"Protect Your Privacy: How to Detect if Your Phone Is Hacked".......by Gurjot Singh Kaler

Chandigarh: In today’s digital scenario, people are so dependent on their mobile phones that it has become an inseparable part of their daily lives. A typical question that often crosses everyone’s mind is whether their phone has ever been hacked or compromised. Phone hacking typically refers to any kind of unauthorized access to a phone device without consent.

Yes, phones are vulnerable to getting hacked, just like any other device which has internet connectivity. Cybercriminals can aim to hack our phones to monitor our calls, messages, data usages, install malicious software for stealing confidential data like social media passwords, siphoning off money from our bank accounts, debit/credit cards, or target our contacts with phishing scams.

The hackers can inject malware and trojans into the hacked phones, and if they happen to install keyloggers, they can easily keep a track of your login activity in terms of websites or apps visited by you on your hacked phone. In many cases, the hackers can also use the hacked phones as cryptominers for generating cryptocurrency which can severely slow down the phone’s performance levels.

Well, it is quite difficult to tell but there can be some telltale signs of warning which can make us conclude if our phone is being hacked or not.

Signs of phone hacking are as follows-

1) Excessive drainage of battery: If your phone’s battery is getting drained excessively in a short period of time and you have to charge it very frequently, then it could be a warning sign of some sort of malicious apps or some type of deceitful code depleting your phone’s battery. However, at the same time, also ensure that you do not have many apps running simultaneously in the background as it could be another reason for causing the swift drainage of phone’s battery.

2) Too much heating of the phone device: Normally, the phones can get heated up if they are being used for gaming or video streaming purposes, but if your phone tends to get heated up excessively without any apparent reason, it is a warning sign that somebody is having unauthorised control over your device.

3) Suspicious activity on linked accounts: If the connected accounts like Facebook, Instagram, etc., on your phone’s device are showing unexpected posts, stories, messages, likes, followers, etc., or any other sort of activity which you are not doing yourself, it could be a warning sign that the security of your device has been compromised. Similarly, if you are unable to send or receive emails as usual, it should ring an alarming bell inside your head about the device’s hacking.

4) Sluggish performance: If your phone has stopped being fast and speedy which it used to be earlier and is now consuming more energy or experiencing regular slowdowns or shutdowns, it could be a sign of some secret malware operating in the background.

However, performance issues aren't always due to malware. Corrupted files or apps might be the cause. On Android, try rebooting in Safe Mode, which runs limited apps. If your phone works fine in Safe Mode, a problematic app likely needs removal.

5) Unusual behaviour

: If your phone device is experiencing random reboots and the apps are getting crashed or failing to get loaded, or the screen of your phone is getting lighted up without any user input, it could be a warning sign of malicious software running in the background. If you're locked out of your Apple ID or Google account, hackers may have taken over. Immediately follow recovery steps from Apple or Google. If you can't log into your online accounts, it could be due to malware stealing your passwords. Reset your passwords and enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for security. Receiving unrequested 2FA codes may indicate a hacker knows your password but can't access your account. Perform a security check if you notice unusual password reset requests or 2FA codes.

6) Unexpected pop-up notifications

: If you find strange messages or notifications on your phone in the form of fake virus alerts or other intimidating messages which intend to create panic in your mind, it is advisable to not click on them as the purpose of such messages is to encourage the phone user to tap on them so that malicious processes can get launched stealthily in the background in order to compromise the security of the device. If there are a lot of pop-ups appearing on your device’s screen, it is a sign that it is probably infected with malware or spyware.

7) Verify the app list on phone

: It is recommended that one must regularly scrutinise the app list installed on one’s phone and immediately uninstall any kind of unfamiliar apps from the phone which can be a potential spyware. Also, ensure to download any kind of apps from the official app stores only and conduct thorough verification by checking the developer’s information and description, reading its reviews and doing a background check of it.

8) Unnecessary increase of mobile data usage

: Always keep a close watch on any kind of suspicious activity like an inexplicable sudden spike in your mobile data usage of the phone device. If you notice any kind of sudden increase in the mobile data consumption of your phone, it could be a warning sign of some type of malevolent software or apps stealthily using data in the background. A higher-than-normal phone bill could indicate malware is using your data. Keep an eye on data usage, even with an unlimited plan, to detect potential hacks.

