Smartphones are in the fourth place among the devices most attacked by hackers. What are the steps to perform if your phone was cracked and you want to defend your data? Here are some useful tips to know how it all works.
How your smartphone is being hacked?
The methods of attacking mobile gadgets depend on how we use them. There are many ways to break the security in smartphones as compared to computers. It is important to understand what type of attack the hacker is using to suspend his access to the device.
If you lost the phone, it's simple: the hacker will torture the device until he gets to the data. Access can also be obtained remotely. It is likely to happen when you connect to a public Wi-Fi to check mail or pay for an online order.
Every time you click on the "Free Internet" button, think about whether the communication environment is safe enough? None of the gadgets is totally protected against viruses. However, there are some signs of the secure connection. When you see the green lock sign in the web address field, like at Stakers online casino, you may be sure that all your data is protected and there is no potential threat to your device.
Which data could be stolen?
With physical access to the smartphone, the hacker gets full control over the phone. He can easily get to the memory card and internal memory of the device. It is very simple to read all the unencrypted information, and this is a threat to everything that the phone stores: bank and personal data, photos, correspondence.
In addition, if you are comfortable reading the SMS without unlocking the smartphone, be sure, with physical access the attacker will take advantage of this. Siri or the phrase “Okay, Google” may also assist the data-swindler since all voice assistants are capable of making a call or sending SMS without unlocking your device.
In the case of older versions of Android, an attempt to access via a USB cable can lead to the complete control over the device. Also, the attacker can take advantage of the loopholes of the older versions of the firmware, if you have not updated the device for a long time.
If a malicious application is installed on your phone, it may track all your phone activities: record location, data from the camera and microphone, and other metadata. The access to weakly protected banking applications, messengers may be easily obtained.
If you are keen on playing online games, you have to be twice as cautious, since game-sites with a poor security may lead you straight to the hackers, eagerly waiting to steal your data.
Signs of hacking
Physical access is the most dangerous because an attacker is free to do anything with the device. There is a term "coffeebreak-attack" when you left the device for a couple of minutes unattended and you can see the attempts of unsuccessfully entered PIN-code with the help of notifications.
In case of loss or theft, notifications can come through the phone remote control app. You can also notice "your" activity in the applications that you used on the lost/stolen device. All passwords must be changed immediately after the loss of the smartphone.
How to save a hacked smartphone?
- If the data stored on your phone is not critically important then you have to install the program to remotely manage your smartphone to erase all data and block access if it is lost. Use reliable methods of blocking - a complex password made of random characters or a graphic password will suit best.
- If you did not secure your data in advance, the following steps will help minimize losses: disable mobile banking, deactivate sessions, or better change passwords on all social networks and instant messengers (especially for Gmail and online casino accounts).
- If the lost smartphone was used to generate codes, urgently select a new device as a generator of one-time passwords, and disconnect the old one from all accounts. Read the official manual from the manufacturers of smartphones in case of theft or loss and follow all the steps indicated there.
- If the attack occurs over a network, the best solution is to immediately disconnect from it. For example, switch the smartphone to the "on the plane" mode. Since such attacks are often geo-referenced, leave a suspicious location. If the suspicions fell on the anonymizer or VPN, it would be enough to disconnect from them.
- In case of a trojan virus, you must immediately remove the malicious application. Alas, this is not always so easy. Some applications protect themselves from deletion, and the only solution is to reset to factory settings. If you are an Android 6 or higher user and you do need a suspicious application (you are not completely sure that it should be removed), try to restrict its permissions such as device administrator, SMS reading, microphone access, etc.
