Our smartphones are the main haven of daily activities on earth in this digital age. And it’s these our smartphones that are the main target of hackers.
The main device is not what hackers want but what the users have in store for the device. Before a hacker can hack your phone, you’re going to play a role in it too. So join me in this article as I discuss how to detect if your phone has been hacked and possible ways to handle the situation and secure your phone.
Your battery drains quickly. You might not notice it in the beginning because no changes have been made to your phone usage. But then your phone battery goes down even if you’ve not used the phone. Then you should know that your phone has probably been hacked.
Signs of Phone Hacking
Abnormal data usage
One way to know if your has been hacked is also abnormal drainage of your data bundle. You observe that you don’t do much with your phone on the internet within a period, but your data runs more than usual without using apps on your phone that will likely drain it.
Strange pop-ups on your phone
You’ll notice that your phone closes an app you’re using and goes dark for a few seconds, or pornographic content popping up on your screen indicates malware.
There are many ways an adversary can hack your phone. Hackers can gain access to your phone alright but require you to play a part in them gaining access.
Habits that can leave your phone prone to hacking
Below are the ways you can make your phone prone to being hacked;
Using an unsecured public wifi
When you connect to a public wifi that’s not secured, you increase the chance of your phone being hacked. To protect your phone from being hacked even on an unsecured network, you can use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) for encryption to protect your privacy.
Opening spam or clicking on malicious links
Many hackers send spam messages to your email; they may include malware, so you should avoid clicking on such messages if you’re unsure of the sender.
Downloading an app that has malware
Many people download apps from websites instead of downloading them from the google play store or App Store. Some of the apps on these websites may be implanted with malware. To avoid this, you should download apps from the App stores and confirm the app and the developer listed for it are correct.
Ways to remove phone Hacks
Sometimes the harm gets done already, so the way forward will think of what to do to save yourself from that situation.
First, you need to inform your contacts of the situation at hand to keep them on alert if the hacker reaches out to them; they know it’s not you. Here are a few steps you can take to handle the situation
Run an anti-malware/virus software
If you have anti-virus software on your phone, run in on your phone to scan through your phone to identify any virus on your phone.
Delete suspicious apps
The information that I’m sure had dawned on you later than you wanted to is a suspicious app has planted the malware on your phone. In this situation, you need to be very quick and delete all suspicious apps once you find out the cause of the state of your phone.
Reset your phone
Most malware is completely removed from your phone when you factory reset it. But unfortunately, every data on your phone will be erased when you factory reset it. Follow the instructions below to factory reset your phone on each operating system used in mobile phones;
How to reset an iPhone
If you have a Mac with macOS Catalina 10.15, open Finder. Otherwise, open iTunes
Connect your iPhone to your computer
Select your device on your computer
Select restore iPhone
Your phone has been reset successfully.
How to reset an Android phone.
For most Android phones, you can access the reset option via your settings menu or hold down the power and volume button.
Android reset instructions vary by manufacturer. You should visit your phone manufacturer’s website for specific instructions.
Conclusion
Once you’ve learned a bitter lesson, the next thing you learn to do is know how to secure your phone from hackers. Make sure you’re connected to a VPN before you connect to an unsecured wifi network. Below are a few ways to keep your phone secured from hackers ;
- Please turn off your Bluetooth when you’re not using it.
- Lock personal apps on your phone.
- Regularly monitor your phone for signs of unusual activity, like unusual pop-ups or high battery usage.
- Install latest updates on your phone once they’re released.
- Install anti-malware/viruses on your phone and frequently scan your phone for viruses.
The mere idea of your phone being hacked sounds scary, I know. But trust me, the things these hackers can do once they take over your device are scarier. So read with me and know what to look for once you feel like your phone has been hacked and how to handle the situation.