9) Non-identifiable pictures and videos in phone

: If you notice any sort of unidentified media in your phone’s gallery in the form of unfamiliar pictures or videos or other audio-video files which you do not remember recording, it could be warning sign of your device’s security having been compromised in terms of hacking of the device’s camera. Also, if the flash of your phone gets spontaneously turned on without your command or input, it could also be indicative of your phone’s camera being remote controlled from an external source. Check app permissions on your phone device for any unauthorized permissions given for camera or microphone usage to any unfamiliar apps.

10) Scrutinize the text and call logs

: Regularly check your phone’s call or text logs for discovering any kind of weird calls or messages with strange symbols which you did not make, as these might be helpful in concluding if the phone has been hacked or not. Unexpected calls or unfamiliar messages could be a sign that the phone device has probably been compromised.

How do the hackers hack the phones?

Hackers can't directly hack your phone by calling you on your phone device. However, they may use social engineering, pretending to be some important bank or telecom or government official to steal your personal information and access your online accounts by coaxing you to share confidential information with them. Phone calls alone can't spread malware or give access to your device to the hackers.

Also, if your phone number or personal information gets leaked in a data breach, you become an easier target for hackers. While you can’t erase data from the Dark Web, a security scan can reveal if you’ve been affected, so you can take extra precautions.

So, just in case if you are now wondering as to how your phone can he hacked, the following are a few methods employed by the hackers to achieve their sinister goal:

a) SIM Swap Attack : Through this, the hackers are able to transfer your phone number to their own SIM cards and get a complete control over your accounts. SIM swapping scams let hackers hijack your phone number, rerouting calls and texts to their device. If you're not receiving messages or calls, check your settings for unknown numbers in the forwarding section, and contact your carrier to check for unauthorized SIM access.

b) Spyware: By installing spyware, the hackers can remotely get an overall access of your phone and monitor the device’s activities as well as execute control over it. The spyware can be installed on the targeted victim’s phone device by either getting a direct physical access of the device or making the victim click a suspicious infected link through internet.

c) USB cable: A USB cable can be used to hack your phone when connected to another device, like a laptop. If the connected device is infected with malware or virus, it could easily transfer harmful software to your phone, even if you're just using the USB connection with laptop for charging purposes.

d) Public Wi-Fi networks: These can also expose your phone to malware. Hackers may create fake Wi-Fi networks to steal data or redirect you to malicious sites. Hackers can intercept communications on unsecured public Wi-Fi, especially if you connect to a fake "evil twin" network posing as a legitimate one. To avoid this, stick to trusted, secure networks.

e) Phishing attacks: The hackers can launch phishing attacks through sophisticated emails or texts with malicious links designed to install malware on your device and steal your data.

f) Malware Infection: Malware can infect your phone through suspicious websites visited by you on your device, malicious pop-ups, or by downloading untrusted apps.

g) Bluetooth pairing: Hackers can exploit open Bluetooth connections through Blueborne or Bluejacking attacks to take control of devices or send malicious links. Protect yourself by disabling open Bluetooth connections when not in use.

h) Juice-jacking: The hackers can try to hack your phone devices through the public charging stations. Juice Jacking occurs when hackers install malware in public charging stations to gain access to connected devices.

Steps to undertake if your phone gets hacked:

If you happen to discover or become suspicious that your phone is hacked, it is best advised to power it down immediately, disconnect it from the internet and then, restart it which will halt any type of malicious activity. Closely scrutinise the apps in your phone and remove all such non-familiar apps which look suspicious and which you do not remember downloading in the first instance.

Also, immediately register an official complaint with the local police authorities in their special cyber-crime cells. At the same time, it is imperative to inform your family, friends and relatives so that they can be alerted to prevent the hackers from launching any social engineering attacks on them through your hacked phone’s messaging apps by asking them for emergency help in terms of money, etc.

Make sure to check with your financial institutions and banks to alert them about your phone’s hacking and cross-verify if your finances have been accessed or not. Notify your service provider if your phone is hacked, as it may be redirecting calls and texts.

They can freeze unauthorized activity, restore your number, and secure your account with a PIN or security question.

A) Change the passwords of your phone device and all social media and bank accounts immediately. The new passwords should be totally different from the old ones and be strong or complex enough with alphanumeric and special characters.

