That your mobile is hacked is a very serious matter that requires taking quick action, since it can represent danger such as phishing or bank fraud. The point is that, before starting to take action, you must be sure that your mobile has been intervened. That is why today we are preparing for you the topic How to know if your mobile phone has been hacked and how to avoid it.
What exactly is malware? virus types
Many people are often confused when they hear about this computer term, widely used today. And that refers to a malicious software or program that has the purpose of entering your device, be it a mobile, laptop or PC and causing damage. But these virtual threats usually have classifications depending on the type of attack.
For this reason, we can then come across different types of malware that you have surely heard of. As are adware, Trojans, ransomware, worms, and spyware. But the purpose for which they were created is and will be the same to stealthily infiltrate our computer to steal information or delete files.
Learn about computer viruses
In order for you to know in depth how each type of malware works, you need to know very well for what purpose these computer viruses were created. What part of your computer can they infect and what is the most common way they use to sneak into our device.
Try not to mess with Trojans
Trojans are a type of malware that will try to get into and remain on your computer unnoticed and to do so they will use a legitimate program to camouflage themselves. A Trojan can act and generate actions without you realizing it. They are responsible for opening security holes so that other viruses can enter and steal important information, but they cannot replicate themselves.
The most common: computer worm
Computer worms are the most common form of virus that we can find, their main purpose being to replicate throughout the system. And they spread to other devices and for this they can use different ways, such as emails. Although they are very similar to viruses, they do not infect files.
This is how they steal information from you with Spyware
Spyware are the typical viruses or software that are responsible for stealing information about the user who infects your mobile device or PC. This information that it collects can be of all kinds, ranging from bank accounts or internet searches, etc. For this reason they are very feared and it will be good to keep your computer free of this malware.
Advertisers: Adware
This is the type of virus that cannot always cause damage to your computer, since it usually comes in the form of advertisements, especially in the browser. It is usually installed stealthily while you are installing another application and then inadvertently presented as a popup. It can be said that it acts very similar to Trojans to infiltrate, but adware does not cause any harm.
Kidnap Ransomware Ransomware
This is a very dangerous type of malware and it usually hijacks user’s access to their files or PC. And the only way to recover this data is by paying a ransom which must be made by credit card or cryptocurrencies. Although it is recommended not to access blackmail due to the few guarantees they offer to release your data.
What are the ways they could hack me?
Although you may not believe it, today there are many ways that cyber hackers use to spy on what you do from your cell phone. And this of course can be done at this time from the mobile applications that you have installed. This software uses without any authorization the camera or the microphone to perpetrate its misdeeds.
But this would be only one way of the many that exist, as we already mentioned, and in which a smartphone can be hacked. Another way widely used by these criminals is when you connect to a public WiFi connection or one that is not protected. In this way they can enter your device with impunity.
But one of the most dangerous and that offers the greatest results to hackers is through the well-known Phishing. These are nothing more than websites that appear to be legitimate portals and that pretend that we enter to steal sensitive information such as password, bank details, users. You must be very careful when they enter PayPal accounts, social networks or banks.
What is a mobile phone hack and how to identify it?
The hacking of a phone, as we have already been mentioning, is nothing more than the unauthorized entry into our mobile. Regardless of which way you use to do so, and therefore it is important that you know how to identify this fact, if you are currently the victim of a hack. Here are some signs that will tell you if this is happening:
If it overheats faster, it’s a sign
If you notice that your mobile has been excessively hot in recent days, it can be a strong indication that it has been hacked. This is because, when there is a type of malware running all the time in the background on your device, it causes the mobile processor to work at full power, causing the device to overheat.
So if your mobile has started to heat up out of the ordinary from one moment to another after installing a certain app of questionable origin or it has simply started to heat up suddenly, it is very possible that you have been hacked, so to avoid this, Try not to download apps of dubious origin.
Red flag: Performance has dropped
You may notice that the performance of your mobile phone drops, since it is offering its processing power to another activity that you are unaware of. And this is done by another application that is used by the hacker and works in the background. This is a very common way, therefore you must be attentive to the performance of your cell phone.
