Signs Your Phone Was Hacked

Has your phone been hacked? How would you even know?

Here are the top signs a bad actor has got their hands on your phone—some of which are now very uncomfortable to me.

Your phone overheating, even when idle, could mean it’s being controlled externally—by a hacker. If the battery is draining fast, and you’re constantly charging it, check for malicious software and fraudulent apps that could cause the drain.

You notice posts on social media that you didn’t make, or you can’t send or receive emails; the phone may have been hit. Also, if performance is suddenly slow, it could result from malware. Other things to look for include frequent crashes, random reboots, pop-ups or threatening messages, and the screen lighting up independently.

Your phone could have been hacked if you can’t explain your data usage level, there are unexpected messages, you have photos that you didn’t take, and your phone’s flash goes off by itself.

It may relieve you to know that it’s easy to review the apps you have on your phone. If you don’t recognize any, uninstall them.

Run a security scan if you experience any of these and take care of the problem fast.