Your cell phone is at the center of your life, making it the ideal target for identity flights and financial fraud. List of contacts, photos, videos, files, text messages, nothing escapes pirates and criminals. In the era where everyone is constantly connected, here are the many signs indicating that there is a spy on your cell phone.
Why do criminals want to hack your cell phone?
Understanding the piracy signs of your cell phone begins with an understanding of the data treasure on your device! Telephones and computers are the two main communication devices that we use daily. Therefore, if someone hacks your cell phone, he will have access to the following information: Electronic addresses and phone numbers from your contacts, photos, videos, files, and text messages.
In addition, "If the pirate uses a typing recorder (in English, Keylogger), it can save each key that you press on the keyboard of your cell phone. This means that hackers can steal passwords, personal information, credit card information, banking information, as well as any business information. In addition, they would be able to follow each website you visit as well as the information you enter on this site, "explains George Waller, CEO of IT security companies.
Your battery discharges quickly
"An obvious sign that your phone was hacked is that you lose battery very quickly. Telephone spy software is constantly on, so it consumes a lot of energy and unloads your battery by the band. If you regularly encounter a loss of power, your cellular may be hacked, "said Tim Lync, CEO of a game manufacturing company.
Your phone is hot
"In addition to a significant drop in the telephone battery, a hot device, even when it is not used, is a likely sign that Internet data is consumed faster than usual. If consumers note that they continue to exceed their data limits someone uses maybe their sessions, "questions Ray Walsh, an expert in digital confidentiality.
You receive scary messages
"A third person asks you for money by declaring that they will publish photos and messages that could only come from your phone," said George Waller, CEO of IT security companies.
You clicked on a strange link in a text
"It could be a text pretending to come from your mom, a friend, or someone you know asking you to open a PDF file or a photo. Once opened, some Trojan horses integrated into the file corrupt your whole system. You also grant them access to steal your files.
So when you receive an email from a person you don't know asking you to click to display a photo or to watch a fun video, do not click unless you are sure of the source, "recalls Emmanuel Eze, critic and new technologies tester.
You have used public charging stations
"This technique benefits from the obsession with always keeping our cellular cellular. Malventy load stations take advantage of the fact that USB is used both for file transfer only for recharge. Some hackers can also monitor each of your strikes while they are connected. So don't rush to connect your cell phone as soon as you see a catch! ”, advises Emmanuel Eze.
New applications appear on your screen
“Pirated users can identify new unusual applications that appear in their menus or in their phone settings. Always check which applications are running and, if something seems undesirable, check if the application that empties your battery is known to contain malware, recommends Ray Walsh, an expert in digital confidentiality.
Your phone makes live broadcasts
“One way a cybercriminal can monitor and listen to your activities is to make your phone broadcast live without your knowledge. This would show all the activities of your cell phone to the criminal while broadcasting what is happening on your phone on the web.
It is possible to detect it if the phone is constantly hot or loses its battery too quickly. Also, check your internet bandwidth to see if there is a consumption peak somewhere, "said Jamie Cambell, a cybersecurity expert.
Your phone has overall poor performance
"As the old adage says," everything is a matter of timing "! Delays in sending and receiving SMS, telephone numbering, and checking voice messages - all these things should not take too long - are signs that a telephone hack has taken place, "explains Alexis Moore, author of books on bans and cyberharcelers. "These are the easiest signs to detect!" On the other hand, today everyone performs several tasks at the same time and does not pay enough attention to these subtle details. "
There is a global data use of data
"An application called" Data use "(available for Android and iOS) can display the amount of data sent from your device. The trick then consists of looking for anomalies or exceptionally long download periods. Your device is still sending data. He cannot synchronize emails, or publish selfies or text without downloading data. Fortunately, most users are quite consistent in their monthly activities. An important peak or an increase in downloaded data that persists without real use, may be an indicator that surveillance software has been installed, "notes Allan N. Buxton, chief court examiner for a criminal cyberscience company.
You discover calls or SMS that you have not sent
"You can also notice calls and text messages to numbers on your contact list that you have not sent. Make sure to monitor this activity closely, as some calls may be made to surcharged numbers that malware forces your phone to contact, ”explains Rob Webber, mobile expert and CEO of a comparison of telephone packages comparison cellular.
You receive unwanted pop-ups
"Another sign that a smartphone is compromised is receiving untimely advertising windows (POP-UPS) or strange screen saver. Although not all pop-ups indicate that your phone has been infiltrated, an increasing number of contextual windows could be a sign that your phone was infected with a form of malware-advertising software that Forces devices to display specific sites that generate income through clicks, ”explains Rob Webber.
You receive security messages
"If your phone has been hacked, you may notice an unusual activity on his part, such as security messages informing you that your email or another account has been accessed using a new device. You receive password reset links or verification emails indicating that you have registered with new accounts that you do not know, "explains mobile expert Rob Webber.
