A cybercriminal may hack your phone to access important information, such as your online passwords and banking details. So, if your phone is hacked, it’s important to act fast. Knowing the signs of a hacked phone will help you deal with this issue faster and more effectively.
If someone has gained access to your phone, you may witness one or all of the following seven signs:
- Your phone is acting up and doing things without your permission.
- Your mobile device is much slower than usual.
- The phone is experiencing a shorter battery life.
- There is a significant increase in data usage.
- Your phone is getting unusually hot.
- You are receiving strange alerts and noticing suspicious account activity.
- You see apps you don’t remember downloading.
So, you may now be wondering how to remove the hacker from your phone. Fortunately, there are various ways to get hackers off your phone and out of your accounts, such as:
- Using a good antivirus software that will detect and eliminate the threat.
- Deleting suspicious apps from your phone.
- Performing a factory reset to get back to your original settings.
- Changing your passwords to stop the hacker from accessing your accounts again.
Most importantly, we recommend using a good antivirus solution, such as Norton 360, to find and eliminate the malicious app the hacker is likely using as a backdoor to your private information.
Do you want to learn more about what to do if your phone is hacked and how to prevent your phone from getting hacked? Read the complete article below.
Your worst fear has come to pass: your phone, containing all your social media profiles, email accounts, and banking and investing portal credentials, has been hacked. Now you’re scrambling and thinking, “How can I remove the hacker from my phone?”
The easiest and most effective way to unhack your phone is a solid antivirus solution to stop the current threat and prevent future attacks from ever happening again.
Very often, hackers use malicious software to either steal your data or get access to your phone. However, you can eliminate any malicious code, such as keyloggers or Trojans, from your device with a top antivirus like Norton 360 that can find and get rid of infected apps and files.
Depending on what kind of hacker you’re dealing with, you might also need to take other steps we extensively outline in our guide below. In this article, we’ll also discuss signs that your phone has been hacked and how to prevent your phone from getting hacked again.
Can iPhones and Android Phones Be Hacked?
An iPhone or Android device can absolutely be attacked by a hacker. Whether it’s through so-called hacking apps or software, unsecured Wi-Fi networks, or by physically invading your device, hackers can gain access and cause serious damage to both Android and iOS users.
It is true that the iOS operating system is generally much more secure. This is due to Apple’s much more restrictive approach to downloading, software uniformity, high number of updates, and the fact that Android’s larger market share results in more attacks. However, there are still ways to hack an iPhone, especially if you jailbreak your iPhone, which will cause it to lose most of its security advantages.
On top of that, an iPhone’s or Android’s security features can never completely protect you against hackers: cybercriminals pose a danger just by being on the same Wi-Fi network as you. By using a so-called Wi-Fi sniffer, hackers can steal your data without even getting direct access to your phone.
The best way to protect yourself against this is by avoiding public Wi-Fi networks. If you do have to rely on public Wi-Fi, use a good VPN to encrypt all of your data. This will make it illegible to any network hackers. We recommend NordVPN because of its outstanding AES 256-bit encryption and RAM-only servers that do not retain your information. The latter will protect your data against data breaches executed by hackers as well.
7 Signs That Your Phone Was Hacked
Below, we’ll discuss some signs pointing to a hacked phone to help you become more aware of potential threats to your personal data.
1. Your phone is acting on its own
Let’s start with one of the most obvious signs that might point to a hacked mobile device: your phone doing things without your permission. Note, however, that phones can also “act up” because of hardware or software glitches. You can often resolve this common problem with an update.
Still, if your phone seems to be doing different actions without your permission in a “calculated” and goal-orientated manner, you might definitely be dealing with a hacker.
Many hackers these days prefer to use more covert methods of stealing your data than actually (visibly) taking over your device, such as a keylogger. This type of malware records your keystrokes. Hence, the hacker knows exactly what you are typing. So, if this is happening, it is essential to act fast.
2. Your mobile device’s performance is slower than usual
If you notice a drastic decrease in your phone’s performance, especially combined with frequent crashing, it is likely that some form of hacking may have taken place.
