Mr Murdoch's wife Wendi and his son James jumped to his defence as the attack was launched as the final questions were being asked by MPs.
The hearing was suspended as a man wearing a checked shirt with what appeared to be foam splashed across his face was detained by police.
Mr Murdoch, 80, was apparently pelted with a plate of foam.
MP Chris Bryant condemned the attack in which he said the media mogul had the plate pushed into his face.
James Murdoch was in mid-sentence as the attacked was launched.
Wendi Murdoch, who had sat behind her husband throughout his appearance before the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, appeared to strike back at the assailant in defence of her husband.
Eyewitnesses said a member of the audience sat at the back of the room stood up and walked around to the front where Mr Murdoch was giving evidence and threw what appeared to be a paper plate covered in shaving foam at him.
As the protester was being taken from the room, Mr Murdoch's wife threw the empty paper plate at him.
The session was then suspended.
As the man was being led away in handcuffs escorted by a single police officer, he refused to give his name, saying: "As Mr Murdoch himself said, I'm afraid I cannot comment on an ongoing police investigation."
His shirt and hair was covered in what appeared to be white shaving foam.
Shortly after the foam attack, police were seen leading someone through the glass lobby of Portcullis House towards the underpass which leads to the Houses of Parliament.
An unmarked police car with flashing blue lights was seen arriving at the main entrance to the Palace of Westminster.
The hearing resumed ten minutes after the attack with Mr Murdoch now wearing shirt sleeves but apparently unharmed.
The alleged perpetrator was named on Twitter as Jonnie Marbles.
Marbles, who describes himself as an activist and comedian, wrote on the website just before the incident: "It is a far better thing that I do now than I have ever done before £splat."
The Independent's Whitehall editor Oliver Wright said: "If you are facing the way the Murdochs were facing, he came from the left-hand side.
"The police were on the other side of the room and this rather overweight copper, as they tend to be round here, rushed over but Wendi (Rupert Murdoch's wife) got to him first. She hit him with what appeared to be a paper."
When the hearing resumed, Labour MP Tom Watson, a vociferous critic of News International, concluded his questioning by telling Mr Murdoch: "Your wife has a very good left hook."
The start of the keenly-awaited hearing in the Wilson Room of Portcullis House was also briefly disrupted as protesters were removed.
The fact that one remained and was able to launch his attack is likely to be the subject of an urgent review of security by Westminster authorities.
During the hearing, Mr Murdoch admitted mistakes were made over the phone hacking scandal as he repeatedly apologised and declared: "This is the most humble day of my life."
He said he had been misled and people he had trusted with his British newspaper business had been betrayed.
But he said he had not considered resigning, adding: "Because I feel that people I trusted let me down and they behaved disgracefully, betrayed the company and me and it is for them to pay."
He added: "I am the best person to clean this up."
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