If your smartphone has been acting up lately or you’ve visited a suspicious website, there’s a high chance that it may be hacked. While most people tend to be a little bit more careful to avoid that from happening, it’s actually a common occurrence, albeit unfortunate.
Signs of a hacked phone
Mistakenly opening a suspicious email or clicking on a dubious link can lead to installing spyware on your phone. Of course, avoiding that sounds easier than done. These links could be sent from a trusted contact that got hacked, so most tend to click the sent message open.
If you open a suspicious link or message, here are some pointers on what to check to know if your phone got hacked.
- High data usage: If your data gets used up too quickly, it may be a warning sign that some external source has access to your phone. The phone may also start to overheat without any apparent reason.
- Frequent pop-up ads or notifications: Unwanted ad pop-ups are irritating, and when a phone gets hacked, these pop-ups become persistent. If you are seeing too many pop-up ads and notifications, it may mean that your phone is hacked.
- Unfamiliar apps: Another sign is finding apps on your that you didn’t download. If this happens, delete these apps as soon as you find them instead of opening them.
- Poor battery life: When phones are hacked, their battery life decreases to a drastic extent and drains very quickly. Your phone may also start to crash, freeze, or reboot unexpectedly.
- Unrecognized outgoing calls: Check your call log regularly, and if you find any unrecognized outgoing calls, then that may also be a warning for you to get your phone checked. If there’s an unrecognized number, block it and report it immediately.
- Strange activity: From my experience, when a phone gets hacked, you’ll start to notice things on your phone that you have nothing to do with. For example, you may see appointments made on your calendar or strange codes sent to unknown numbers. Websites may look strange, and you may even notice changes in your settings.
What to do
First of all, delete all unfamiliar apps and clear your browser history and cache. Then, run an anti-malware software. You can also consider resetting your phone to factory settings. Once the malware is removed, reset all your passwords and inform your contacts and service providers. Do not download anything from third-party app stores to minimize the risks of hacking. Avoid using public hotspots, and do not click on any suspicious links or web pages with insecure connections.
To conclude, it’s crucial to act promptly if you suspect malware on your device. Take steps like deleting unfamiliar apps, clearing browser history and cache, running anti-malware software, and resetting passwords to reduce hacking risks effectively. Inform your contacts and service providers, and avoid downloading from third-party app stores. Stay vigilant, prioritize device security, and protect your personal information.
Photo credit: The feature image is symbolic and has been done by Alex Nemo Hanse. The infographic has been done by Statista.
