Apple / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET
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Your mobile phone is a treasure trove of personal and confidential information. That's why it's a prime target for hackers who want to compromise or steal your data. Through malicious apps and websites, phishing attacks, and other threats, an attacker can gain control of your device through spyware. But how can you tell if your phone has been hacked or tapped?
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Amy Clark, managing editor of consumer reviews site Techreport, has put together a helpful guide on the threat of phone hacking. The guide shares advice on how to tell if your phone may have been hacked and how to fight back against the hacker.
Warning signs of a phone hack
1. Battery drains more quickly than usual. Any spyware installed on your phone is constantly running to snoop on your activity and send the data to the hacker. This means that your battery is going to drain faster than usual. Be aware of any unusual drops in your battery charge. Check your phone's battery settings to see if the level is falling more dramatically.
2. Your phone is running more slowly. Does your phone feel more sluggish than usual, or are apps crashing or freezing? Those could be signs that someone has hacked into your device. Keep track of how long it takes to launch apps or carry out other actions to gauge if the performance is lagging.
3. Unfamiliar logins. Social media sites will sometimes alert you if they detect an unusual login attempt, such as one from an odd time of day or a faraway location. A notice like this could indicate that someone has gained control of your mobile device and is trying to sign in with your account credentials. In that event, make sure you change the password for the affected account.
4. Available storage space has dropped. Even though spyware isn't visible, it does chew up storage on your phone. If you think you've lost free space, check your used storage under settings. Assuming you haven't installed any apps or added content recently, see if the amount of used space is higher than when you last checked.
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