You receive messages from unknown numbers
If you suddenly start receiving notifications or messages from unknown numbers thanking you for having subscribed to a certain service. This is an unmistakable sign that suggests you have been hacked. Therefore you must have some malware that is carrying out this task of subscribing your number to such services.
If too much advertising appears where there was none before
If unexpectedly after unlocking the mobile you see ads or receive notifications with advertising, there is a very high probability that you have a serious case of an Ardware virus.
The most effective way to get rid of this problem as soon as possible is to remove the Adware virus, which you can do by uninstalling the app where it is stored, which could be a flashlight app, RAM memory optimizer, utility app or for Adults.
Mobile malfunction and battery depletion
If you notice that there is a malfunction of the mobile and the battery runs out in less time than usual, it may be that in the same way, as the mobile processor works faster than usual as a result of malware, more battery is spent on the device. mobile. It is also possible that you notice that your mobile data is also running out faster than usual, it may be an indication that you have been hacked.
Although a mobile malfunction, battery and data depletion can be caused by other reasons, it is a good idea not to highlight the possibility that you have been hacked.
Apps suddenly appear that you don’t remember installing
When checking your mobile, have you come across apps that you don’t remember having installed? Be careful with these, as it may be possible that malware is attacking you and filling your mobile with unknown apps.
Make sure you haven’t actually installed it yourself by checking the history of apps you’ve downloaded, and if trying to remove an unknown app doesn’t allow you to do so, this may be the work of malware.
Although you must remember that certain applications that come by default on your mobile cannot be deleted, but it does not mean that these are malware; on the other hand, you should be very careful with APK files, they are very useful at times, but they can be just as dangerous.
There are 3 codes to check if your mobile was hacked: Get to know them
Thanks to the efforts of thousands of Internet users, today at least three universal codes are known that allow you to know if your mobile has been hacked, in order to start acting to solve this.
##002#
The first recommended code is ##002#, which is useful to deactivate call forwarding, in case you think your calls are being intercepted and redirected to another mobile, type this code on your mobile and you will activate said option.
*#62#
Another code is * # 62 #, this is a useful code if those who have tried to call your mobile mention that it is out of service or does not answer, so using this code you will be able to know where the messages, calls and data of your cellphone.
*#twenty-one#
On the other hand, a last recommended code *#21# is similar to the previous one, with the difference that it will indicate if messages, calls and even faxes are being forwarded, showing you if any service is really being forwarded.
How can I repair a hacked phone
Although it is true that mobile phones are prone to being hacked, it is also true that you can reverse this situation and repair it. But for this it will be necessary that you apply in each case the corrective measures that we will indicate below.
Uninstall the app causing the hack
One of the fastest and safest ways available to you to remove a program or application that contains malicious software is to uninstall it. Therefore, perform this procedure as soon as possible, if you have an Android device you can uninstall the application by first activating the safe mode.
Does updating my software work?
Having your smartphone updated to the latest version offers us greater security to prevent it from being vulnerable. Therefore, it is necessary that your mobile has updated software and it is likely that if you carry out this operation you can repair the mobile. But it will always be necessary that you carry out this procedure before the eventuality happens and not after.
As a last measure: Reset your phone to factory mode
In the event that all the methods you have performed so far have not offered you a solution to the problem. You must then take a radical measure and it is about resetting your phone to factory settings. As this action will erase forever all the data that your phone contains, it is necessary that you previously make a backup copy
How can I protect myself from hacking my mobile?
As a smartphone user, you can take a number of actions that will keep you safe from cybercriminals. And the first of them and that you should not overlook is the update of your operating system. But you also need to update the applications installed on your mobile.
Keep your phone locked, this is super important, even if you don’t like to perform this action, remember that if you lose your mobile all your information contained in it will be exposed. If possible, use a password lock in those applications that contain your personal data.
Do not use public networks to connect, if you do not have a data plan at this time resist the temptation. You should already know the dangers of connecting to an open Wi-Fi network and last but not least do not offer your phone number to everyone.
If possible, use a second phone line or use programs to protect your line, such as Google Voice.
