“My
phone’s
been
hacked!”
Words
you
probably
don’t
want
to
hear
or
say.
Ever.
Yes,
a
smartphone
can
get
hacked
just
like
any
other
device.
And
they
make
prize
targets
as
well.
Loaded
as
they
are
with
personal
and
financial
information,
access
to
payment
apps,
files,
photos,
and
contacts,
bad
actors
have
plenty
to
gain
by
tapping
into
your
smartphone.
How
do
bad
actors
pull
it
off?
They
have
several
attack
vectors
they
can
choose
from.
-
They
can
hide
malware
in
bogus
apps
that
they
post
as
free
downloads
in
app
stores.
Spyware,
ransomware,
and
adware
are
typical
types
of
malware
that
get
distributed
this
way. -
They
can
also
install
it
themselves
by
getting
physical
access
to
your
phone. -
Sometimes,
bad
actors
along
the
smartphone
supply
chain
have
loaded
malware
onto
entirely
new
smartphones
so
that
they
come
with
malware
preinstalled,
right
out
of
the
box. -
And
as
always,
phishing
attacks
by
email,
text,
and
other
messaging
apps
remain
popular
as
well.
Today’s
attackers
have
gotten
cagier
as
well.
It
used
to
be
that
a
hacked
phone
would
run
sluggishly
or
hot
after
it
got
infected
by
malware.
The
battery
might
have
drained
quickly
as
well.
That
was
because
the
malware
ate
up
system
resources,
created
conflicts
with
other
apps,
and
used
your
data
or
internet
connection
to
pass
along
your
personal
information—all
of
which
could
make
your
smartphone
feel
a
little
off. That
still
might
be
the
case
with
some
mobile
malware
today,
yet
much
of
it
works
far
more
efficiently.
The
old
telltale
physical
signs
of
a
hacked
phone
might
not
present
themselves
at
all.
However,
you
can
spot
several
indications
that
might
indicate
your
phone
has
been
hacked.
How
do
I
know
if
my
phone
has
been
hacked?
A few
examples
follow. Note
that
these might be
signs of
a
hacked
phone,
yet
not
always.
-
Popups
suddenly
appear
on
your
phone:
If
you’re
seeing
more
popup
ads
than
usual
or
seeing
them
for
the
first
time,
it
might
be a sign
that
your
phone
has
been
hit
with
adware—a
type
of
malicious
app
that
hackers
use
to
generate
revenue
by
distributing
ads without
the
consent
of
the
user.
Furthermore,
those
ads
might
be malicious in
nature
as
well.
They
might
take
you
to
pages
designed
to
steal
personal
information
(which
is
a
good
reminder
to
never
tap
or
click
on
them). -
Mysterious
apps,
calls,
or
texts
appear:
A
potential
telltale
sign
that
your
phone has
been hacked
is the
appearance
of new
apps
that
you
didn’t
download,
along
with
spikes
in
data
usage
that
you
can’t
account
for.
Likewise,
if
you
see
calls
in
your phone’s
call
log that
you
didn’t
make,
that’s
a
warning
as
well. -
You
run
out
of
data
or
see
unknown
charges
pop
up:
Big
red
flag
here.
This
is
a possible sign
that
a
hacker
has
hijacked
your
phone
and
is
using
it
to
transfer
data,
make
purchases,
send
messages,
or
make
calls
via
your
phone. -
You
have
issues
with
your
online
accounts:
Phones
infected
with
spyware
can
skim
account
credentials
and
then
transmit
them
to
the
hacker
behind
the
attack.
This
could
lead
to
credit
and
debit
fraud.
In
some
cases,
hackers
will
hijack
an
account
altogether
by
changing
the
password
and
locking
out
the
original
owner.
If
you
spot
unusual
charges
or
can
no
longer
log
into
your
accounts
with
your
password,
a
hacked
phone
might
be
the
cause—among
others.
What
do
I
do
if
my
phone
is
hacked?
Install
and
run online
protection
software
on
your
smartphone if
you
haven’t
already.
From
there,
delete
any
apps
you
didn’t
download,
delete
risky
texts,
and
then
run
your
mobile
security
software
again.
If
you
still
have
issues, wiping and
restoring your
phone is
an
option.
Provided
you
have
your
photos,
contacts,
and
other
vital
info
backed
up
in
the
cloud, it’s
a
relatively
straightforward
process.
A
quick
search
online can
show how
to
wipe
and
restore
your
model
of
phone.
Lastly,
check
your
accounts
and
your
credit card
statements to
see
if
any
unauthorized
purchases
have
been
made.
