Digitalisation opens a new avenue for users to use smartphones for their daily tasks. Gradually, our phones have gone from being a luxury item to becoming a necessity. However, the constant evolution of smart features in your phones raises the risk of cyberattacks sideline due to data threats.
As per Zippia, a cyberattack occurs every 39 seconds. Of all global cyberattacks, 60% start from mobile devices through phishing attacks.
Smartphone users store general and confidential data on their devices, so there will be so much to lose once it gets hacked! The most common question here is how to know if your phone is hacked or not. Let’s go through the multiple ways hackers attack your smartphone.
Early Signs of Hacked Phone
To stop the threat of data leaks and compromised cybersecurity, you can look for early signs to detect the hacking of your smartphone. It alerts smartphone users to track unusual activity and adopt safety measures as early as possible. Android users are more exposed to malware, while the iPhone has tough security features that still hold hacking risks.
Here are the checkpoints for knowing if your phone is hacked or not:
Slow Performance
The first step is the slow performance of your smartphone. If you notice a sudden drop in your phone speed, it might be a sign of hacking. The reason can be malware or a virus operating in the background that slowly attacks the phone’s operation. Some everyday activities to detect are websites taking too long to load, apps crashing, or text messages not being delivered. All these signs are rare to notice on smartphones and, hence, can be detected easily.
Fast Battery Drainage
It can be tricky as battery drainage might occur due to apps running in the background, location features, or damaged battery. However, if everything is normal and your battery drains faster without any usage, there might be chances that your phone is hacked. You can’t track this sign on the first go because there are multiple reasons for battery usage.
Strange Activities
Suppose you notice any suspicious activities on your phone; for example, your passwords have been changed automatically, your known one is receiving call from your number without your knowledge, etc. Altogether, these create a thought of suspicion to detect any threat through any spyware or malware installed on your phone for hacking.
Unknown App Installations
This early sign on how to know if your phone is hacked is to track new app installations. In simple terms, if your smartphone shows unknown installed apps you had never downloaded, it is time to get worried. It clearly shows the intervention of any hacker on your smartphone who has already cracked the permission of installations.
Unknown Text & Calls
If you are getting unknown calls frequently, receiving texts that raise suspicion, or sending messages that you had never written, these are early signs of hacking altogether. It can result from any phishing attack where you click on a defective link that grants permission to allow calls & messages. Hackers may enable a call forwarding facility on your phones to listen to your personal conversations.
What Should I Do Next If My Phone Is Hacked?
After cracking the question of how to know if your phone is hacked or not. What if you find that your phone gets hacked? Here are the next steps for your Android & iPhone devices.
Instantly Delete Suspicious Apps
For the first step, head to your phone settings and search for unusual apps. Once you find these apps, tap on them, click on precise data and uninstall them. It will be a protective measure to stop the threat if hackers have not access your phone’s whole security.
Install Apps For Malware Detection
Most mobile device cyberattacks involve installing malware that secretly operates in the background. Installing a legit software or tool like Geekyhacks can detect this hidden malware and clear the file from your device. For iPhone users, jailbreak can be an issue to lose Apple security; they can also scan devices using antivirus.
Factory Reset
Sometimes, even after learning how to know if your phone is hacked, the original source of malware remains unnoticed. In such cases, factor reset might help Android and iPhone users. However, remember that losing all data and files from your device will cost you. It’s a disadvantage of factory reset, as you never know which file contains malware.
Ways To Protect Your Devices
Android & iPhone users can follow up on advanced prevention measures to protect their devices from exposure to hacking or another cyberattack. Here is the list of steps to follow along with detecting how to know if your phone is hacked:
- You can install antivirus software to scan your device regularly for early prevention.
- Connect to Public Wi-Fi using a VPN; it will restrict the sharing of personal information, web history or other confidential data.
- Be alert to phishing attacks, and avoid clicking on any unusual links you get through emails or messages.
- Use only trusted charging stations as hackers install their chips to attack your devices.
- Use advanced authentication features to increase your device’s security.
- Don’t allow apps permission unnecessarily. It can lead to data leakage and make it easier for hackers to access information.
- Always keep strong passwords that are easy to guess and decodable for hackers.
All in All
So, you can follow the above-suggested ways how to know if your phone is hacked; additionally, keep preventive measures to stop falling for threats through phishing attacks. Follow TrendtoReview to learn more effective ways and tips related to technology!
