How to tell if your phone has been hacked?

We now accomplish nearly everything on our smartphones, from browsing social media and shopping to messaging and even sharing our most intimate personal secrets, making the smartphone an attractive target for malware. However, the more pressing question, according to a report by PC Mag, is how to know if someone is actually eavesdropping on your calls and collecting your data without your knowledge.

The report clarified that detecting a breach remains difficult, but there are recurring signs that may indicate your phone is being monitored. It warned that the occasional appearance of any single sign is often normal, and that investigation is warranted only when these signs recur together and persistently.

• Strange sounds during calls, such as a sharp buzzing, pulsating static, or repeated clicks, which may indicate covert call recording or unauthorized call forwarding.

• Rapid battery drain and overheating of the phone without an obvious cause, especially when this occurs while the device is in standby mode, which could mean malware is continuously transmitting data to a monitoring entity.

• Incomprehensible text messages containing random symbols or suspicious links, which are often failed attempts by spyware to send commands via SMS.

• Difficulty turning off the phone or it restarting itself without user intervention.

• The camera or microphone activating randomly without any app using them being opened.

• Unexplained high data consumption, typically visible on the monthly bill.

The report advised those who suspect their phones have been compromised to first enable Airplane Mode to cut the device’s connection to the remote attacker, then review the list of installed applications and remove any unknown software, along with checking for hidden “Device Administration Profiles” in the settings, which may indicate unauthorized remote access.

The report also recommended checking call forwarding settings via special service codes that vary by telecommunications provider, regularly updating the operating system, using reputable security software, and employing “Lockdown Mode” in cases of targeted attacks, up to performing a full factory reset as a last resort, while cautioning that this final solution does not guarantee the removal of the most advanced malware in all cases.