Your phone was left unattended in a public place
“Never leave your device unattended in a public place. Keep your cell phone on you or in view while you are in public. If you have a "phone visibility" option, deactivate it. This parameter allows the devices near to see your phone and exchange data with it, "suggests Gary Davis, head of consumer safety in a cybersecurity company.
"Do not record the password or connection information for banking applications and other sensitive accounts. You do not want a hacker to connect automatically as you do if it reaches your device! "
You have downloaded a malicious application
"Criminals hide malware or malicious abilities inside applications that seem legitimate or can even perform a legitimate service, such as a mobile game. To this end, Google Play is more likely to have infected applications than the Apple App Store, because Google does not examine these applications as vigorously, "reveals Alex Hamerstone, manager of customer relations management systems ( RCMP) and cybersecurity consultant.
You have lost your signal
There are several notable signs that your phone could be hacked: you receive a text message or an email notification from your mobile operator about a change of account that you have not made and, a few minutes later, your cell phone no longer has any signal, even after restarting. Nor can you connect to your email or even your bank account. This is called a number portage attack!
As a rule, criminals only need a date of birth and an account number for this attack to succeed. If you think you are the victim of a number portage attack, you must immediately contact the police - and your mobile telephone operator - to inform them that your cell number has been transferred and that you are the victim of a flight of 'identity.
“Finally, plan for several days to change the passwords of all the accounts used with your cell number. Plan even more time to obstruct yourself with banks and creditors to justify your stolen identity, "said Kayne McGladrey, a member of the Institute of Electrician and Electronics Engineers.
You hear an unusual background noise
"Burling, parasites, or other strange noises can be a sign that someone spies on you. Although all cellular can have strange noises from time to time on their line, it is best to check if there are other signs combined with it. If you hear unusual noises when your phone is not used, this is not a good sign ... ", advises Robert Siciliano, an identity flight expert and speaker.
Your phone does not go out
"If something seems weird with your cell phone, try to turn it off. Look how he reacts when you turn him off. Telephones that have often been hacked will not turn off properly or will never turn off, "said Robert Siciliano.
Your accounts act strangely
This is more common than you think and represents a very serious risk. The iCloud and Gmail services keep a lot of information about you, such as passwords, photos, phone positions, messages, and calls. You might think that nobody would like your photos, but it is common for them to hold your ransom. You might also think that there is nothing important in your electronic box, but it is probably a backup of each online account you have. With enough information, it would be easy to steal your identity.
"If you start to receive password reset emails, it could mean several things. Changing your email password and checking your account safety is a good idea. Always create a strong password, activate the notifications for connection to new computers or locations, and activate two-factor authentication, "Matthew Woodley, an independent digital marketing consultant.
You were lazy with passwords
"If someone's iCloud account is hacked, the criminal can see where all their devices are, see all their stored data, lock the devices via anti-theft features, etc. This kind of thing usually occurs when a person uses the same password on several sites, and one of these sites is compromised. The best way to avoid this is to use unique passwords on each site, which are recorded in a password manager and allowing two factors authentication on each account ”, sheds light on his advice Thomas Reed, director of Mobile for a software company created to detect and delete malware.
You have used free wifi to access sensitive information
“Free and unsecured Wi-Fi in your local coffee is extremely practical. Unfortunately, it's easy to spy on everything you do with it. If you use a non-security connection, the best way to do so is to use a VPN (a virtual private network) to keep your connection. VPNs are inexpensive and protect you, ”continues Matthew Woodley.
Otherwise, make sure you never connect to a bank website, and try to stay away from your electronic mailbox. "If you want to check your emails, always watch the address bar. Does the website indicate "HTTPS: //" rather than "HTTP: //"? The added "S" indicates a secure connection. There must also be a green locking symbol next to the URL. If you do not have these indicators of a secure connection, do not enter any of your connection information! ", He notes.
You are blocked
"You can also see your legitimate electronic boxes being blocked by the anti-spam filters of other people because your communications now seem to come from a suspicious source," recalls Mike Tanenbaum, an insurance company.
You are billed for transactions that you have not carried out
Another hacking sign is that your bank sends you an SMS alert concerning a transaction that you have not carried out. Or, you receive an invoice from your credit card company indicating that you have bought something that you have never really bought!
It is up to technological companies to do what it takes
Mathias J. Klenk, co-founder of online verification software, believes that companies must stop aggregating and collecting data on their users.
The future of IT security lies, according to him, in an architecture based on confidentiality and where users can maintain the same ease of use while having control over their data.
3 things to do if you think you are hacked
Matt Wilson, Chief Information Security Advisor for a Cybersecurity Company for Business, recommends the following measures:
Change the important passwords. Do not do it from the device you think is compromised or you could give hackers your new password!
Many popular applications and services stimulate multiple factors. Although it does not necessarily help you as soon as your device is at risk, it reduces the possibility of being cellular
Restore your device. The process depends on your cell phone, but large companies have simple and easy instructions. Save your cellular data and restore it are two other actions to be taken to avoid being hacked.