The technologically advanced world in which we live grants us the ability to have a high-powered computer that fits in the palm of our hands. As we depend more and more on smartphones, the more enticing a targeted attack on such a device will be to criminals.
One of the most prevalent attacks on smartphones is through malware that is installed on the smartphone via unwitting downloads from the app store. In some cases, criminals will even send out phishing campaigns for users to download an application to the victims’ phone under the guise of another, trusted company. Here are some red flags that can point to a possible smartphone hack.
Battery Draining Quickly
A sudden increase in battery usage may indicate a hack. Malware that is commonly found on mobile devices will start an app in the background that uses data like GPS without the knowledge of the user. Your device will go from lasting the entire day to running out of battery by lunchtime. You can check for this by opening your battery setting in your smartphone’s controls and viewing how much power each app consumes. Be suspicious of hungry apps that you were formerly not aware of.
Spike in Data Usage
High data usage can be attributed to adware, which is malicious code that may contact outside websites to download data leading to a spike in data usage. You can resolve this issue by reviewing the data usage by individual apps. Your wireless carrier will provide you detailed usage reports which will help you narrow down a sudden data utilization increase. Based on what you find, it may be helpful to restore your device to a previous system backup.
Passwords Don’t Work Anymore
If you try to log in to your accounts on your smartphone but yet some of your passwords that formerly worked just fine are now not working, and you’re entirely confident that the password that you’re entering is correct, then it might mean that someone has obtained your passwords and changed your login credentials. This is a big problem. A criminal might be able to get your login credentials by installing a keylogger that is disguised as another trusted app. Once the criminals have access to your device, the criminals will immediately change your passwords in order to have full control of your accounts. We recommend resetting the passwords for all of your important accounts and to restore your smartphone system to a clean backup since there is likely malware that was installed.
It’s crucial for consumers to realize that not all malicious attacks leave a trace. It can be difficult to know when a device has been compromised, but to help limit this type of exposure by knowing the danger and to utilizing a VPN that includes end-to-end encryption.
LibertyID provides expert, full service, fully managed identity theft restoration to individuals, couples, extended families* and businesses. LibertyID has a 100% success rate in resolving all forms of identity fraud on behalf of our subscribers.
*Extended families – primary individual, their spouse/partner, both sets of parents (including those that have been deceased for up to a year), and all children under the age of 25