The malware and tools that hackers plant on your phone often take up plenty of system resources. This can easily lead to a greatly slowed-down device.
3. The phone’s battery life is much shorter than normal
If you have only a few apps open in the background and are not using your phone actively, but your phone’s battery seems to be constantly low, this is quite likely because of a hacker or a malware infection.
As mentioned above, tools such as spyware, keyloggers, and RATs (Remote Access Trojans) that hackers often use can take up plenty of system resources. As such, they can also drain your battery before you know it.
4. You are burning through your data much faster
Many, if not all, of the tools that hackers employ, allow them to communicate with your device. This communication requires the internet. If you often have mobile data turned on, you might notice a significant increase in your data usage after a hack.
Obviously, this could also result in an abnormally expensive phone bill.
We recommend checking on your data usage frequently, which you can do in your phone’s settings, to see if anything suspicious might be going on with your phone.
5. Your phone is getting very hot
Usually, your phone only gets very hot when you’re performing many tasks at once or because of a specific task that uses a lot of resources. A good example is running a technically demanding video game.
If neither of the above is the case and your phone is unusually hot, you really have to start wondering if your phone could be compromised.
This sign is actually very useful as many hackers know how to hide their malicious apps or code. They can do so by using an advanced Remote Access Trojan, for instance. However, there is no way of hiding the heat that results from resource-consuming malware.
6. You notice suspicious account activity or alerts
Are you getting security alerts from multiple social media platforms or other services? This could mean a hacker has or had access to your device and used a keylogger, for instance, to steal your account credentials.
Especially if this is happening with several services or platforms simultaneously, this might point to a hacker. After all, if you choose solid passwords for your online accounts (which you should!), your phone being hacked is a much likelier explanation than all your individual accounts getting compromised.
7. You come across apps you don’t remember downloading
If you see an app on your phone you don’t remember downloading, a hacker might just have planted it within your phone’s storage. They could be using this app as a so-called backdoor to get access to your phone or to steal your data.
Should this happen to you, don’t panic. Also, don’t interact with the app – don’t open it to see what it is. The best course of action is to Google it and see if others have had bad experiences with it or if someone has flagged it online as (containing) malware.
To tackle this issue, we recommend getting a solid antivirus solution to scan the app for anomalies. We especially recommend Norton Antivirus due to its high percentage results in threat detection.
How to Remove a Hacker From My Phone
If you’re dealing with one or more of the signs above, you might well have a hacker snooping around in your phone. We’ll explain below how to fix a hacked phone. We recommend using one or, if necessary, all of the methods below to get rid of the hacker.
Use good antivirus software
Very often, this will be your first and best bet when trying to get rid of a hacker. That is because it can help to identify if there’s something wrong with your phone in the first place – a pretty important step.
The best antivirus solutions have very effective threat detection mechanisms (i.e., they usually detect more than 95% of online threats), meaning they’ll filter out most known malware. In fact, many can even analyze suspicious patterns to detect unknown malicious code.
Most phone hackers nowadays will use some type of malware to create a backdoor to your phone. They’ll then use this opening to either snoop around on your device or plant more malware that can do this for them.
Finding and eliminating this malicious software means stopping the hacker from accessing your phone any further and blocking their way of stealing your data. That’s why antivirus solutions are so important.
We specifically recommend Norton 360. During our research, we discovered that this antivirus program managed to block every single piece of malware thrown at it during multiple industry-standard tests. This is no easy feat and shows the provider’s commitment to security.
Delete infected mobile apps
As mentioned above, if your phone is hacked, there is often a specific app that contains the malware that the hacker is using to get access to your device and steal your data. Needless to say, it’s crucial to delete this app.
If your phone is acting up in any way (check out the signs above) after installing a specific app, we recommend getting rid of this app immediately! In general, it’s a good idea to regularly check which apps are on your device and delete apps you don’t recognize.
