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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