't exist in 2008, nor did current hardware... we don't know if DROPOUTJEEP actually works on iOS7
Even then, the information makes it clear: you NEED to have physical access to the device ("close access methods"), and you MUST jailbreak. This is not some remote, compromise-everyone solution. Assuming DROPOUTJEEP works, the NSA must still get their hands on a target's iPad or iPhone long enough to install the software, and then return it, preferably without the target knowing it was ever in someone's else's custody and control.
are folks worried that their iPads could be compromised?
No more worried that other electronics, including Blackberries and other platforms, can be compromised by the NSA, should an agent gain physical access to the device and have control of it long enough to implant software.
The practice is wrong, it should be stopped. But I have no illusions that any consumer device is more secure than others.
I'm actually far more worried (and you should be too) that it's clearly a lot easier for the NSA to hack and eavesdrop on Google, Yahoo, and countless other cloud services, independent of the devices you use. That's a much easier avenue of attack for the NSA, and they can probably get far more dirt on people that way.
I'm not aware of any decent security and /or monitoring tools for iPad, are you?
You haven't looked hard enough, clearly. iOS itself is pretty heavily locked down, requiring a Jailbreak and physical access to compromise. There are VPN and other secure communication tools. One only needs to look at the app store.
