Tips to protect your phone from Hackers

Your cell phone holds some of your most sensitive personal information. Things like your passwords and account numbers, emails, text messages, photos, and videos. If your phone ends up in the wrong hands, someone could steal your identity, buy stuff with your money, or hack into your email or social media accounts. Here’s how to protect your phone.

There are many types of phone hacking methods, ranging from hacking into a live conversation or into someone’s voicemail, and to hacking into data stored on one’s smartphone. While the fear of the unknown can keep anyone on edge, the person most likely to hack into your live conversation or voicemail will be someone that you already know, and in today’s mobile world, phone hacking continually grows as a security issue. As people increasingly store sensitive data on their mobile devices, the opportunity to exploit privacy weaknesses becomes more tempting to unscrupulous frenemies, exes or the occasional stranger.

There is a cottage industry of phone hacking software, ostensibly developed for legal uses, but that can be easily abused by anyone (password crackers aptly named John the Ripper and Cain and Abel are two examples). Opportunistic hackers can wreak havoc with data deletion or install malicious software that gathers bank account logins and confidential business emails. So, how can you make things tougher for hackers?

If you want to be proactive, there are several measures you can take to protect yourself against phone hacking, most of which involve common sense. In addition, there are advanced methods to ensure that your phone is as secure as possible (without losing its full functionality).?

For casual phone users, adhering to the basics is a great place to start when it comes to blocking simple hacking efforts:

Never leave your phone unattended. Keeping your phone with you at all times while in a public place is the first, best rule to follow.

Change your phone’s default passcode. Your phone likely comes with a simple, predictable default password, and those who know can use this to their advantage. Change your code to something more complex, and resist the usual "1234," "0000" and “2580” codes that are commonly used.

Manage your Bluetooth Security. Avoid using unprotected Bluetooth networks and turn off your Bluetooth service when you aren’t using it.

Protect your PIN and Credit Card data. Use a protected app to store PIN numbers and credit cards, or better yet, don’t store them in your phone at all.

If you’re still worried about hacking, there are further steps you can take to protect yourself. However, taking things too far will defeat the purpose of having a smartphone at all.

Avoid unsecured public WiFi. Hackers often target important locations such as bank accounts via public WiFi that can often be unsecured due to relaxed safety standards or even none at all.

Turn off your autocomplete feature. By doing this, you can prevent stored critical personal data from being accessed.

Regularly delete your browsing history, cookies, and cache. Removing your virtual footprint is important in minimizing the amount of data that can be harvested by prying eyes.

Have an iPhone? Enable Find My iPhone. By turning the feature on in your settings, you’ll be able to locate your phone if you misplace it before the hackers can lay their paws on it.

Use a security app that increases protection. For Android owners, Webroot offers the all-in-one Mobile Security for Android app that provides antivirus protection and allows you to remotely locate, lock up and wipe your phone in the event you lose track of it. For iOS users, Webroot also offers a free secure web browser for increased mobile security on your iPhone and iPad.

Remember—if the thought of hacking has you tossing and turning at night, you can just turn the phone off, remove the battery and hide it under your pillow for some sweet lithium-ion induced dreams. Or, you can double down on securing your mobile devices with mobile security solutions offering secure web browsing and real-time defense against phishing attacks.

Quick FIX:

Lock Your Phone: Set your phone to lock when you’re not using it and create a PIN or passcode to unlock it. Use at least a 6-digit passcode. You also might be able to unlock your phone with your fingerprint, your retina, or your face.

Update Your Software : Updates to your operating system often include critical patches and protections against security threats. Set your phone to update automatically. Otherwise, keep an eye out for updates, and don’t delay in running them. Update your apps, too.

Back Up Your Data: Regularly back up the data on your phone to the cloud or your computer. That way, if you lose your phone, you’ll still have access to your personal information.

Get Help Finding a Lost Phone: Mobile operating systems have a program that helps you find your phone if you lose it, or lock it or erase it if you think someone stole it. Go to your settings and turn on this feature.

Signs Your Phone Might Be Hacked

Changes in Performance: An unusual drop in your phone’s performance — especially if it isn’t old — is one of the most common signs that it might be hacked.

Phone Is Slowing Down: If you have enough space in your memory and the latest software update, but your phone is sluggish, there’s a chance that it’s been breached by malware or another hacking method. Malware works in the background, consuming your phone’s processing power and resources, which results in noticeably slower performance.

