Last Updated on March 10, 2021
© CSO
Your smartphone is probably your most valuable item. Not for its retail price, but for the amount of sensitive information it contains and what it gives access to. Think about it.
It stores your personal data, private photos and e-mails, bank account details, credit cards, social security information, and so on. The exact same thing could be said about your laptop device. It is super important to keep all your electronic devices safe and secure.
As you know, anything that is almost always connected to the internet is at risk of getting hacked. It could be done in many different ways – hackers can be really creative.
The worst part is that, for them, it has never been more appealing to gain access to a smartphone than it is these days. It’s like having the key to a person’s life. On every level. That’s why you need to be able to tell if your smartphone has been compromised.
Here are some warning signs that hackers might be watching you!
1. Noticeable Decrease In Battery Life
There are many different factors that can cause your smartphone’s battery to drain quickly: Playing games, watching every Instagram story on your feed, refreshing your social media accounts every minute, or using a navigation app while streaming an episode of your favorite podcast during a road trip.
However, if you notice a considerable decrease in battery life with regular use, there might be something wrong.
You see, there are specific malware and spyware that are designed to run in the background and use the phone’s resources for the hacker’s gain. These phone viruses can do anything, from downloading personal data to recording text messages and phone calls.
Check the battery usage to see if there is any weird app draining your cell phone battery, or if anything is consuming much more battery than it is supposed to.
2. Noticeable Increase In Data Usage
If a hacker is stealing information from your smartphone, he will have to send it to his server or device.
This leads to a substantial increase in data usage that your phone’s system will register – there’s even a specific functionality that allows you to track all your data usage. You should look for weird spikes in the uploaded data report.
Unfortunately, you might never be able to identify who is trying to steal from you because the data is usually sent to an unknown location that is very hard to trace.
3. Suspicious Activity On Your Accounts
How many of your personal accounts do you access through your smartphone? Probably everyone you have, or at least all the most relevant ones, including bank account, email, social media, and social security, right?
If there is suspicious activity on accounts that can be accessed through your smartphone, there’s a high chance that a hacker has gained access to your electronic device.
Don’t waste time trying to figure out how he did it. If the hacker controls your smartphone, he can send emails, transfer money, hijack your social media accounts, and steal private data.
Quickly change all your passwords and inform both your bank and the police about the situation. Keep in mind that, since the hacker may have collected all your personal information, you are at risk of identity fraud. Be alert and contact the authorities as soon as you have reasons to suspect that someone has been committing crimes using your identity.
3. The Bluetooth Is Often Unexpectedly Enabled
Bluetooth technology is quite fantastic. It allows you to connect your smartphone to another device and exchange data between them wirelessly. But despite all its qualities, Bluetooth makes your smartphone more vulnerable to intruders. Why? Because it is another gateway to your device, which can be exploited by hackers.
If your Bluetooth is randomly being enabled, your phone might be compromised. There is malicious software specifically designed to turn on Bluetooth services to allow the hacker to gain remote access to your smartphone.
Additional tip: only turn on Bluetooth when you are using this functionality.
4. New Random Apps Appear Installed
If a new app, that you know for sure you have never downloaded and installed, randomly appears on your smartphone, you most likely have been hacked.
Please note that, sometimes, a large system update might automatically install a new app or functionality. These are legitimate apps provided by your phone’s manufacturer.
So, make sure you do a quick Google search to check if the newly installed app is from a trusted source or if it is a piece of malicious software designed to spy on you or access your private information.
5. Random Pop-Ups
Don’t you hate these annoying and intrusive ads that pop out of nowhere and redirect you to some random internet page?
Pop-up ads are the worst. But we are already used to them, and the truth is that they are an important source of revenue for many free online services that we use regularly. And that’s precisely what makes adware such an ingenious scheme.
Adware is a specific form of malware that forces your device to open any internet page the hacker wants. This means that he can collect a huge amount of ad revenue by forcing thousands of users to open specific pages on their internet browsers. Since you are already used to random pop-up ads, you might never suspect you’ve been hacked.
6. How To Protect Your Smartphone Devices From Hackers?
Here are some tips to take into consideration:
• Don’t install apps from unofficial sources: whether you own an Android device or an iPhone, please make sure you always download and install apps from the official stores (App Store and Google Play Store).
• Be aware of email phishing scams: these scams trick you into giving away sensitive information by making you believe you are dealing with a legitimate entity. Never provide your private data (such as login details) immediately after opening a link that you’ve received by email.
• Be careful while browsing the internet: stay away from suspicious websites that you never heard about and never download anything from them – even if you think that you are just downloading a simple PDF file.
• Use antivirus software: these apps give your smartphone an additional protection layer. If you suspect that there is some kind of malicious software on your phone, you can install an antimalware app to remove it.
