A hacked smartphone can be the stuff of nightmares, but there are several signs that could indicate a device has been compromised. With cybercrimes becoming increasingly more common, more people are becoming wary of their computers and phones being hacked. Malicious actors are always finding new ways to hack gadgets, so it makes sense for people to be cautious about the security of their electronic devices.
With smartphones increasingly becoming the center of people's lives, a hacked handset could be a disaster for the victim. Hacked devices can result in cybercriminals infiltrating a victim's bank accounts or even stealing their identity. At the very least, it could result in a total loss of privacy, with photos, videos, and messages exposed to the attacker. All this, however, could be avoided by watching out for signs of whether a device has been compromised.
According to cybersecurity firm Norton, there are multiple ways to tell whether a device has been compromised. While some signs are subtle and easy to miss, others are major red flags that should always be investigated. In the latter category, random pop-ups and full-screen messages are a real indicator of malware on a device. While it could be a relatively less dangerous adware, it could also be more serious malware that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. Another red flag is an unrecognized app present on the phone that didn't come with the device and wasn't downloaded by the user. Likewise, outgoing calls or messages that were not initiated by the user are a major cause for malware concern, as this would indicate that somebody is controlling the device remotely. If any of these symptoms occur, the device may have been hacked.
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Apart from the aforementioned cases, there are other signs that a phone has been infected by malware. Two such indicators are inordinately high background data usage and persistent draining of the battery. Another indicator could be sluggish performance, which sometimes happen when malware is using up too much resource in the background. Apps opening and closing on their own, whether in the foreground or the background, is also a bad sign. It is worth noting that none of these are definitive indications of a hacked device, as some of these problems could simply be a result of technical issues with the device. Either way, they are worth investigating further as they could be symptoms of larger issues.
While some of these problems can only be sorted out be a recognized service center, others can be investigated by the user. For example, in cases of excessive network use, check the phone's data usage and see which apps are communicating over the internet. Also making sure to check if there are any hidden apps which is often a bad sign. If multiple online accounts have been breached at the same time, this could also indicate that the phone's saved passwords have been accessed. The first and foremost solution in this situation would be to reset all passwords, preferably from a different device. This should then be followed up with a factory reset of the device to delete everything from the phone. It might also be worth considering even getting a new SIM card to ensure they are not a victim of a SIM-swap attack.
There are multiple ways a phone might get hacked - via USB cable, over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, through online phishing attacks, with keylogger or spyware apps downloaded from untrustworthy sources, via SS7 attacks, and more. To prevent becoming a victim, users can take some age-old precautions, such as not connecting over unsecured or unknown Wi-Fi networks, not downloading apps from sources they don't trust, avoiding clicking on random links in emails and text messages, and never plugging in USB devices of unknown origin to their phones or computers. While taking these basic precautions is a start, there's no guarantee that they will be enough to prevent hacks, so it pays to always remain vigilant. Although Android devices are technically more susceptible to hacks due to the more open nature of the platform, iPhones are not entirely safe either. Whether its an iPhone or an Android smartphone, users should always follow basic rules to ensure their online safety and security.
Source: Norton