Unusual or Rapid Battery Changes : Hacked phones tend to experience fast battery drain. If a hacker has planted a malicious code or app on your phone, it will cause performance issues, and your battery will run out faster than usual. It’s important to note that rapid battery drain could also result from several apps or games running in the background. (Yes, gaming for a long time drains your battery life!) Therefore, you should first check that no apps are running in the background. You need to also restrict battery consumption for the apps on your phone before immediately assuming that it’s been hacked.

Phone Overheats : Your phone tends to heat up if you’re using it excessively, such as watching movies and videos or playing games for a prolonged time. However, if you aren’t actively using your phone and it feels oddly hot, this could signify the phone may be compromised by malicious activity and that someone else is using it.

Higher Data Consumption/Bill Charges : It’s time to pay your phone bill, but you’re hit with a higher bill than what you usually pay. When you check, you notice unknown, excessive data usage, or other bill charges. This is an essential warning that your phone might be hacked, usually by spyware. In such cases, a hacker uses the victim’s phone to make calls, collect and transfer data, send texts, or even make purchases.

Apps Crashing Randomly: It’s normal for an app to crash or fail to load correctly on your Android or iPhone. It means that there’s a fault in the app itself. However, if you find multiple apps crashing randomly or unable to load, it’s a sign that there’s harmful software or code on your phone that’s interrupting it from functioning normally.

Email Delivery Failures : Another telltale sign that a hacker has breached your phone has unusual activities in your email account. In such an event, you’ll receive notifications informing you that your email failed to be delivered. This implies that your account is being used for spamming activities. Other mysterious changes include having emails marked as read (not by you) and getting alerts of suspicious sign-ins to your account.

Lower Quality of Screenshots: If your phone has excellent camera quality, but you suddenly find that the screenshots you take are of lower quality, you could be a victim of a poor form of keylogger attack. Keylogger is spyware that allows hackers to eavesdrop on your phone and steal data by recording your keystrokes.

Inexplicable Actions: You may also find strange behaviors or unusual activities on your iPhone or Android that you’re sure you didn’t do. If you experience more than one of the following, your phone is probably hacked.

Strange Apps on Phone: It’s normal to have apps pre-installed on your phone by the manufacturer or your service provider or to see new apps after a software update.

On the other hand, when a phone is hacked, you might find apps that you don’t recognize at all, no matter how trustworthy they may look. This includes software such as antivirus apps and phone cleaning apps. Hackers install such apps on the victim’s phone to spy on them and steal information.

If you find an app that you don’t remember downloading or having on your phone, you should use a different device and check that it’s safe on the internet.

Weird Pop-Ups: If your phone is infected with malware, you’ll start seeing X-rated or flashy pop-ups or ads. These pop-ups will ask you to carry out certain actions through infected links. It’s important not to click on those suspicious links to avoid data leaks and further damage.

Unfamiliar Activity in Call or Text : Types of malware such as phishing can infect your Android or iPhone through SMS text messages. Hackers usually send an SMS with an infected link that allows them to access your phone.

If you notice SMSs or calls that you didn’t make, or if any of your contacts receive calls or texts from you that you don’t recognize, your phone is most likely hacked.

Unfamiliar Activity on Social Media : Even though social media platforms do their best to secure their users’ accounts from hacking attempts, lots and lots of accounts are still compromised every year.

When a hacker infiltrates your phone, you might notice strange activities with your social media accounts, such as multiple login attempts and changes in your credentials (username and password).

Phone Tries to Access Unsecured Websites : Being connected to a secure network has its merits. If the network is set to allow and block specific websites, you’ll receive notifications when your phone attempts to access suspicious websites, a telltale sign that it’s been compromised.

Camera Issues : While you’re busy capturing your favorite moments with your phone camera, there’s a hacker somewhere waiting to capture the opportunity to hack into your iPhone or Android through the camera.

Some signs can tell if your phone is being remotely controlled through your camera. For instance, you might find photos or videos on your phone that you don’t remember taking. You should always watch for your camera flash if it turns on for no reason and your phone starts getting hot.

Inability to Turn Off Your Phone : One more sign that your phone is probably hacked is struggling with turning it off. Some types of malware and spyware prevent your phone from shutting down, allowing hackers to spy on you at all times.