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How to Figure Out Who Hacked Your Phone

by on June 16, 2020
in Privacy, Phones and Mobile, Cell Phones, Mobile Apps, Android Apps, iPhone/iPad Apps, Tips & How-Tos :: 271 comments

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For most of us, our phones are the center of our daily lives, and as a result, they contain a treasure trove of personal information, from banking details to messaging and email accounts. This sensitive data can be pretty enticing to a range of the nefarious, from cybercriminals to someone you may even know.

Phone hacking can involve the unknowing download of spyware that relays information on your activity – such as logging keystrokes to scrape passwords; spy apps downloaded by someone with access to your device; or other malware that exploits your phone, for example by using its internet bandwidth in a botnet, as occurred with malware that infected nearly 20 million Android devices.

“The most common way that smartphones can be hacked is to infect the device with malware,” says Victor Chebyshev, a security researcher at Kaspersky Lab. This malware can arrive on the device buried inside apps downloaded by the user – and the likelihood of a malicious app rises when downloading away from the official app stores, which police their content.

While iPhones aren’t immune to hacking, Apple’s strict vetting policy means the incidence of bad apps targeting iPhones (at least non-jailbroken ones) is lower than for Android phones. “Android devices are more susceptible to these kinds of attacks because they have the option to install applications from third parties,” says Chebyshev.

9 steps to figuring out who hacked your phone

A sluggish phone or fast-draining battery are common symptoms of a compromised phone – but they can also indicate your device needs a spring clean to spruce up performance or improve its battery life. Another red flag is if your data usage has gone through the roof – this could indicate a dodgy app is sending data back to its mothership.

“Whether a user can determine who is responsible for a compromised phone depends on what kind of threat was on the device,” says Chebyshev.

According to Verizon’s 2020 Data Breach Investigation, 86% of cyberattacks are motivated by monetary gain – for example, through selling someone’s stolen credentials on the dark web, gaining access to financial accounts, or hacking sensitive data and holding the victim to ransom. In these cases, hackers usually rely on malware that remotely exploits vulnerabilities in apps or operating systems to steal information (or in the case of phishing malware, trick people into inputting their critical data).

However, somebody known to you who wants to monitor your movements – whether that’s a disgruntled ex or suspicious parent – and who has physical access to your device might also be able to install a spy app that acts like malicious software, tracking your location, photos, messages and calls.  

To narrow down the field of suspects, you can try to determine exactly how your phone is being compromised.

1. Check your phone bill

Are you being charged for premium-rate texts you never sent – or texts you never signed up for? You’ve probably been infected by malware that forces your phone to send or receive texts that generate revenue for cybercriminals. This common form of mobile malware is believed to be the first type found targeting Android, back in 2010, and today plenty of it is still floating around.

If you’re receiving premium-rate text messages, try texting STOP to the number. If this doesn’t work, you’ll have to contact your cell carrier who should be able to block the number.

If your phone is sending the texts, you may be able to fix it by running a security app such as Bitdefender or McAfee to find and remove malware (on Android only; security apps for iOS don’t have this feature). Also, try deleting any third-party messaging apps and any other apps you installed just before the phone started sending the texts.

2. Go through your apps list

If there are any apps you don’t remember downloading, look them up online to see if any of them have been reviewed negatively for malware or other suspicious activity. In this case, the apps will have been compromised by a hacker who likely isn’t targeting you personally but is distributing malware with the aim of scraping as much data as possible. The BankBot malware, for instance, is a trojan that has infected hundreds of Android apps to display a phishing screen to steal users’ banking credentials.

“If it was a regular trojan [malware coded within another app] the user will not be able to attribute who was responsible for the attack,” says Chebyshev. “If it was commercial spyware, it’s sometimes possible to figure out the responsible person.”

3. Look up your flashlight and battery-saver apps

Got a phone full of apps and can’t remember for sure which you downloaded? Some categories of apps have attracted more than their fair share of malicious actors – several flashlight apps on Google Play were infected with malware that tried to scrape users’ financial info, while one should be wary of battery-saver apps as they have often been used for malware, says Josh Galindo, director of training at phone repair service uBreakiFix

If you have these types of apps, check online for any negative reviews. You can also try deleting them to see if this affects your phone performance. “If you install an app and the device performance decreases, that’s an indicator,” says Galindo. “If you uninstall the app and your device begins working properly again, this means that the app is likely contaminated with malware and you should avoid downloading it in the future.”

4. Double-check your favorite popular games

Downloaded a new super-popular game recently? Ensure it operates like it’s meant to – and validate that by looking up reviews online – otherwise it may be a scam version, potentially ridden with cryptojacking malware.

Cryptojacking trojans mine cryptocurrency unbeknownst to users, and their prevalence has risen on smartphones that when infected in thousands, can deliver attackers a high overall processing power. The idea is that, if a cryptojacker hacks other devices, they can get paid for mining without having to use their own resources (or pay the electricity bill).

