How to detect and prevent phone hacks

How to check if your phone has been hacked

Check the battery

One common sign of a hacked phone is a battery that drains quickly. This can also lead to your phone overheating. If you notice a sudden and noticeable drop in battery performance, it may indicate a problem.

Review your phone bill

Another indicator of a hacked phone can be unusually high bills. This might be because your phone is performing unauthorized activities. A spike in your internet usage could suggest that your phone is sending unwanted messages.

Audit the apps on your phone

If your phone has been hacked, you might find unexpected new apps appearing. Existing apps may load slowly, or other apps might open or close on their own.

Identify suspicious messages and settings

Watch for unexpected messages, two-factor authentication codes, or unsolicited pop-ups. Additionally, check if settings like camera or microphone permissions have changed unexpectedly.

Check your accounts

A major red flag is unexpected issues with your Apple ID, Google account, or other online accounts.

What to do if your phone is hacked

If you discover that your phone has been hacked, take immediate steps to minimize further damage:

Review your financial apps

Start by checking your banking, credit card, and other financial apps to ensure your accounts have not been compromised.

Change your passwords

Next, and one of the most crucial steps, is to immediately change all your passwords to new, strong ones. This should be done for all apps and websites linked to the compromised phone.

Remove suspicious apps

Audit all apps on your phone and delete any suspicious or unfamiliar ones. Restart your phone and check again to ensure the removal was successful.

Reset to factory settings

If other measures fail, perform a factory reset of your phone. If you’re encountering numerous pop-ups or harmful apps, this step may be necessary, though it will erase all data on the device, making it a high-risk option.

Notify your contacts

It's a good idea to inform your friends and other contacts that your phone has been hacked. Advise them to ignore and delete any messages that seem to come from your phone.

Protect your phone from future hackers

Whether you’ve been hacked or not, there are several basic cybersecurity measures you can take to safeguard your phone in the future:

Keep your software updated, as updates often fix known vulnerabilities. Ensure your passwords are strong. Be cautious with public charging stations and public Wi-Fi; consider turning off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when not in use as an extra precaution.

For additional protection, you can encrypt your phone, lock your SIM card, and use a virtual private network (VPN) to make public Wi-Fi usage safer.