You can also use a good antivirus software solution, such as Norton Antivirus, to identify infected apps. The good thing about a dedicated mobile antivirus app is that it will also scan apps when you’re installing them. This is great, as prevention is the best cure, especially regarding hackers.
How to delete an app on Android
To delete an app on Android, follow these steps:
- Go to “Settings.”
- Tap on “About phone.”
- Tap “Storage.”
- Select “Apps and data.”
- You’ll now see your apps, ordered by the amount of storage they occupy. Tap on the app you want to inspect or delete.
- Select “Uninstall app.”
- Confirm you want to uninstall the app by pressing “OK.”
How to delete an app on iPhone
To do the same on iPhone, follow these steps:
- Locate the app on your home screen.
- Tap the app and hold.
- Select “Remove app.”
- Confirm by tapping “Delete.”
It’s that simple to remove an app from your iPhone.
Perform a factory reset
Are you all out of options and unsure of how to get that hacker off your back and off your phone? Have you tried deleting just about any suspicious app and running several malware scans? Then, it might be time for a factory reset.
A factory reset will completely wipe your iPhone and Android device from malware and is likely to get rid of your hacker for good. That is because this reset deletes all but the most important and basic apps and information from your device.
Due to the “sandboxed” (compartmentalized) nature of how mobile apps work on Android and iPhone, it’s very unlikely that malware or a hacker will infiltrate the core parts of your operating system. This explains the frequent success of factory resets in combating malware and hackers.
Note:
A factory reset can’t be undone and will remove all files and apps that were not on your phone when you first got it. This includes photos, videos, games, bank and financial service apps, and more.
If you’re sure you want to perform a factory reset, please follow these steps:
Performing a factory data reset on an Android phone
- Make sure you have made a backup of all the important data on your device!
- Go to “Settings.”
- Tap “About phone.”
- Tap “Factory reset.”
- Select “Erase all data.”
- Type your password and confirm the factory reset.
Performing a factory data reset on an iPhone
- Go to “Settings.”
- Tap “General.”
- Scroll all the way to the bottom and select “Transfer or Reset iPhone.”
- Select “Erase All Content and Settings.”
- Confirm that you want to erase all your data and settings.
Change your passwords
Note that you should only change the passwords on your phone after you are sure you’ve gotten rid of the hacker and their malware. If the hacker still has access to your device, he can use a keylogger, for instance, to get a hold of your new passwords.
Changing and using more secure passwords will ensure that the hacker, or others to whom he sells your credentials, won’t be able to hack into your important accounts.
How to Prevent Your Phone From Being Hacked
As they say, prevention is the best cure. This is especially true in the world of cybersecurity. That’s why below we’ll discuss some very important tips to prevent phone hacking and talk about how to protect yourself against hackers.
1. Use a VPN
Using a solid VPN is an excellent way to prevent a certain type of phone hacking: the one that happens on (public) Wi-Fi networks. As discussed, hackers can steal your data without actually giving themselves administrator access to your phone.
Often, hackers connect to public Wi-Fi networks and use a Wi-Fi sniffer to intercept data traffic sent by other users on the network. To prevent this from happening, it’s absolutely essential to use solid encryption to protect your data, which a top VPN provider can certainly offer.
We recommend NordVPN as it offers top-notch AES 256-bit encryption to mask your information and keep hackers away from your data.
This provider also offers some robust extra security features, such as double VPN connections (to encrypt your data twice) and a Threat Protection feature to stop malware and hackers in their tracks. There are currently some great discounts for new users on its subscriptions.
2. Use antivirus software
Hackers can use different forms of malware to access your phone and steal your data, like Remote Access Trojans, keyloggers, spyware, rootkits, ransomware, you name it.
Often, you can keep out the hacker by keeping out the malware. The best way to do this is by using robust antivirus software. By scanning your device and new apps periodically (which a good antivirus does automatically), your phone is unlikely to get infected or hacked.
We strongly recommend Norton 360 as the best antivirus for Android. Norton’s threat detection score is among the highest of all antivirus solutions.
Moreover, Norton Antivirus offers a useful dark web monitoring feature you can use to see if a hacker is offering your data on the dark web.
