Has my cell phone been hacked?
We keep hearing about computers being hacked. But what about smartphones – how often are they hacked? And what about my cell phone: how do I find out if I’ve been hacked? We’ll enlighten you.
The probability of a hack is low…
First of all, we can give the all-clear. The probability that your cell phone has been hacked is close to zero. Statista writes that around 68% of the world’s population use a smartphone. Since a significant proportion also use several smartphones at the same time, it is interesting to look at the number of cell phone subscriptions: 6.5 billion cell phone subscriptions were active in 2022. It is therefore very unlikely that your smart cell phone will be hacked.
…but not completely 0.
Nevertheless, this is not a complete all-clear. If you are a critical journalist, politician or other public figure, i.e. a famous person, hackers are more interested in you. State secret services also often hack into the cell phones of serious criminals. Since you are most likely none of these things (and hopefully not a criminal either 😉), you have nothing to fear in this regard.
A cell phone hack is anything but simple
Unlike computers, cell phone hacks are anything but simple. Since the advent of smartphones, Apple, Google and others have invested heavily in the security of their phones and the software running on them. While programs on Windows and Linux run directly on the hardware, applications on smartphones do not – they run in virtual environments, so-called sandboxes. Apps cannot access your cameras or microphones or the data (streams) of other apps without your permission. If you want to bypass these protection mechanisms, you need in-depth knowledge of the hardware used and the corresponding root access.
Security vulnerabilities do exist, but they are extremely rare and require enormous effort to exploit and to get them onto the person’s cell phone. This is why smartphone hacks are usually carried out by state intelligence services that have the time, equipment and money to carry out the hacks. Such zero-day gaps are worth millions in intelligence circles.
It’s easier to hack your accounts
Individuals and groups are more likely to hack into your accounts than your phone – your iCloud or Google account is much easier to hack, especially if you don’t use two-factor authentication (2FA). This is usually done via phishing links, i.e. links to pages that look like the real thing but actually belong to criminals. If you enter your account details on these sites, criminals use these login details to log into the real accounts.
Your online banking or cloud data, for example, are very popular. After all, it is highly likely that your intimate photos, purchase history or files are also stored there. And if the hackers have these files, they can lock you out, use them to blackmail you or impersonate you.
One of the most spectacular cases was the iCloud hack in 2014, when nude photos of numerous US stars appeared on social media. This was preceded by targeted phishing and brute force attacks on celebrities. The hackers sent tens of thousands of official-looking iCloud emails to potential celebrity email addresses. If even one of these emails arrived and the victim clicked on the link, the hackers had access to the celebrity account and the most intimate files.
How to find out if your cell phone has been hacked
There are many signs of a hacking attack. If your smartphone runs unusually warm in standby mode, there are processes active in the background that may indicate a hack. Login emails (“Someone has tried to log in” or “A new device has been registered”) can also be an indication. It is worth taking a look at your account settings from time to time to check account access and connected devices. If you find devices there that do not belong to you or logins that cannot be traced back to you, you should be suspicious.
You should ignore unexplained calls or text messages. In 2023, Kaspersky researchers uncovered an extremely sophisticated attack on iOS devices. The attacker exploited a vulnerability in iMessage to send invisible messages with malware attachments. This downloaded additional modules in the background and did its best to cover its tracks. Another vulnerability allowed the malware to gain root access to the kernel and even activate hardware components such as the microphone without the user being aware of it. The Kaspersky researchers estimate that the vulnerability has existed since iOS 8 from 2014, but at least since 2019. According to the researchers, the attack, which they called “Operation Triangulation” and which exploited a total of four zero-day vulnerabilities in the iOS code, cost several million dollars to carry out, making it one of the most expensive cyber attacks of all time. This is another reason why hacking your smartphone, of all things, is extremely low – cell phone hacks are expensive. In a video, they explain how they became aware of the attack.