If
so,
you
can
go
through
the
process
of
freezing
those
accounts
and
getting
new
cards
and
credentials
issued. Further,
update
your passwords
for
your
accounts with a
password
that
is
strong
and
unique to
prevent
further theft.
Tips
to
keep
your
phone
from
getting
hacked
To help keep your
phone
from
getting
hacked
in the
first
place, there
are
a
few
relatively
easy
steps
you
can
take.
Inside of a
few
minutes,
you
can
find
yourself
much
safer
than
you
were
before.
-
Use
comprehensive
security
software
on
your
phone. Over
the
years,
we’ve
gotten
into
the
good
habit
of
using
this
on
our
computers
and
laptops.
Our
phones?
Not
so
much.
Installing online
protection
software
gives
you
the
first
line
of
defense
against
attacks,
plus
several
of
the
additional
security
features
mentioned
below. -
Stay
safer
on
the
go
with
a
VPN. One
way that crooks
can
hack
their
way
into
your
phone
is
via
public
Wi-Fi,
such
as
at
airports,
hotels,
and
even
libraries.
These
networks
are
public,
meaning
that
your
activities
are
exposed
to
others
on
the
network—your
banking,
your
password
usage,
all
of
it. One
way
to
make
a
public
network
private
is
with
a
VPN,
which
can
keep
you
and
all
you
do
protected
from
others
on
that
Wi-Fi
hotspot. -
Use
a
password
manager. Strong,
unique
passwords offer
another primary
line
of
defense.
Yet
with
all
the
accounts
we
have
floating
around, juggling
dozens
of
strong and unique
passwords
can
feel
like
a
task—thus
the
temptation
to
use
(and
re-use)
simpler
passwords.
Hackers
love
this because
one
password
can
be
the
key
to
several
accounts.
Instead,
try
a
password
manager
that
can
create
those
passwords
for
you
and
safely
store
them
as
well.
Comprehensive online
protection
software
like
ours
will
include
one. -
Avoid
public
charging
stations. Charging
up at
a
public
station seems
so
simple
and
safe.
However,
some
hackers
have
been
known
to
“juice
jack” by
installing malware
into
the
charging
station. While
you
“juice
up,”
they
“jack”
your
passwords
and
personal
info. So what
to
do
about
power
on
the
road?
You
can look
into a
portable
power
pack
that
you
can
charge
up
ahead
of
time
or run
on AA
batteries.
They’re pretty
inexpensive and can
prevent
malware
from
a
public
charging
station. -
Keep
your
eyes
on
your
phone. Preventing
the
actual
theft of
your phone
is
important
too,
as some
hacks
happen
because
a
phone
falls
into
the
wrong
hands.
This
is
a
good
case
for
password
or
PIN
protecting
your
phone,
as
well
as
turning
on
device
tracking
so
that
you
can
locate
your
phone
or
wipe
it
remotely
if
you
need
to. Apple
provides
iOS
users
with
a
step-by-step
guide
for
remotely
wiping
devices, and Google
offers
up
a
guide
for
Android
users
as
well. -
Stick
with
trusted
app
stores.
Stick
with
legitimate
apps
stores
like
Google
Play
and
Apple’s
App
Store,
which
have
measures
in
place
to
review
and
vet
apps
to
help
ensure
that
they
are
safe
and
secure.
And
for
the
malicious
apps
that
sneak
past
these
processes,
Google
and
Apple
are
quick
to
remove
malicious
apps
when
discovered,
making
their
stores
that
much
safer. -
Keep
an
eye
on
app
permissions.
Another
way
hackers
weasel
their
way
into
your
device
is
by
getting
permissions
to
access
things
like
your
location,
contacts,
and
photos—and
they’ll
use
sketchy
apps
to
do
it.
So
check
and
see
what
permissions
the
app
is
asking
for.
If
it’s
asking
for
way
more
than
you
bargained
for,
like
a
simple
game
wanting
access
to
your
camera
or
microphone,
it
might
be
a
scam.
Delete
the
app
and
find
a
legitimate
one
that
doesn’t
ask
for
invasive
permissions
like
that.
If
you’re
curious
about
permissions
for
apps
that
are
already
on
your
phone,
iPhone
users
can
learn
how
to
allow
or
revoke
app
permission
here,
and
Android
can
do
the
same
here. -
Update
your
phone’s
operating
system.
Together
with
installing
security
software
is
keeping
your
phone’s
operating
system
up
to
date.
Updates
can
fix
vulnerabilities
that
hackers
rely
on
to
pull
off
their
malware-based
attacks—it’s
another
tried
and
true
method
of
keeping
yourself
safe
and
your
phone
running
great
too.
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