3. Beware of phishing and social engineering attacks
You might already know that phishing is a common method of data theft. However, did you know it can also be used to hack your accounts or even your entire device?
Sometimes, hackers send their victim a text message, email, or WhatsApp message containing a dangerous link or attachment. By clicking on said link or downloading the attachment, a RAT, rootkit, or other type of malware will be installed on your device.
The hacker will then, thanks to this malware, have almost unrestricted control over your phone. To prevent this, it’s vital to never click on a link or open an attachment you don’t trust. Our article on phishing will give you more detailed information on this and show you how can prevent such an attack.
4. Don’t jailbreak or root your phone
Jailbreaking (iPhone) or rooting (Android) gives you much more control over your device. Even so, we strongly recommend against it for security reasons.
Since jailbreaking allows you to download apps from unofficial sources and both rooting and the former allow you to modify your OS, both can give hackers a foothold to take over your device.
By modifying your OS, you can also (accidentally) affect or even disable the security features that Android and iOS have in place, such as app sandboxing.
Because of the reasons above, we discourage you from jailbreaking or rooting your phone if you want to stay safe from hackers.
5. Do not download shady apps or apps from non-official platforms
Simply put, as soon as you download any mobile app that doesn’t come from the Play Store or the App Store, you’re putting yourself at risk. You’re now bypassing Google’s or Apple’s security vetting of apps and exposing yourself to hacker-enabling malware.
In fact, even when downloading apps from the Play Store or the App Store, there is a small risk of infecting your device. Although it’s not common, even the Apple App Store contains some malware.
The best advice we can give you is to always use either the Play Store or the App Store to download apps and, on top of that, always check if an app has plenty of positive reviews, without any of these reviews mentioning malware or anything malicious.
6. Use complex and especially long passwords
Obviously, hacking into your phone’s apps becomes very easy if you choose “0000” for all your passwords or information that’s easy to find, such as your date of birth.
Instead, we recommend choosing long and complex passwords with random letters, numbers, and symbols.
Pro Tip:
Often hackers use so-called brute-force attacks to guess your password over and over again. To combat this, it’s especially important to choose long passwords. Moreover, simple mathematics dictates that an extra character makes a password way harder to guess than varying your character types. Of course, for the best results, you should use both strategies.
7. Don’t store your passwords on your phone
Refrain from storing your passwords on your phone, or anywhere that’s easily accessible. Should a hacker get into your phone, you’ll be making his work very easy if they open up “Notes,” and the first thing that appears is a list of all your passwords.
Instead of the above, we recommend using a solid password manager. This will give your data a fighting chance to stay safe, even if a hacker manages to access your phone.
A password manager requires a master password – which should be as long and complex as possible! – to unblock. We recommend Norton’s Password Manager in particular.
Norton 360 offers a safe, encrypted vault for your passwords. It can also generate secure passwords and encrypt your data before you send it. Also, its Safety Dashboard will show you which passwords are weak and help you create new ones.
8. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on important accounts
In the hopefully rare case a hacker does get access to your phone, you have to make their life as difficult as possible. A great way to do this is by enabling two-factor authentication on important accounts, such as banking portals or investing apps.
An issue with two-factor authentication is that often, it works by sending a text message to your phone with a second log-in code. If a hacker has access to your phone, this will only serve to possibly give them a good laugh.
However, certain apps also allow for two-factor authentication using another device, such as your PC. An even better way would be to use a so-called hardware security key, such as YubiKey.
Hardware security keys are not connected to the internet. This makes it virtually impossible for criminals to hack your security key from a distance, and that is why these types of security keys are exceptionally suitable for 2FA.
How Are Phones Commonly Hacked?
Unfortunately, there are many different ways in which hackers can access your phone. We’ll discuss some of the most common ones below.
Physically unblocking your phone
You might only think of hackers as super tech-savvy individuals who spend their lives behind a computer writing complex commands. However, someone stealing or finding your phone, only to discover they can unblock it by typing in “0000” is also a hacker.