Discovery of Triangulation malware by Kaspersky
Since hackers need both the performance of the cell phone and the Internet, sudden inexplicable heating, poorer performance and an increase in data volume are indicators of hacks.
Hackers also like to manipulate data and files. If you find files that do not belong to you or files have suddenly disappeared, these are also signs.
However, these signs can also have other causes
If you experience these cases, you don’t have to assume the worst – to a large extent, the causes are much more harmless. Apps need a lot of computing power these days. This can lead to poorer performance, higher temperatures or battery consumption, especially on older or cheaper smartphones. Poorly programmed apps run more inefficiently – perhaps new bugs have simply crept into the recent update. And data loss can be caused by hardware defects and server failures. In March 2021, a data center in Strasbourg, France, burned down completely – a lot of customer data was irrevocably destroyed.
Follow these rules to protect yourself from hackers
It is impossible to protect yourself completely from hacks. If you want to find a way, you will find one. That’s why the best rules to protect yourself from cell phone hacks are general in nature. It’s easier to hack an app or account than your entire phone.
Activate two-factor authentication
According to cyber security experts, the publication of nude photos in the 2014 iCloud leak would not have been possible if the victims had enabled 2FA. Many of us have our passwords saved automatically – by using a temporary code that you have to enter when you log in for the first time, you give your account an extra layer of security and prevent hackers from hacking into your accounts.
Check your access logs and delete connected apps and devices
Even if you don’t receive an email with the subject “Someone has tried to log in”, it’s worth checking the access logs of your clouds and social media accounts from time to time. It’s usually not far from there to the connected apps and devices. Block access for apps and devices that are no longer used from your account.
Do not download apps from unknown sources and do not open links from unknown senders
The most common sources of malware are infected apps that do not come from official app stores. It may be nice to have the user interface in pastel pink with squiggly lettering, but if you have to download the files for it from dubious sources, you should rather refrain from doing so.
The same applies to emails and text messages that contain links. Apple, Google, the post office or your bank will never send you unsolicited messages with links via text message or email.
Can the police hack into my cell phone?
Just as security mechanisms have improved in recent years, so have the police and secret services. Yes, the police can hack your cell phone, provided it has been confiscated. To do this, the police often work with forensic experts, external experts and companies and use special brute force software to unlock your smartphone. The longer and more complicated your passcode is, the more effort the police have to put into hacking your phone. However, you do not have to provide a password in the event of confiscation. However, whether this also applies to biometric unlocking options is still a legal gray area. Lawyer Martin Steiger advises to switch off the cell phone before contacting the police.
Can my cell phone be hacked by callers?
Although there are many spam calls and text messages, there is not a single case of a smartphone being hacked as a result. However, there are cases of criminals calling a different number than the one shown on the display. Find out more in our article on spoofing.
Can my Whatsapp account be hacked?
WhatsApp is the most popular messenger service in the world – and for many people the most used app on their cell phone. There have been various hacks in the past. Most recently, criminals pretended to be friends or family members and asked the user to forward a code. Hacks in which a call is used to hack into your WhatsApp account are also known. But they all have one thing in common: if you use 2FA, you don’t need to be afraid of a hack.
Can my cell phone camera be hacked?
As we wrote above: The hardware and software on smartphones is set up differently than on normal PCs. Apps run in a sandbox – and unless you give permission, these apps cannot access the camera.
Do anti-virus apps protect against hacks?
The clear answer: No. Like all other apps, anti-virus apps run in their own sandbox environment and cannot easily access the data of other apps. Viruses and other malware also run one security level deeper – where anti-virus apps cannot become active.
Conclusion: A cell phone hack is rarer than you think
Of course, there are extremely rare zero-day gaps in the program code that could theoretically be used to hack your cell phone. However, due to their rarity, they require enormous effort, which only makes them attractive to well-funded and well-staffed secret services. It is much easier to hack accounts. But if you protect them with 2FA and follow our other tips above, you’ve already done a lot for security.
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