Have you recently noticed suspicious things on your smartphone? Are you wondering how smartphones can be hacked? Are you worried that your phone has been hacked?
Smartphones have become integral to our lives and well-being as we carry out several activities, ranging from work to entertainment. As a result, they have become primary targets for hackers since they contain the personal information of their users. Therefore the security of your smartphone is critical as hackers can tap into your phone and gain access to sensitive and confidential information on your device.
Hackers often spy on smartphones secretly; however, you can check if your phone is hacked by dialing some simple codes on your dial-pad. Within this article, we will reveal some issues which tell you that your phone has been hacked. We will also discuss some codes to check if your phone is hacked.
Simple Ways To Tell Your Phone is Hacked
People often use smartphones that are hacked and are not aware of. Such is possible because most spy apps have a stealth mode, which allows them to stay undetected in the target device. However, there are some issues your phone may encounter that will indicate that your phone is hacked. Some of these issues include:
1) Excessive Battery Drain
Once you notice that your battery dies faster than average, even when you do not do much with your phone, this could mean your phone has been hacked. Most often, excessive battery drain may result from spy apps hidden within your phone, which also consumes your device’s power.
2) Incessant Phone Crashes
When a third party obtains your login credentials and is actively spying on your phone, it may cause it to keep crashing or automatically reboot itself. So once this happens with your device, there is the possibility of a device hack.
3) Unfamiliar Pop-Ups
Another way to know your phone has been hacked is when you constantly see strange pop-ups on your phone, even when your ad blocker is active. These strange pop-ups are often a result of malware on your phone trying to steal specific information for the hacker.
4) Increased Data Usage
Also, increased data usage indicates that your phone is hacked, as this increase could be due to spy apps on your device, which monitor your activities and transmit the data to a server.
5) Unusual Calls or Texts
Most hackers first do when they gain access to your smartphone is to call or send messages to your contacts. So if your family or loved ones are receiving messages or calls that you did not send, it simply means that hackers have access to your phone.
6) Unusual Account Activity
Finally, when you notice strange activities on any of your accounts, it indicates unauthorized access to your phone, putting you in danger of identity theft.
Simple Codes To Check if Your Phone is Hacked
For most hacked phones, the first areas being monitored are calls and texts. So a simple way to know if your phone is hacked is by using USSD codes. USSD stands for Unstructured Supplementary Service Data. It allows phone users to communicate using text commands with their mobile network operators. USSD codes are designed to provide specific information to the sender, so they can help you determine if your phone has been hacked.
Here are some codes which can help you determine how secure your phone is or whether it has been hacked:
1) Code For Redirection – *#62#
A hacker can redirect your calls after hacking your phone, and this is where the code comes in, as it helps you check for any possible redirections. Once you dial this code on your phone and there are no redirections on your device, no number will appear. However, if a ten-digit number displays after dialing the code, know that your calls are being redirected to the displayed number.
2) Call Diversion – *#21#
Most often, diverted calls do not appear on your phone records as the action is initiated before the calls connect. To check for call diversion on your phone, dial this code to show whether a hacker is diverting your calls and the number to which your calls are transferred.
3) Code To Undo All Redirections – ##002#
This code comes in handy once you have discovered any call diversion, forwarding, or redirections on your smartphone. The universal code allows you to turn off existing call redirections and also erases data of forwarded calls and messages. Also, the code will enable you to reset all the call forwarding settings on your mobile phone, restricting any form of hacker access.
4) Spyware Detection Code – *#*#34971539#*#
Phone users often fear that their phone cameras are used to spy on them, which is entirely possible. With this code which reveals the firmware details of your phone’s camera, you can confirm whether your phone has been hacked. Once you dial the code and it displays your phone’s camera details, you can check if your phone is being tapped.
5) Hard Reset Code – *2767*3855#
Finally, spy apps and malware require a hard reset of your phone to get rid of them. So this code is quite helpful when placed in such a situation. However, ensure you backup all your important data before using the code. Then, once you are confident that your files are correctly saved, dial the code to wipe your smartphone clean.
Conclusion
Smartphones have become key in the everyday lives of individuals, so their security is a top priority. Unfortunately, due to how important smartphones are, hackers often target them. Sometimes, people use phones without noticing that they are hacked until they pay attention to certain signs. These signs include excessive battery drain, frequent phone crashes, unusual calls or texts, and increased data usage.
So knowing how to check if your phone is hacked is very beneficial. Fortunately, this article has revealed several codes with which you can check if hackers have access to your mobile phone. With this knowledge, you can easily detect the presence of malware or hacker actions on your smartphone.
