The cell phone or smartphone is a very popular target for hackers. After all, they contain a lot of personal data. And not just your own, but also that of your contacts. This makes it all the more important to protect your cell phone from hacker attacks and to recognize when it has been hacked.
Signs that the cell phone has been hacked
Everyone has probably seen the signs of a hacker attack on their cell phone. But of course it’s not always a direct attack.
If the cell phone runs more slowly and consumes more battery at the same time, this may be a sign of a hacker attack. Malware runs in the background and naturally consumes energy. However, it is also possible that another program is running in the background because it was not closed properly.
A clearer sign of malware on your smartphone is apps, messages or items that you have not downloaded, written or installed yourself. If things appear for which you are not responsible, this is an indication of a hacker attack.
Apps that no longer work correctly or behave differently than before can also indicate an attack by hackers. If apps open or close by themselves or no longer work at all, this may be due to malware on the cell phone.
Increased data consumption or pop-ups are further signs of a hacker attack.
The cell phone camera can also be affected by an attack on the smartphone. If unknown pictures appear on your cell phone that you did not take yourself, the camera could have been hacked. The same applies to videos. However, it is also possible that pictures or videos were taken by mistake. You should therefore not panic immediately. However, if this phenomenon occurs frequently, it may be due to malware.
The camera consumes the most battery on a cell phone and also uses the most resources. This is why the cell phone usually gets warm when the camera is used for a long time. If the phone gets warm even though the camera is not being used, this may be because it has been hacked and is therefore permanently active.
What helps against hacker attacks on cell phones?
Certain precautions can be taken to prevent your cell phone from being hacked in the first place.
Mobile hotspots should only be used in public if absolutely necessary.
Public Wi-Fi should never be used without a VPN. It is also important to disconnect as soon as you stop using it.
Bluetooth should only be switched on if it is actually being used.
The cell phone should be protected by a lock screen or a secure password. In addition, you should of course not simply leave it lying around in public or let strangers use it.
It goes without saying that unknown messages, files and links should not be opened. It’s also better to leave websites or apps you don’t trust where they are.
Of course, anti-virus apps also offer a certain degree of protection against attacks by hackers. So it doesn’t hurt to install one of them. However, you should limit this to one, as several apps could have a negative impact on each other. Then you will have several anti-virus apps installed on your cell phone, but none of them will work.
If the cell phone is hacked or is suspected of being hacked, the first thing to do is to change the password or other security prompt in the form of the lock screen. The access data for all installed apps should also be changed.
Apps that are probably affected by the attack are best uninstalled directly. What is affected can often be found out by a virus scan.
Mobile data, WLAN and hotspots are best deactivated immediately so that no further access can take place.
Also inform your contacts that you have been hacked and that they should not open any messages that purport to come from you.
If nothing works at all, reset the cell phone to the factory settings. This usually removes malware from the cell phone. But it also removes all other data that you have personally stored. So this really is a last resort.
Conclusion
Cell phones are a popular target for hackers. But you can protect yourself against attacks. If you do fall victim to one, there are a few measures that can sometimes prevent worse things from happening.
