Smartphones in our hands usually make our lives easier by connecting us to the world, however, it comes with some disadvantages. Because phones can be an easy target for hackers to steal your personal information or track your activities.
According to the report of Pew Research Center, over 5 billion people currently have mobile devices, and more than half of these connections are smartphones. But, nowadays, it is really important to pay attention to your mobile security, because hackers can easily steal all of the data in the blink of an eye.
So, you might want to know how to find out who hacked your phone. Also, Apple generally offers better security to iOS users, however, this doesn’t mean that they cannot be hacked. And to keep your privacy protected you should always keep a check on your phone’s behavior.
In this article, we have shared 5 simple and quick ways to find out if your phone is hacked because most people don’t know how to secure their data online. Also, we have covered how to find out who hacked your phone.
So, let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Who Can Hack Your Phone
We have found one common misconception among people that hacking a phone requires some mysterious computing superpowers. However, that is definitely not true.
Because nowadays, anybody with enough of the right knowledge could potentially hack your device if they wanted to, it is not rocket science anymore.
Actually, there are thousands of people regularly working in black market operations across the world and they are continuously trying to find a way to hack the smartphones of people like you to obtain your sensitive information.
5 Simple Ways On How To Find Out If Your Phone Is Hacked
Hackers generally upload malicious software or a file to hack into someone’s phone. And this software usually works in the background of your phone, monitors every activity, and copies each piece of information. That is why you must know how to find out if your phone is hacked.
1. Battery Is Draining A Lot Faster
If a hacker has installed any malicious software onto your device, it is going to need more processing power to run, as it is already running your phone’s operating system and any apps that you use.
So, it will ultimately cause your battery to drain a lot faster than usual. And it could be a good indicator that your device has been hacked, particularly if your device is relatively new.
The battery life of your phone would definitely decrease with time, however, if the battery drains at an alarming rate, you must think about it.
2. Unknown Application On Your Device
A hacker might install spy apps to your device to monitor your every activity and these apps can run in the background and don’t show a visible icon on your screen as traditional apps show.
So, if you notice any unknown applications downloaded on your device, then it might be the work of a hacker.
And you might be able to identify any suspicious apps in your phone by looking at your active hours, data usage, battery health, and memory.
But smartphones generally have a few hidden system apps that we don’t know anything about. And it makes it harder to distinguish between which apps are needed for your phone to run and the spy apps.
3. Suspicious Pop-ups On Your Mobile Phone
If you are observing some inappropriate advertisement pop-ups on your mobile device, then it could be an indication that your phone has been hacked.
Because malware can also be behind suspicious pop-ups or changes to your home screen or apps.
And any significant changes in your device that you didn’t personally make are a big indication that your smartphone has been hacked. Also, an increased number of spammy pop-ups may point out that your phone is hacked.
4. Unknown Calls And Messages
If there are some unknown calls and messages initiated from your device, it could also indicate that your device might have been hacked.
Also, if you stop receiving calls or messages, then it is also possible that the hacker has got your SIM card cloned from the service provider.
And if you have found any unrecognized activities on your social media or email accounts that are connected to your device, it could also mean that a hacker has gained access to your device and it could even lead to identity theft.
5. Your Phone Is Showing Poor Performance
If your phone is showing poor performance such as crashing of apps, freezing of the screen, or unexpected restarts, then it could also be a sign of a hacked device. Because the overall performance of any device might become poor if it is hacked.
Then you might experience that your phone is taking too long to do minor activities such as loading pages, checking voicemails, making calls, or opening files. If you are seeing any of this, you can try shutting down your device.
Follow These Things To Find Out Who Hacked Your Phone
If you suspect that someone has been trying to hack or already hacked your cell phone, then there are a few things that you can do. Here are some methods to explain to you how to find out who hacked your phone.
1. How To Know Who Has Installed Spyware On Your Device
Spyware is actually malicious software that can track everything you do on your device and the most common method of installing spyware is to plant a hidden spy app on your smartphone.
And it can happen if someone has physical access to your device, even if it is just for a short amount of time. Sometimes, it could also happen if you click on a suspicious link and download a piece of malicious software.
Also, most spy apps are designed to protect the identity of the hacker who installed them, which makes it more difficult to find out who installed spyware on your device.
That is why you can use trustworthy anti-malware or anti-spyware software to identify the name of the spyware that is installed on your phone, which would also allow you to track down the manufacturer of that spyware software.
2. Find Out Who Has Hacked Your iCloud Account
iCloud can be an excellent solution for backing up your Apple device and keeping photos, contacts, and other data stored in the cloud.
Apple claim that its security is great, however still hackers can break their way into your account.
And if you want to find out who has hacked your iCloud account, then you will first need to contact Apple and ask them to provide you with all the details of access to your account. This will generally include IP addresses that can be used to identify the hacker.
What You Should Do If You Think Your Phone Is Hacked
You might want to know what you can do if your phone is hacked. And as you have already learned how to find out who hacked your phone, now you must know what to do if your phone has been hacked.
1. Change The Password Of The Accounts
The first important step you should follow is to change your passwords as soon as possible, once the threat has been removed. Because this will prevent anyone from unauthorized access to your private accounts.
Also, you should make sure that you use a strong password with a combination of upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols.
And you can also change the password of accounts connected to your device to prevent the hacker from collecting your personal data. If you can change these pins or passwords every few months, it will also keep hackers away from your account.
2. Resetting Your Phone
You should know that resetting your phone is one of the easiest ways to get rid of the malware. You can also check the inventory of apps and delete all suspicious apps that you could not recognize.
And after removing any malware app from your device, if you are still not completely convinced that your device is safe to use again, then resetting the phone is the ultimate way for you.
Because resetting a device will remove everything from your device such as photos, files, notes, and apps. Because of that, you must keep a backup of all the data before doing so.
3. Run Anti-malware Apps
An anti-malware or anti-virus software is really important to keep one’s data and files safe and secure.
And this application will generally monitor all of your device activities and notify you if it can find anything suspicious or a malicious file.
Also, it can remove and block unwanted connections and make your device safe to use. So, you can use trustworthy anti-malware apps that would help you detect malware and get rid of them from your device.
Wrap Up On How To Find Out Who Hacked Your Phone
You can easily protect your phone from hackers by being careful of different applications and activities on your device.
And if you notice any signs that suggest your phone has been hacked, then you can perform these above-mentioned tasks to prevent and remove any threats.
Also, you must keep away from connecting to unknown public Wi-Fi or clicking on inappropriate pop-ups and suspicious ads to protect your device from getting hacked. Also, it is time to keep your security features updated as you keep up with the technology.
We hope that our helpful guide has answered all of your queries about how to find out who hacked your phone. And as you know how to use different online platforms, you should also know how to keep yourself safe.
If you still have any queries left in your mind regarding this topic, please let us know in the comments below.
FAQ: How To Find Out Who Hacked Your Phone
Many people actually don’t know how to stay safe online, so they have lots of unanswered questions in their minds. Here we have picked some of them and tried to answer them briefly in the FAQ section.
Q1. Can You Remove A Hacker From Your Phone?
Ans: Resetting your device will remove all files from your phone’s internal storage, which should also remove the hacker if they are using malware to control your phone.
Q2. Can Hackers Hear You?
Ans: Hackers sometimes might be able to hear you if they have gained access to the camera and microphone of your device.
Q3. Can Hackers Control Your Screen?
Ans: Cybercriminals or hackers generally use malware like spyware to remotely access and control your computer camera, microphone, and screen. So, hackers can definitely control your screen if they want.
