Do you know someone who is interested in your conversations for personal, business or other reasons, can tap into your smartphone? It may be a hacker, your employer, an ex-partner, or the media, who may wish to monitor your calls, read and send texts and emails with your line, or alter information on your interface.
Many smartphone users do not pay attention to this, thinking they do not have to. But in the sophisticated world of today, users must be conscious of what others can do secretly with their phone lines.
“If there is a malicious app on your phone, it could alter the appearance of websites you frequent”
Six ways to know your phone has been tapped
Persistent battery problems
When you have a persistent battery problem, it could be a reason to suspect foul play. Hot batteries remain a concern when it comes to smartphones. Uninvited software could be running in the background, allowing someone else to listen in. You also have to be suspicious if your phone battery power drains out too quickly.
High temperatures and low power can also point to malicious software.
Increased mobile data usage
Monitoring how much you spend on data can save you a lot in terms of money. But it can also help you spot spyware.
You should form the habit of monitoring how much data you consume in a month.
If you do not share hotspot with your kids or other members of your family, and your bill increases dramatically, you need to figure out exactly why that is happening. If you can’t find the reason, then a third party may be intercepting your messages.
Malicious software can use your data allowance to send information it has collected to an outside source. It does not have to rely solely on your wifi, it will consume data wherever you are.
Unwanted ads and apps
You must take time to be familiar with the apps on your phone and what they are meant for. Any suspicious app should be immediately deleted. It might have been planted to tap into your smartphone.
General performance issues
It is natural that the more data being used, the slower your device will be. It is also in order to think that the older your phone gets, the slower or less efficient it becomes.
But it is better to pay a little more attention to general performance issues of your phone. When your phone is slow to boot or process information, you must seek the services of experts to ascertain if this is not an issue of phone tapping. Apps can also affect performance; they can take up power, but they should not noticeably affect your device’s reaction time.
Strange texts and messages
Suspicious SMS will be a seemingly-randomised series of digits, characters, and symbols, which will immediately strike you as odd but perhaps not especially malicious. Do not ignore them.
The most likely cause of this is a fault in spyware used by cybercriminals. If it hasn’t installed properly, coded messages will appear in your inbox that would otherwise have gone unnoticed.
These random data sets are instructions sent from the servers of a hacker to tamper with the fraudulent application. Alternatively, it could be the app trying to contact its creator.
Likewise, if any family or friends say you’re sending them bizarre texts or emails, this is a sign that your phone is compromised. This could mean your infected phone is trying to install malware on the devices of your loved ones.
Websites look different
If there is a malicious app on your phone, it could alter the appearance of websites you frequent. The malware acts as a proxy, intercepting communications between you and the site you’re trying to visit.
It might be presenting a false page to you, or simply keeping track of anything you type. And it doesn’t matter if you’re on Private Browsing. This really becomes a problem if you’re using a site that requires personal details.
– References: www.makeuseof.com, Dr. Ahmad Adeniyi
