You can know if your phone is hacked if you experience warning signs such as data usage being higher than normal, new apps you didn’t download, unusual or inappropriate pop-ups and more.
Continue reading to learn about the warning signs that indicate your phone has been or is being hacked, and what you can do if you discover your phone has been hacked.
1. Unusual or Inappropriate Pop-Ups
One sign that your phone is hacked is if you notice pop-ups appearing while you’re using your phone. Some pop-ups may even be inappropriate ones. Random pop-ups appearing on your phone is one of the biggest signs of your phone being hacked.
2. You Start Noticing Higher Data Usage
While higher data usage may indicate you’re using your phone more often, it could also be a telling sign that your phone is hacked. If you’ve never had your data unusually spike and you’ve been using your phone about the same amount as usual, you should investigate further as this could be a sign that your phone is hacked.
3. You Start Seeing New Apps on Your Phone
Seeing apps you didn’t download on your phone is also a telling sign that your phone is hacked. If you’ve had your phone for a while and you notice unusual apps, these apps could be filled with malware. Malware is a type of malicious software that cybercriminals use to spy on their victims and steal their sensitive information.
Depending on the type of malware that a cybercriminal installs on your phone, the malware can do different things. Some malware may stop you from being able to use your phone by disabling it.
4. Your Battery Drains Quickly
While phone batteries aren’t meant to last forever, they’re also designed to last a good amount of time while remaining efficient. If your phone habits haven’t changed and you notice a steady decline in your phone’s battery life, this can be a sign that your phone is hacked.
5. You Can’t Log in to Your Accounts
You may not notice your phone is hacked before it’s too late. Cybercriminals may have already used malware to figure out your passwords and compromise your accounts. If you can’t seem to log in to your accounts even though you know you’re entering the right credentials, it may be because your phone is hacked. This is especially true if they’re accounts you only access through your phone and not another device like your computer.
6. You Start Receiving 2FA Code Requests
Another sign that your phone may be hacked is receiving 2FA codes that you didn’t request. This means someone is attempting to gain access to one of your accounts. Because a cybercriminal has malware installed on your device, they’ll be able to see the 2FA codes as you receive them, which they can then use to successfully gain access to your account.
7. Your Phone’s Camera Indicator Light is On
You’ve probably noticed that when you use your phone’s camera, there’s a light that turns on to indicate that the camera is being used. If you’re not using your camera and you notice that your phone’s camera indicator light is on, this may be a sign your phone is hacked.
With a type of malware called spyware, cybercriminals can spy on you and even gain access to your device’s camera.
What To Do if Your Phone Has Been Hacked
Here’s what to do if you’ve determined that your phone is hacked.
One of the first things you should do after finding out your phone has been hacked is change all of your passwords. It’s best to do this on a computer rather than your phone, since your phone may have malware installed.
On average, a person has 100 passwords. This means changing them all can be a hassle to do on your own. We recommend using a password manager to help you quickly change all your passwords to ones that are strong and unique.
Uninstall suspicious apps
If one of the signs that helped you determine your phone was hacked was noticing apps that you didn’t download, you should not open them and delete them from your phone immediately. This will ensure that these apps can no longer spy on you or steal your data.
Factory reset your phone
The only way to remove a malicious hacker from your phone is by factory resetting it. To do a factory reset of your Android or iPhone, follow the steps below.
How to factory reset your Android phone
- Back up your device
- Go to settings
- Type “reset” into the settings search bar
- Tap “Factory Reset”
- Tap where it says “Reset Device”
- If asked, enter your phone’s password
- Tap “Reset All”
- Wait for your phone to reset
How to factory reset your iPhone
- Back up your device
- Go to settings
- In settings, go to the tab “General”
- Tap where it says “Transfer or Reset iPhone”
- If asked, enter your phone’s passcode
- Confirm that you want to reset your phone
- Wait for your phone to reset
How Do Phones Get Hacked?
Here are some of the ways phones get hacked.
Falling for phishing scams
Phishing is a type of cyber attack in which a cybercriminal uses social engineering tactics to convince their target they’re a friend, family member or company. They do this in an attempt to get their victim to fall for the scam and click on a link, attachment or reveal sensitive information. Clicking on links or attachments sent from a cybercriminal triggers malware infections that are used to spy on you and collect your personal information.
Phishing scams come in various forms such as email, text messages and phone calls.
SIM Swapping
SIM swapping is when a cybercriminal swaps your phone’s SIM card by pretending to be you and calling your mobile carrier to activate a new one. If a cybercriminal is able to convince your mobile carrier to activate a new SIM card under your phone number, cybercriminals will start receiving your text messages and phone calls. This is dangerous because cybercriminals will be able to request 2FA codes to get into your accounts which they’ll be able to see since they now have the ability to receive your texts.
Stalkerware apps
Stalkerware is a type of spyware that is used by cybercriminals so they can monitor another person’s device without them knowing and without their consent. When a stalkerware app is installed on your phone, it is able to see your real-time location, hear your phone calls, see your text messages, view your photos and more.
Downloading apps from unverified sources can lead to stalkerware apps being installed on your device.
Clicking on browser pop-ups
Browser pop-ups should not be trusted. Cybercriminals often create browser pop-ups that contain fake warnings about your device being infected with a virus. Many people fall for these pop-ups and click on them, which leads to their devices becoming infected with malware.
How To Keep Your Phone Safe From Hackers
Here’s how you can keep your phone safe from malicious hackers.
Learn how to spot a phishing scam
Knowing how to spot a phishing scam may prevent you from falling for one. Here are some of the signs you can look out for.
- Sudden requests for personal information
- Unsolicited links and attachments
- Grammar and spelling errors
- Use of urgent language
- Email address not matching the sender’s name
Don’t download from suspicious sites
Never download from unverified sites. Stick to downloading from verified sources such as the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.
Avoid using public WiFi
Many cybercriminals take advantage of those who are on public WiFi so they can compromise data or infect devices with malware. Since anyone can sign onto public WiFi, it presents the risk of a Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attack – an attack that relies on network manipulation or the creation of malicious networks that are under the control of the cybercriminal. In a MITM attack, cybercriminals essentially act as the “middlemen” between a sender and a recipient.
Instead of using public WiFi, stick to using your phone’s data. If you have no other choice than to use public WiFi, download and use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) on your phone. Using a VPN will protect your internet connection since it encrypts your data and masks your IP address.
Keep your phone’s software up to date
Software updates are crucial to keeping you and your data safe from cybercriminals. Software updates don’t only add new features, they also patch existing security vulnerabilities. Whenever a new software update becomes available on your phone, install it right away to prevent cybercriminals from exploiting any known vulnerabilities.
Avoid public charging stations
When traveling, you may have to charge your phone but you should be careful about how you choose to charge it. Charging your phone or other devices using public charging stations presents the risk of juice jacking.
Juice jacking is a security exploit where cybercriminals infect charging stations with malware or infect USB charging cables and leave them plugged in for an unsuspecting victim to use. Because USB cables allow users to also transfer data, cybercriminals are able to use these cables to steal data from a person’s phone or infect their phone with malware. When traveling it’s best to bring your own portable charger or invest in a tool called a USB condom, which prevents data from transferring from your phone to the charging port and vice versa.
Secure Your Phone From Malicious Hackers
Our phones contain critical information that cybercriminals want to get their hands on for their own malicious purposes. Knowing how to secure your phone and how to spot common cyber attacks is essential to keeping it safe from malicious hackers.