B) Run anti-malware and anti-spyware software to detect any sort of suspicious applications running and infecting your phone device. Use latest anti-virus updates from authentic sources and use reliable security software which do not track and gather your confidential data.

C) Turn off the mobile data and remove any Wi-Fi connectivity which will hamper the malicious apps from running their clandestine operations in your device. Switching off the internet can disrupt the hackers from having a remote access of your phone.

D) Immediately remove any recently downloaded apps from your device. Even if your security apps find nothing, it's wise to delete any suspicious apps installed just before issues began. Clear your browsing history, cache, and downloads to remove hidden malware. Update passwords for compromised accounts and enable 2FA for extra security. Consider using a password manager to securely store passwords and avoid phishing sites.

E) If nothing seems to work and your phone is getting bombarded with malicious apps or pop-ups, the last resort is to restore your phone device to the factory reset settings. Before wiping off the entire data from your phone device, it is recommended to have a back-up of the data on cloud or store it in a hard-drive.

The back-up data can also be stored in an encrypted form for adding a higher level of security. After a factory reset, check app permissions for any that may have been corrupted by malware and disable any unnecessary ones.

Tips to prevent your phone from getting hacked are as follows:

To protect your phone from hacking, focus on the following preventive steps-

- Turn off your mobile hotspot in public or secure its settings if needed.

- Avoid untrusted Wi-Fi at Public places: Always use a VPN on public Wi-Fi that will encrypt the data which is being sent or received over public Wi-Fi and disconnect it when done.

- Turn off Bluetooth when not in use to prevent unauthorized access.

- Use a lock screen or password for security and never leave your phone unattended. Always keep your phone with you to prevent physical access, which is the easiest way for hackers to breach your device.

- Use a strong passcode and avoid easily guessable PINs like birthdays or common defaults such as “0000” or “1234.” If possible, opt for longer passcodes of six characters or more, and never reuse passwords across different accounts.

- Instead of storing passwords on your device, consider using a secure password manager that safely stores your credentials in a digital vault, providing easy access while ensuring security.

- Enable a lost device tracking service like’ Find My Phone’ to locate your phone if it's lost in public. Some devices come with built-in tracking apps, while others may require a third-party app to access this feature.

- Keep your apps and operating system regularly updated for the latest security patches.

- Do not use a jailbroken phone device which becomes deeply vulnerable to security issues and do not download apps from unverified third-party app stores. Jailbreaking, or rooting, involves modifying core software to bypass restrictions set by developers. While it allows for deeper customization of your phone, it also increases vulnerability, making it easier for hackers to access and infect your device with malware.

- Regularly check for the presence of any unfamiliar apps and remove them from phone device. Also, use passwords and passcodes for sensitive or important apps. Keep the important apps hidden in your phone.

- Avoid public USB charging stations; use a USB data blocker to prevent juice jacking.

- Don’t open suspicious messages or click on unknown links received through SMS, or on Whatsapp or websites.

- Lock your SIM card if compromised and contact your service provider.

- Install anti-malware apps to prevent or remove infections. Run anti-virus security software periodically to detect any invasive apps in the phone.

- Use trusted websites and a VPN to safeguard your data.

- Use an ad-blocker or privacy-focused browser like Firefox or Brave to limit tracking and block unwanted ads.

-Enable a SIM lock or PIN in device’s security settings to protect your SIM which will demand a 4 digit PIN before your SIM can be used irrespective of the device.

-Ask your mobile carrier for port protection to prevent SIM-swap or port-out scams. It can prevent your number and account being swapped to a different SIM card or mobile carrier.

-For added security, use biometric authentication and switch to an authenticator app for 2FA instead of SMS. Authenticator apps require stronger security measures for the codes, such as biometric identification.

- To reduce your vulnerability to hacking, minimize the sensitive information stored on your phone. Remove any images, notes, files, or apps that contain identifying data, such as scans of passports or ID cards, your birthdate or place of birth, full names of family members, details of recent trips, and photos of bank cards. The less sensitive information on your device, the less appealing it is to hackers.

To conclude, the best way to guard against hacking is to educate yourself about current cybersecurity threats and best practices. By remaining vigilant and taking proactive measures to secure your phone, you can reduce the risk of becoming a victim and protect your personal information.

Safeguarding your phone against hacking requires a combination of education, vigilance, and proactive measures.

October 25, 2024