In the modern world, smartphones and other mobile devices have become an integral part of human life. Many people think that a smartphone is much better protected from viruses and hacker attacks than a computer. But this is far from the case. The Android OS, on which the vast majority of devices are based, is in fact very vulnerable. Because smartphones and their owners often become victims of hackers. What to do if the phone is hacked? We will answer this question, and also consider possible signs that the smartphone has become a victim of hackers.
Signs that your phone has been hacked
No matter how cool the hacker is, he still leaves traces. If the phone is hacked, it begins to behave inappropriately. And by this behavior you can understand that something is wrong with the device. Signs that the phone was hacked may be:
- Quick discharge of the device. This means that some process is running in the background. And hard. Conventional applications cannot afford this. So this is some kind of malware.
- The phone is warming up. If the device rests quietly on a table, does not charge and generally in standby mode, but is very hot, then this is a sign that something is loading the processor. And this is far from an ordinary application.
- Spontaneous reboots. If the device starts to reboot for no reason for no apparent reason, there is reason to think. Especially if a relatively new phone behaves this way.
- Unfamiliar numbers appeared in the call log. This is a sign that the device is ringing on some numbers. But this does not happen. So someone is controlling them remotely.
- I can’t turn off the smartphone. After clicking on the shutdown button, the application starts, the backlight turns on. Anything but shutdown. This is another sign.
- Echo when talking. The most common sign that a phone is being tapped or hacked. This happens if someone tries to connect to the line.
All of the above items are clear signs that someone is trying to access your smartphone. Or already received. And the owner as a result tries to find the answer to the question of what to do if the phone was hacked. First, let's talk about security measures that needed to be applied before hacking.
Security measures to prevent hacking
What had to be done in order to prevent an attack on the smartphone? The list of actions is very short. Yes, and many of them users have heard completely. Although not used. This is the ABC of computer security. And it is quite applicable for smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. So:
- Password protection. It is worth setting a password on the phone to provide access to the smartphone. Moreover, the password should be quite complicated. Best if it contains letters (in different registers) and numbers.
- Do not open strange SMS. If a message arrives with strange characters, then in no case should it be opened. It may contain malicious code or software.
- Set a password for voicemail. This way you can protect sensitive data and prevent the possibility of attacks on your smartphone. This is the first security option to apply.
- Do not connect to all Wi-Fi points in a row. Especially if they do not have any protection. Intercepting traffic with sensitive data over an insecure network is easy.
- Install antivirus. The Android OS is full of all sorts of flaws and holes. Therefore, it is necessary to install an antivirus. It will help protect the confidential user data.
If all of the above applies on your smartphone, then the chance to crack it is negligible. However, what if your phone is hacked? There are several ways to solve this problem.
If the phone is hacked
What to do in this case? Is there any way to "cure" the device? Can. To do this, you will have to perform a series of actions. And not quite familiar. But only they will help if the phone was hacked and there is no access. What to do to regain control of the device? There are several options:
- Reset to factory settings. In most cases, this is enough. The smartphone returns to its inherent state after release from the conveyor. It deletes all user data. Including applications. Malicious software is also ruthlessly removed.
- Flashing. A more radical measure, applied if the previous method did not help. Its essence lies in the complete replacement of the operating system. However, there is no universal instruction for implementing this option, since all smartphones are different.
This is one of the answers to the question of what to do if the phone was hacked. And now we’ll examine in more detail the option with resetting to factory settings. It can be performed in two scenarios. You can reset the OS from the settings menu. But only if there is access to the device. If not, you will have to use the recovery option.
Reset to factory settings
Consider the option of resetting settings using recovery. This method is most effective and works almost always. So what to do if a phone is hacked? The algorithm is simple:
- Turn off the device completely.
- Turn on simultaneously with pressing the volume up key.
- We get into the recovery.
- Select Wipe Data & Factory Reset.
- Confirm the action.
- Go back and select Reboot System Now.
- We are waiting for the device to load and configure it.
Data recovery
Unfortunately, recovering data is problematic if a phone number has been hacked. What to do with this problem? You will have to re-enter all passwords and logins, install the necessary applications, download photos, videos and music to your smartphone. A good advantage would be a previously created data backup. Then the restoration will really be implemented. But not all smartphone owners use the ability to create a backup copy.
Conclusion
So, we examined the possible answers to the question of what to do if a phone account was hacked. If it has already been hacked, then there is only one way out: resetting the settings. And if you have not yet hacked, then you should apply all of the above protective measures. They will definitely help to keep the smartphone intact. And confidential user data will not be affected.