7 Signs Your Phone Is Hacked and What To Do if It Is

You can know if your phone is hacked if you experience warning signs such as data usage being higher than normal, new apps you didn’t download appearing on your phone, unusual or inappropriate pop-ups appearing and more. 

Continue reading to learn about the warning signs that indicate your phone has been or is being hacked, and what to do if your phone is hacked. 

1. Unusual or inappropriate pop-ups

One of the most telltale signs that your phone is hacked is if you notice pop-ups appearing while you’re using your phone, especially when you’re on a browser like Safari or Google Chrome. You may even notice that some of the pop-ups appearing are inappropriate, so they could contain explicit content. 

2. You start noticing higher data usage

While higher data usage may indicate you’re using your phone more often, it could also be a telling sign that your phone is hacked. If you’ve never had your data unusually spike and you’ve been using your phone about the same amount as usual, you should investigate further as this could be a sign that your phone is hacked. 

3. You start seeing new apps on your phone

Seeing apps you didn’t download on your phone is also a telling sign that your phone is hacked. If you’ve had your phone for a while and you notice unusual apps, these apps could be filled with malware. Malware is a type of malicious software that cybercriminals use to spy on their victims and steal their sensitive information. 

Depending on the type of malware that a cybercriminal installs on your phone, the malware can do different things. Some malware may stop you from being able to use your phone completely by disabling it. 

4. Your battery drains quickly

While phone batteries aren’t meant to last forever, they’re also designed to last a good amount of time while remaining efficient. If your phone habits haven’t changed and you notice a steady decline in your phone’s battery life, this can be a sign that your phone is hacked. 

5. You can’t log in to your accounts

You may not notice your phone is hacked before it’s too late. Cybercriminals may have already used malware to figure out your passwords and compromise your accounts. If you can’t seem to log in to your accounts even though you know you’re entering the right credentials, it may be because your phone is hacked. This is especially true if they’re accounts you only access through your phone and not other devices like your computer. 

6. You start receiving 2FA code requests

Another sign that your phone may be hacked is receiving 2FA codes that you didn’t request. This means someone is attempting to gain access to one of your accounts. It’s possible that a cybercriminal could have installed malware on your device, meaning they’ll be able to see the 2FA codes as you receive them, which they can then use to successfully gain access to your accounts. 

7. Your phone’s camera indicator light is on

You’ve probably noticed that when you use your phone’s camera, there’s a light that turns on to indicate that the camera is being used. If you’re not using your camera and you notice that your phone’s camera indicator light is on, this may be a sign your phone is hacked. This is possible due to a malware called spyware which allows cybercriminals to spy on you and gain access to your device’s camera. 

What to do if your phone is hacked

Here’s what to do if you’ve determined that your phone is hacked. 

Immediately change your passwords

One of the first things you should do after finding out your phone has been hacked is change all of your passwords. It’s best to do this on a computer rather than your phone, since your phone may have malware installed. 

On average, a person has 100 passwords. This means changing them all can be a hassle to do on your own. We recommend using a password manager to help you quickly change all your passwords to ones that are strong and unique. 

Uninstall suspicious apps

If one of the signs that helped you determine your phone was hacked was noticing apps that you didn’t download, you should not open them and delete them from your phone immediately. This will ensure that these apps can no longer spy on you or steal your data. 

Factory reset your phone

The only way to remove a malicious hacker from your phone is by factory resetting it. To do a factory reset of your Android or iPhone, follow the steps below.

Important Disclaimer: Before factory resetting your phone, make sure that all of your data has been backed up to avoid losing it. 

How to factory reset your Android phone

1. Back up your device
2. Go to settings
3. Type “reset” into the settings search bar
4. Tap “Factory Reset”
5. Tap where it says “Reset Device”
6. If asked, enter your phone’s password
7. Tap “Reset All”
8. Wait for your phone to reset

How to factory reset your iPhone

1. Backup your device
2. Go to settings
3. In settings, go to the tab “General”
4. Tap where it says “Transfer or Reset iPhone”
5. If asked, enter your phone’s passcode
6. Confirm that you want to reset your phone
7. Wait for your phone to reset

How to keep your phone safe from hackers

Here’s how you can keep your phone safe from malicious hackers. 

Learn to spot phishing scams

Knowing how to spot a phishing scam may prevent you from falling for one. Here are some of the signs you can look out for.

• Sudden requests for personal information
• Unsolicited links and attachments
• Grammar and spelling errors
• Use of urgent language
• Email address not matching the sender’s name

Don’t download from suspicious sites

Never download from unverified sites. Stick to downloading from verified sources such as the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. 

Avoid using public WiFi

Many cybercriminals take advantage of those who are on public WiFi so they can compromise data or infect devices with malware. Since anyone can sign onto public WiFi, it presents the risk of a Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attack – an attack that relies on network manipulation or the creation of malicious networks that are under the control of the cybercriminal. In a MITM attack, cybercriminals essentially act as the “middlemen” between a sender and a recipient. 

Instead of using public WiFi, stick to using your phone’s data. If you have no other choice than to use public WiFi, download and use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) on your phone. Using a VPN will protect your internet connection since it encrypts your data and masks your IP address. 

Keep your phone’s software up to date

Software updates are crucial to keeping you and your data safe from cybercriminals. Software updates don’t only add new features, they also patch existing security vulnerabilities. Whenever a new software update becomes available on your phone, install it right away to prevent cybercriminals from exploiting any known vulnerabilities. 

Avoid public charging stations

When traveling, you may have to charge your phone but you should be careful about how you choose to charge it. Charging your phone or other devices using public charging stations presents the risk of juice jacking. 

Juice jacking is a security exploit where cybercriminals infect charging stations with malware or infect USB charging cables and leave them plugged in for an unsuspecting victim to use. Because USB cables allow users to also transfer data, cybercriminals are able to use these cables to steal data from a person’s phone or infect their phone with malware. When traveling it’s best to bring your own portable charger or invest in a tool called a USB condom, which prevents data from transferring from your phone to the charging port and vice versa. 

Secure your phone from malicious hackers

Our phones contain critical information that cybercriminals want to get their hands on for their own malicious purposes. Knowing how to secure your phone and how to spot common cyber attacks is essential to keeping it safe from malicious hackers.