Shocking: iPhone Hacked

The Risks of Phone Hacking

Falling victim to phone hacking can have significant effects. Access to apps and accounts can be blocked, your work and personal contacts scammed, and your bank accounts emptied of cash. Phone hacking can also lead to serious psychological effects on the victim, with people often blaming themselves, and reporting increased anxiety, depression, and feelings of helplessness and lack of trust.

The Consequences of Phone Hacking: Financial and Psychological Effects

Phone hacking can result in financial loss, as hackers gain access to sensitive information such as bank account numbers, credit card details, and personal identification numbers. This can lead to unauthorized transactions, identity theft, and even bankruptcy. Moreover, the psychological impact of phone hacking should not be underestimated. Victims often experience feelings of violation, anxiety, and depression, which can affect their daily lives and relationships.

How Hacking Happens: Techniques Used by Criminals

Hackers use various techniques to gain access to victims’ phones. One common method is phishing, where hackers send fake emails, texts, or messages that appear to come from a legitimate source, such as a bank or a social media platform. The goal is to trick the victim into clicking on a malicious link or downloading a fake app, which installs malware on the phone. Another technique is exploiting vulnerabilities in outdated operating systems or apps. Hackers can also use public Wi-Fi networks to gain access to victims’ phones.

Is Your iPhone Hacked?

Phone hackers don’t always advertise their presence, but there are warning signs that your phone may have been accessed by criminals. Sometimes, though, these can be subtle changes, and easy to miss.

Subtle Warning Signs: Battery Drain, Overheating, and More

One indication that your iPhone has been hacked is that your phone is overheating or running out of battery more quickly than usual. Similarly, you may notice that it’s running slowly or that you’re using much more data than usual. Unfamiliar apps may appear on your home screen, along with pop-up ads. Meanwhile, strange messages may start going to your family and friends as the hackers attempt to trick them. You may even find unauthorized purchases being made from your account.

Obvious Indicators: Locked Out of Accounts and Unauthorized Activities

If you suddenly find yourself locked out of your Apple ID or Google account, or out of other online accounts, it may be a sign that your iPhone has been hacked. Other obvious indicators include unexpected notifications, unrequested 2FA codes or pop-ups, or you may find that your settings — for example, camera or microphone permissions — have been changed.

What to Do If Your iPhone Is Hacked

If you realize that your iPhone has been hacked, the first, and most important thing, is not to panic. In most cases, there’s no point getting a new phone, although in some cases you may choose to perform a factory reset (see below).

If you’ve caught things early, it may be possible to recover quickly and with little ill effect by following a few simple steps:

• Check whether your bank or e-commerce accounts have been accessed
• Change all passwords immediately to new, strong ones
• Delete any suspicious apps or unexpected messages, and install and run online protection software
• If all else fails, restore your phone to its factory settings
• Inform friends and other contacts that you’ve been hacked, and warn them to ignore any messages that appear to be coming from your phone
• Take steps to secure your phone in future, including enabling two-factor authentication on all your accounts

Inform Banks And Other Providers

If you realize that your phone has been hacked, the first step is to attempt to limit the damage by informing banks and any other organizations that hold your financial information. You should check with them whether your bank accounts have been accessed and whether there have been any unauthorized purchases made in your name — and keep checking over the next month or so.

Safeguarding Your iPhone

Apple’s Security Features: Why iOS is Considered Secure

iOS is generally considered more secure than Android, thanks to its closed ecosystem, stricter app review process and control over hardware and software. However, any phone can get hacked, and that includes the iPhone. To be fair, the most common way this happens is through the user’s error, for example, by engaging with a phishing email and inadvertently downloading malware. Another route for an iPhone to be compromised is via the hack of another service: if one of your social media accounts is hacked, for example, and you’ve used the same credentials on both accounts. Jailbreaking your iPhone also carries a significant security risk, as you may compromise its built-in security.

Vulnerabilities: How iPhones Can Still Be Hacked

While Apple’s security features are tight, criminals are constantly on the lookout for flaws in new or outdated versions of iOS that they can exploit. Meanwhile, iPhone users are no less vulnerable to phishing attempts than anybody else. Indeed, according to research last year from cloud security company Lookout, iOS devices were targeted by phishing attempts more often than Android devices.

Prevention is Key: Avoiding Phishing Attempts and Jailbreaking Risks

Prevention is key when it comes to avoiding phone hacking. One way to do this is to be cautious when clicking on links or downloading apps, and to keep your operating system and apps up to date. It’s also a good idea to enable two-factor authentication on all your accounts, and to use a reputable antivirus app to scan for malware. Additionally, never jailbreak your iPhone, as this can compromise its built-in security and make it more vulnerable to hacking.

