Over the last two decades, the digital revolution has done nothing less than significantly improve the accessibility of information and make our daily life a little bit more easy.
However, it has also brought skepticism with respect to the protection of personal information, with innumerable data breaches occurring via cybercriminals and hackers alike, utilizing the knowledge they dig up for unlawful and extremely illegal objectives. This has caused a lot of people to be skeptical.
You can, however, verify whether your device has been hacked in a variety of straightforward ways. whether it has, criminals may be able to eavesdrop on your private chats, steal critical data, and even track your whereabouts.
The following are 10 things to keep an eye out for if you have reason to believe that someone has hacked into your phone.
- Screenshots taken on your mobile device
According to MailOnline, this is a straightforward method of identifying the issue. If someone is monitoring your device and your screenshots have poor pixelation and a hazy appearance, they may be doing so.
- Applications on your phone that are unfamiliar to you
Be aware of any unfamiliar applications that appear on your smartphone that you haven’t seen before. Some apps could be hiding behind something that seems to be harmless only to trick users into downloading them. You may browse through all of the applications that are loaded on your phone and search for ones that you don’t recall installing if you check the storage on your device.
Apps such as Kaspersky Safe Kids, Norton Family, Net Nanny, and Qustodio are few that you should keep an eye out for.
- The autocorrect feature does not function correctly.
If you are typing and you notice that the autocorrect feature is behaving strangely, there is a possibility that someone is monitoring your communications by using a keylogger. This is a kind of spyware that enables a third party to see what you are typing on your computer.
- The cell phone has to be recharged more often than normal.
Because many of these spyware applications operate in the background without stopping, the battery on your phone is likely going to run out of juice very fast. If you discover an issue like this, you should check to see if any of the applications you use most often might be the cause of the device’s battery dying so quickly.
- Unexplained sent texts
If your phone is sending text messages that you have not written or sent, it is possible that someone else has gained access to your device. This also applies to unexpected text messages that you get even when you don’t have your phone with you. The perpetrators of the crime may send orders to the victim’s device via the use of applications, such as capturing screenshots, sending emails, or snapping pictures.
- Phone becomes heated
If you notice that your smartphone is often growing hot, this is a sign that some applications are constantly operating in the background.
- Strange occurrences, such as your phone’s screen suddenly lighting up for no apparent reason
Be on the lookout for any odd behavior on your phone when it is in the standby mode, such as the screen lighting up or pinging even if there are no alerts. It’s possible that this is a sign that something shady is going on.
- Cell phones that have been previously owned or were received as gifts
There is a possibility that your phone was “jailbroken” in order to enable the downloading of applications from sources other than the official app store if you purchased it used or received it as a gift. If your phone was “jail-broken” or “rooted” without your permission, then something fishy could be going on with it.
You may use applications such as Root Checker on Android or Cydia on iOS to identify whether or not your phone has been jailbroken if you have a suspicion that it has.
- Ensure that your phone is turned off.
There are spyware applications that will stop your phone from going to sleep, so giving the culprit continuous access to your device. These applications could also cause your phone to turn off in an abnormally drawn-out manner when you try to do so.
- Data usage
In the same way that running applications in the background may drain your battery life, they can also use a significant amount of data on your phone. Spyware applications would provide information to the person who is spying on you by using your data connection to convey the information.
Information security specialist, currently working as risk infrastructure specialist & investigator.
15 years of experience in risk and control process, security audit support, business continuity design and support, workgroup management and information security standards.