Our phones allow us to make calls, send emails, buy tickets, take photos, create reminders, pay bills and check our bank balances. It is vital that we protect our phones.
How likely is it that a cybercriminal could access your phone? How do you know if your phone is being hacked? These are the signs you should look out for to determine if your iPhone or Android has been compromised. Also, we have some suggestions on what to do in this situation.
Can my iPhone or Android phone be hacked?
Phone hacking can happen to anyone, unfortunately. It doesn’t really matter if you have an Android phone or an iPhone. Any smartphone can be hacked.
Cybercriminals, as well as acquaintances, can find your information very attractive. There are many reasons someone could hack your smartphone, including accessing your photos and private information, reading your texts, stealing your money and other such things.
How to tell if your phone has been hacked
Do you feel like your phone is being hacked? You might have installed malware on your phone, clicked on malicious links, or used an unsecured public Wi-Fi.
These are the top five signs to watch out for.
1. Increased data usage
This could be due to uploading high-quality photos, updating apps automatically, or speedier network speeds. If your data usage continues to rise despite everything else, it is possible that your phone was hacked.
You can check the data used by your iPhone at Settings > Data.
Open Settings on Android and navigate to Connects > Data Usage.
Examine whether there are unusual data usage spikes. You might have discovered the problem if you find an unknown app that is using most of your allowance.
You should remove the application from your computer. You will need to take additional measures in the event that damage has already been done. We’ll get back to this later.
2. Bizarre Behaviour
When infected by a virus, smartphones can exhibit unusual behavior. Many people use their smartphones so often that they don’t notice any unusual behavior. However, many ignore the signs.
Your phone might open certain apps automatically even though you aren’t doing anything. It may also operate very slowly or start up again without any reason. This could be a sign that malware is running behind your phone.
3. Poor Performance
It could be an indication that your smartphone is compromised.
To check if an app is killing your battery, go to the battery usage menu. An Android user can refer to Setting > Batteries > Usage.
This information is available for iPhone users under Settings > Batterie.
4. Unauthorized Credit Card Purchases
Pay attention to your debit and credit card statements. There may be something wrong if you notice strange purchases you did not make. Your smartphone may not be the problem; there could be credit card fraud.
This can be prevented by carefully reviewing a website before you make a purchase or enter your credit card details. Also, ensure that the SSL certificate is valid by checking whether it redirects to a URL starting with “HTTP S“. Avoid sharing any financial or personal information if the site you are visiting has a lot of suspicious pop-ups.
5. Suspicious Text Messages
Are you getting strange messages from your phone? This is a clear indication that your phone has been hacked. This is a red flag for any unathorized activity in the area.
You should look for suspicious apps that may have access to your messages. This behavior should be revoked immediately and deleted. You can find the app responsible for this behavior on your iPhone by going to Settings > Privacy.
Open the Settings Android app and navigate to Privacy > Permission Manager.
What to do if your phone is being hacked?
“My phone was hacked!” What can I do to fix it? It appears that malware is lurking on your phone. You now need to know how you can remove malware from your Android or iPhone. If you suspect that your phone was hacked, here are some steps to take.
First, look for apps you haven’t downloaded. Navigate to Settings on an iPhone to view all apps. To find an app that is hidden in another folder, scroll down until you reach the bottom.
If your Android phone is Settings > apps > app manager. Take a look at the app list on your phone. Tap on any suspicious app to uninstall.
It is a good idea to also install antivirus software. You can find many great options on Google Play, including Sophos InterceptX. The app is free and has many useful features such as web filtering, scanning for malware, Wi-Fi security, and link checking.
Apple provides strong security, but we recommend additional security. Jailbroken devices are more vulnerable to hacking.
After you have removed any suspicious apps, scan your device with your security suite for any malicious software.
Another option is to do a complete factory reset. However, it will erase everything from your phone including all your photos and apps.
It’s a good idea to keep a backup copy of your phone in this situation. But make sure that it was created before the malicious app was installed. You risk downloading the same malware again. Depending on the backup you have, data may still be lost. We recommend backing up your phone as often as you can.
You can factory reset your Android smartphone by following these steps:
- Connect the device to the charger
- Navigate to Settings and go to System > Setup options.
- Tap Erase all data
- Your phone will then ask you for the PIN. Type it in. To confirm your decision, tap Delete all data again.
If you use an iPhone:
- Connect your device and the charger
- Start the Settings App and tap on .
- Scroll to the bottom of your menu and tap To reset.
- Select Delete All Content and Settings
- If you have an iCloud backup, your phone will ask you if you would like to update or delete the backup. It’s up to you to decide if it’s worth deleting important photos or messages.
How to respond if your phone is hacked
You should never download apps from any other app store, regardless of whether your device is an Android or iPhone. They could contain malware that can be dangerous.
However, this is not the only way hackers can hack your computer. Even worse, you can accidentally download malware when surfing on public Wi-Fi. You can monitor your phone’s activity often to detect any suspicious behavior and notify you immediately.