Recognizing the Signs of a Hacked iPhone

Phone hackers don’t always advertise their presence, but there are a number of warning signs that your phone may have been accessed by criminals. Sometimes, though, these can be subtle changes, and easy to miss. As the phone starts to carry out unauthorized activities, you may notice the battery draining faster than usual, apps taking a long time to load and the phone overheating. Bills may also be higher than usual. Often, new apps will unexpectedly appear, as may unexpected notifications, unrequested 2FA codes or pop-ups, or you may find that your settings — for example, camera or microphone permissions — have been changed. You may receive unsolicited calls or texts that you don’t recognise.

Performance Issues: Overheating, Slow Running, and High Data Usage

One indication that your iPhone has been hacked is that your phone is overheating or running out of battery more quickly than usual; similarly, you may notice that it’s running slowly or that you’re using much more data than usual. Unfamiliar apps may appear on your homescreen, along with pop-up ads. Meanwhile, strange messages may start going to your family and friends as the hackers attempt to trick them. You may even find unauthorized purchases being made from your account.

Unusual Activity: Strange Messages, Unauthorized Purchases, and Unexpected Apps

Another sign that your iPhone has been hacked is the appearance of unfamiliar apps on your homescreen, along with pop-up ads. Strange messages may start going to your family and friends as the hackers attempt to trick them. You may even find unauthorized purchases being made from your account. Sign 1: Your Phone Seems Overworked If your iPhone is hotter than usual or runs out of battery quickly, this may be a sign that unauthorized apps or processes are running in the background, taking up your iPhone’s resources. Sign 2: Unfamiliar Apps On Your Home Screen One of the first things that hackers are likely to do is install malicious applications on your phone. Their aim is to access your files or spy on you. These apps may look perfectly innocuous, but shouldn’t be ignored. Similarly, pop-ups and ads may start showing up. Sign 3: Strange Messages You may be contacted by friends and family saying they’ve been receiving strange messages from you. This is a sign that hackers are attempting to phish them by sending suspicious links. You yourself may spot sent messages that didn’t come from you. Sign 4: Performance Drops A sluggish phone may be a sign that your iPhone has been compromised, whether it’s loading web pages, playing videos or opening apps. Like an overheating phone, this may be a sign that a dodgy application is running in the background. Sign 5: Unauthorized Purchases If you spot unauthorized purchases being made via your Apple ID or linked credit card, beware. And don’t disregard what appear to be tiny purchases: criminals often put through purchases for tiny amounts to check that they can, before going ahead with larger, account-draining amounts. Sign 6: High Data Usage If hackers are running unauthorized software in the background, this may show up in terms of high data usage. If your data plan shows a spike in usage when you haven’t been using your iPhone any more than usual, it’s a sign that someone else is using it instead.

What To Do If Your iPhone Is Hacked

If you realize that your phone has been hacked, the first step is to attempt to limit the damage by informing banks and any other organizations that hold your financial information. You should check with them whether your bank accounts have been accessed and whether there have been any unauthorized purchases made in your name — and keep checking over the next month or so. You may need to ask for replacement credit or debit cards, or to have your accounts closed and reopened with new security measures in place. If you’ve caught things early, it may be possible to recover quickly and with little ill effect by following a few simple steps: Check whether your bank or e-commerce accounts have been accessed Change all passwords immediately to new, strong ones Delete any suspicious apps or unexpected messages, and install and run online protection software If all else fails, restore your phone to its factory settings Inform friends and other contacts that you’ve been hacked, and warn them to ignore any messages that appear to be coming from your phone Take steps to secure your phone in future, including enabling two-factor authentication on all your accounts

Limit the Damage: Inform Banks and Providers

Informing banks and other organizations that hold your financial information is the first step in limiting the damage. Check with them whether your bank accounts have been accessed and whether there have been any unauthorized purchases made in your name — and keep checking over the next month or so. You may need to ask for replacement credit or debit cards, or to have your accounts closed and reopened with new security measures in place.

Take Control Back: Change Passwords, Delete Suspicious Apps, and Restore Factory Settings

Changing all passwords immediately to new, strong ones is crucial. Delete any suspicious apps or unexpected messages, and install and run online protection software. If all else fails, restore your phone to its factory settings. This will erase all data on the device, so be sure to back up your phone before doing so.

Secure Your Phone: Enable Two-Factor Authentication and Warn Friends and Family

Enabling two-factor authentication on all your accounts is a crucial step in securing your phone. Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security by requiring you to enter a code sent to your phone or email address, in addition to your password. Warn friends and family that your phone has been hacked, and ask them to ignore any messages that appear to be coming from your phone.