The most common ways your phone is hacked

Regardless of whether you are a very important person for hackers or not, it is more important than ever to be vigilant about online protection. Because hackers find new and innovative ways to steal your information every day, the hacking process does not have to be obvious it can take months, even years, before you realize that there's a problem and your sensitive data at risk. But in this article we review the known ways in which smartphones can be hacked in general. Knowing these methods should help avoid becoming a victim of hackers, so read the following lines carefully.

Method 1: Tracking and tapping using the SS7 vulnerability

Signaling System 7 or SS7 is a set of phone protocols that connect most mobile networks around the world. It was developed about 45 years ago and is responsible for providing additional services for telephone calls, for example: the possibility of forwarding calls, or sending text messages (SMS) . and others. Unfortunately, these protocols have a very serious vulnerability that allows an attacker to track the location of any mobile phone around the world, even if it is not connected to the Internet or old fashioned, as well as intercepting incoming calls and messages. All they need is your phone number, then you can manipulate the signaling system number 7 so that the attacker can divert all calls and messages to him instead of reaching your phone.

When this happens, let's know that all of your accounts are about to become controlled by someone else, even if you enable the binary authentication feature, you will be able to get the login code before you get it. At the time of writing this article, the gap has not been blocked and is still being exploited by pirates. Thus, there is little you can do to counter this kind of attack. The first suggestion is to use the SnoopSnitch app  that alerts you when you attack this attack on your phone, but you will not be able to do anything else. The second proposal is to make calls using end-to-end applications like Whatsapp and Telegram.

Method 2: Provide your phone with harmful applications and spyware

If your technical knowledge is limited, there is a high probability that your phone will be compromised in this way. As you probably know, the apps we install on our phones can access all kinds of information and data stored on it: photos, videos, messages, calls, camera, microphone ... etc. Of course, the Android or iOS operating system will tell you whether you agree to give these powers to the app or not before actually accessing them, but a lot does not care to think about whether this application really deserves these powers, starts by clicking the "OK" button and starts using the application Without knowing what was happening behind the scenes.

Note that I'm talking specifically about apps that are downloaded outside the official store like Google Play, where Google enforces strict standards for developers before deploying their applications to the store, as well as checking them daily to make sure they are free from any security threats. So if you want to protect your phone, do not venture outside the Google Play store unless you absolutely trust the developer. Also, do not forget that the attacker can access your phone and install malware itself directly without your knowledge. Put a password on the lock screen to avoid this.

Method 3: Phishing and phishing

Phishing is the most widely used means of obtaining confidential information about a target, where attackers create fake counterfeit copies of a known Web site or application in order to trick the victim and exploit the vulnerability of the note in extracting personal data such as password, e-mail, user name ... etc. Hackers develop and invent phishing methods every day to try to convince victims to visit fake pages they have created and enter their confidential information, or to upload the malicious application on their phones to harvest as much data as possible, whether by creating text messages that are interesting , Or create an e-mail with the same design and formatting for e-mail sent by a well-known company or organization as Google.

Fortunately, overcoming this attack is not difficult. You only need to check the address of any link on a page that asks you to enter your password. This page should be supported by the Https protocol. The best of all is to avoid clicking on links from people you do not know. If you do curiosity and find that this link has directly loaded an app on your phone, delete it immediately.

Method 4: Snoop through free Wi-Fi networks

Finding an open Wi-Fi network (unencrypted) with full signal bars is a treasure for some! Once you discover this network, you can quickly connect to it and start browsing the Internet and download applications and games for free. Unfortunately, it is not always so good - it may even be a disastrous result. The person who runs the network is open to the public to attract victims. Once they are connected by phone or laptop, a path is opened where the attacker can access all e-mails and spy on the sites in the hope of obtaining useful login details whether for sale or theft Account.