With so many recent hacking and ransomware attempts, it’s understandable that you might be worried about your digital security. There are so many different ways malicious actors could exploit vulnerabilities found in everyday digital devices, so knowing how to recognize the symptoms will help you prevent a lot of issues in the long run.
Unfortunately, today’s exploitation methods have become so advanced that malicious actors can even spy on your phone without accessing it physically. So, if you’re eager to learn how to catch someone spying on you through your Android phones or check if they’re spying on your phone camera, this article will solve all your problems. We’ll discuss several methods to check for spyware, so stay tuned.
Common Symptoms of Phones Infected with Spyware
There are many different types of malware, each of which can do a lot of damage to your smartphone. Some more common types include:
- Trojans
- Ransomware
- Adware
- Keyloggers
- Spy apps
- Riskware
The main goal of this software is to either extract personal information such as credit card data, address information, or social security number, demand extortion in return for your data or bombard you with adware. Luckily, because spyware is so aggressive, it uses a lot of phone power, which results in an abundance of symptoms, such as:
- Your battery is draining faster than usual
- Your phone data charge is higher than usual
- Your phone is constantly warm or hot
- You receive weird ads
- Your phone is lagging
- You notice strange applications that you didn’t install
- Your phone randomly lights up even when you’re not touching it
- You receive credit card charges for items you never purchased
If you notice any of these symptoms, it’s important to act fast. Spyware can do a lot of damage to your phone, but also your personal life. For example, if someone gets ahold of your social security number, address, or credit card information, they could steal your identity. Or, if you’re a business owner, someone can access your secret company data. Let’s discuss some prevention methods to ensure that this doesn’t even happen in the first place.
How to Protect Your Smartphone from Spyware
1. Disable Installation from Unknown Sources
Hackers usually have to either obtain physical access to your phone or try to install spyware remotely through the cloud. Either way, the chances are that they’re going to have to install some type of software on your devices to track all your activities. However, if you disable this option in settings, you’ll prevent them from accessing it. Here’s how to do it:
Android:
- Step 1 – Open Settings
- Step 2 – Open Security
- Step 3 – See if the Install from Unknown Sources is enabled. If it is, disable it.
iOS:
iPhone users will be happy to know that installing spyware on iOS devices is a bit trickier, though not impossible. To be able to install any kind of third-party software on Apple devices, you have to jailbreak the target iPhone. And, all jailbroken iPhones have a tell-tale sign – an app called Cydia. Go through your app list and see if you can find that app. If it’s not there, you’re good to go.
2. Install a VPN
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network and it’s a tool that acts as a shield between you and the web. Since we all know that our digital footprint is recorded across different websites and platforms, it’s no wonder that hackers can gain access to our data rather easily. However, if you encrypt your digital footprint, your data would be unusable to hackers – that’s where a VPN steps in.
This tool encrypts all user traffic and allows you to change your IP address so that you can remain anonymous on the web. You can find a plethora of VPN solutions. However, we recommend sticking to the ones whose operations aren’t based in one of the fourteen-eyes countries. This tool is a must-have.
3. Use Antivirus Software
Lastly, we recommend installing antivirus software. These tools scan your devices for malware regularly to ensure that nothing is wrong. Make sure to run occasional deep scans which last a bit longer than regular ones, to ensure that your security is up-to-par. You can find a wide variety of great antivirus options out there.
Conclusion
Keeping your devices safe isn’t difficult at all, however, awareness has been an issue in recent years which is why hacking attempts are at an all-time high, as previously reported by Celltrackingapps. Prevention is the key because, once your phone is infected, a lot of damage can be done in a short time span. If you occasionally check up on your security, you won’t have to worry about these issues at all. Stay safe!