Hacked into my phone

[Tammie Lefebre]

How can I tell if someone has backed into my phone

 

[James L]

How can I tell if someone has backed into my phone

You mean if spyware is installed on your device?

 

[lunatic59]

How can I tell if someone has backed into my phone

Usually the tire tracks are a dead giveaway.




Sorry, these autocorrect mishaps are just too much fun to pass up.


Seriously, there is not definitive way to tell if you've been truly hacked, unless weird and malicious things are happening. That said, the best methods to prevent hacking (or thwart attackers on an already hacked device) would be to never root, or unroot as soon as it's no longer needed. Enable two-factor authentication. Change passwords regularly and use stronger passwords and pins. Only get apps from trusted sources like the Play store or Amazon. Keep a close eye on permissions for installed apps and disable anything that looks suspicious -- if it breaks something, you can always turn it back on.

There are also different levels of hacking. Simple credential hacking usually means you use simple usernames and/or passwords ... like your email with a common word as a password, or worse, the default password for the device that was never changed. Malware intrusion is most likely because you let them in. Mind you, 'they' can be pretty sneaky and you might not even realize that you've been compromised. We've seen a recent rash of less than scrupulous developers of relatively benign apps include some nastiness in subsequent updates. Most people install the update (or have it set to automagically update) and don't think twice because it was from an already-installed app that they've never had a problem with before. All of a sudden their phone looks like a bus terminal mens' room in the seedier part of town.

Is there something specific going on with your device that makes you think you might have been hacked?