The above is exactly why hacking prevention often relies on common sense measures, such as choosing strong passwords. Check out the section above for more information on this.
Phishing
As discussed above, some hackers will contact you with a message or email.
These hackers use their social-engineering wits to either mount a phishing offensive and steal your login credentials or plant dangerous malware on your device through a malicious link or download. This malware then allows them to take over your phone.
Brute-force attacks
Brute-force attacks aim to hack your individual accounts rather than your device as a whole. This method uses software that just guesses your login details over and over, hence the name.
Often, a hacker uses this method when they already have some information about the victim, such as their email address or username. This makes their job significantly easier, as they then only have to guess your password.
Remote Access Trojans
Remote Access Trojans (RATs) are commonly employed by hackers. This makes sense, as this type of malware is great at establishing a connection between the hacker and the victim’s phone that allows this malicious actor to control their phone.
The hacker will subsequently abuse this connection to either steal your data or plant more malware on your device.
RATs are often deployed through phishing tactics or by infecting your device from a malicious page.
A slight variation of a RAT – although it’s technically something different altogether – is a rootkit. This gives the hacker much more far-reaching, administrator-level control over your phone.
Bluetooth hacking
Many hackers have specialized tools to find devices in their vicinity that have Bluetooth turned on. When they find a device they deem interesting, they can then try to connect to it via Bluetooth and take control of it.
Fortunately, most modern devices require a pairing sequence for new Bluetooth connections. Even so, we recommend always turning off your Bluetooth when you’re not using it, just to be sure.
Man-in-the-middle-attacks
Man-in-the-middle-attacks, while usually not giving hackers direct access to your phone, allow them to steal your data. There are several ways a hacker can execute such an attack.
One way to do so is to simply connect to a busy public Wi-Fi network, install a data packet sniffer, and just see what kind of juicy, unencrypted data traffic they can pick up.
Another way is to create a hotspot and give it the name of a famous brand, such as Starbucks. This might lead some users to connect to it, potentially leaving their data up for grabs.
Final Thoughts: What to Do If Your Phone Has Been Hacked
As we’ve seen, there’s a frightening number of ways in which criminals can hack your phone, including brute-force attacks, Bluetooth hacking, Remote Access Trojans, phishing, using rootkits, and others.
Fortunately, there are also some signs to catch them out and ways to protect yourself. If you notice that your phone is acting up, there is an increase in data usage, or you’re getting strange alerts, there is a likelihood that your phone was hacked.
So, to stop you from wondering about how to remove a hacker from your phone, we recommend certain steps to prevent this attack in the first place. You can use a VPN to encrypt your data, do a factory reset, or use a good antivirus solution to detect and eliminate threats.
A good antivirus software we have extensively tested and highly recommend is Norton 360. It has a flawless threat detection score of 100%, according to AV Tests, and can effectively protect your phone against online threats like malware.
Now that you know all about hackers and how to protect yourself, it’s important to read up on other cybersecurity threats; hacking is far from the only online threat you have to worry about. Check out the articles below for more information.
- Hacked Webcam: Who Could Be Watching You?
- Mobile Spyware: How to Tell If Your Phone Is Being Monitored
- How to Know If Your Computer is Being Monitored
Do you have a pressing question about how to get hackers off your phone or hacking prevention? Check out our FAQ below. If you can’t find your question, feel free to leave us a comment.
A hacked phone can lead to all sorts of trouble, such as:
- Stolen data
- Malware infections
- Financial loss (when hackers get access to your banking apps)
Our article on hacking has everything you need to know about what these malicious actors can do with your data.
You most definitely can remove hackers from your phone, at least in most instances. There are different ways to approach this, such as removing suspicious apps or doing a factory reset. However, we always recommend getting one of the best antivirus solutions for mobile to find and eliminate the threat.
The first thing you must do when you get hacked is get some solid antivirus software, if you haven’t already, and run a complete device scan. This will help you locate the problem, before you frantically start deleting apps in the hope of closing the hacker’s backdoor.
