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Signs that someone has hacked your phone.


With advancement in technology these days, it has become so easy to hack people’s electronic devices such as smartphones and computers.

No matter how careful one thinks they are with their smartphones for instance, with a little effort and access to public information, your private data can be snagged using malwares and bugs.

Your smartphone is essentially a phone plus a "web enabled computer"—That puts it at risk to be infected with malicious software (malware) just like a laptop or a computer.

A malware is malicious Android app created by a hacker that is nearly identical to legitimate secure messaging programme such as WhatsApp, messenger etc. What these hackers do is to plant viruses on websites designed to infect smartphones.

86% of Android malware use a technique called repackaging. With repackaging, the hacker downloads a popular application, decompile it and then add a malicious payload to it. Then they recompile the application and submit it back to the public market with a slightly changed name.

They then get people to click on a link from their phones, which takes them to the website and the malware link. It is as simple as that. From there, unsuspecting victims usually download these Apps on their smartphones

There is another form of phone hacking where an app is used to access one’s phone data when the hacker gets the victim’s number. This is mostly used by people spying on one another especially couples or lovers.

This form of hacking is usually paid for and once you pay the hacker, they let you gain access of your partner’s phone data and you can read all their messages. This system has also been used to tap into one’s social media accounts such as Facebook and Messenger.

It’s important to realise that the services your smartphone relies on are much more attractive target to attackers.

Why would someone want to hack your phone?

Some hackers would hack your phone so as to listen to your calls, read your texts or tell your locations. These might be a lover wanting to spy on their partners or a person wanting to use the info gathered to blackmail the victim for some ransom.

E-wallets, which store payment information inside smartphone apps so people don’t have to carry real credit or debit cards, are convenient. However, their rising popularity has given hackers another reason to target phones.

Often, cybercriminals entice people to download fake mobile payment apps (of course believing they are real). Then, once people enter their payment information, hackers have the information needed to charge transactions to the cards.

Identifying a hacker.

A hacker might try to trick you into giving up control of your smartphone through messages from a hacked phone:-

• If you receive a text message from someone you know that starts off with strange characters or even odd shapes (squares, for example), it is most likely a text from a hacker who is hoping you'll open it and read the message.

• If you open the message, you will download spyware or malware on your phone. It's that simple with smartphones—and hackers know it.

• How did the hacker get your number? They probably first hacked the phone of a friend and are now exploiting their list of contacts. The hacker is using simple tricks to spread the virus from phone to phone.

Signs your phone may have been hacked

1 Noticeable decrease in battery life or performance

2 Sluggish performance. You find your phone frequently freezing, or certain applications crashing.

3 High data usage

4. Outgoing calls or texts you didn’t send

5. Mystery pop-ups

6. Unusual activity on any accounts linked to the device

7. You are experiencing ticking sounds or other noises during calls, it could be a sign someone is attempting to access your phone. Abruptly dropped calls are not always the fault of your service provider...it could be an active hacking attempt. Or if your service provider cannot provide an explanation as to why your phone is not working the way it normally does, it might point to a hacking attempt.

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