On mobile, cryptojacking malware tends to hide inside innocent-looking apps such as fake versions of popular games. If your phone slows down, heats up and its battery is dying long before the end of the day – and you’ve tried to improve your battery life– it could be a sign that a malicious app like a cryptojacking trojan is hogging all the juice.

They’re mostly prevalent on Android – and if you’ve downloaded from non-official app marketplaces, the risk is higher.

5. Scroll through your call list

Done all of the above and still convinced that someone somewhere has your personal data, siphoned from your smartphone? Apps aren’t the only way a phone can be infected by malware. Have you picked up any random calls lately? “Callers offering a free cruise or claiming that you won a sweepstakes are likely scam efforts to hack your information or record your voice,” says Galindo.

6. Did you click that link?

If you recently clicked on a link on a text message or an unexpected pop-up, you may have inadvertently fallen prey to phishing. Phishing often preys on panic or high emotion – as in the coronavirus-related scam texts claiming that receivers had been exposed to someone with COVID-19 symptoms, and exhorting them to click for more information.

It’s often impossible to divine who is behind such scams, although you can report any phishing texts to your cell carrier and block these numbers.

7. Consider the last time you used public WiFi

According to Kaspersky Lab, one in four hotspots are unsecured, and even the ones that are password-protected could potentially be set up by someone with malicious intent. On top of that, the protocol (WPA2 or WPA3) that encrypts traffic between devices and routers can itself be vulnerable – as in the serious WPA2 flaw uncovered by researchers in 2017 that would have allowed certain traffic to be intercepted.

If your phone isn’t protected by a VPN and you logged into an unsecured public WiFi hotspot, it’s possible someone could have been spying on the connection – and scraped your sensitive information if you logged into your email or bought something online.

8. Is your iCloud safe?

iPhone user? A cracked iCloud login can allow someone to not only access your photos, but also make use of semi-legal spy software to remotely monitor your device’s calls, messages, contacts and location.

Luckily, enabling two-factor authentication for your Apple ID drastically reduces this risk, because if someone tries to sign into your account from a new device, you’ll receive an approval request and sign-in code on your iPhone (or other iOS/Mac devices linked to your Apple ID).

(To enable two-factor authentication, for iOS 10.3 and newer: Settings > [your name] > Password & Security. For iOS 10.2 or older: Settings > iCloud > Apple ID > Password & Security.)

However, a weak or reused password without two-factor authentication can put your account – and phone – at risk.

Here’s how it works: Many people use the same email address in their Apple ID as the login for dozens of online accounts. If this email address is revealed in a data breach, then hackers – who may purchase or find these login details at data dump websites – have access to your Apple ID.

Couple that with a weak password and your iCloud account can be breached by attackers who use cracking software to guess hundreds of hacked or common passwords in order to breach accounts.

Unfortunately, the same goes for an email and password combo that can be guessed or found out by someone you know who’d want to spy on you – especially if they can access your iPhone to use the two-factor code.

9. Run a security scan

Since most malware is designed to evade detection, you may not discover much on your own. Spyware apps – or stalkerware – is one category of particularly insidious apps designed purely to monitor a victim’s activity (rather than for any financial gain).

Security apps, particularly for Android, can help determine if your phone contains such a malicious app, as well as help fend off future cyber attacks by, for example, preventing you from visiting malicious webpages.

Android: Commercial spyware is unfortunately all too easy to find online. Such spy apps have system-level access to extremely detailed information about your device activity such as the messages you write, photos you take and GPS location – and what’s more, these apps are hidden from view.

They also need to be downloaded physically to your device, which means if they’re on your device it was done by someone with access to your device (and your PIN). Chances are, you can figure who in your life would want to monitor your phone. 

To find out if you have such apps on your Android phone, download a security app such as Bitdefender or McAfee, which will flag any malicious programs. You can also head to Settings > Security > Device administration and check if “Unknown sources” for app installations is enabled (and you didn’t do it) – this allows apps from non-official app stores, on which there’s likely to be far more stalkerware.

iPhone: Spy apps on a non-jailbroken iPhone are far less prevalent since such software – which tampers with system-level functions - doesn’t make it onto the App Store. (However, they do exist and work via someone knowing your iCloud login and password.)

If your iPhone is jailbroken, that opens it up to potentially malicious apps that haven’t been vetted by the App Store, including spy apps downloaded without your knowledge.

Security apps such as Lookout and Sophos will alert you if your iPhone has been jailbroken – so if you’re alerted of this but haven’t done it yourself, that can be a red flag.

However, whether security software – for Android or iOS – can find spy apps will depend on how sophisticated or new the spy app is since security software scans for malware that’s already known. (That’s why it’s crucial to download updates to security software as soon as available since updates will incorporate new instances of discovered malware.)

3 steps to take if your phone has been hacked

1. Delete any apps or messages that may be malicious

If deleting them fixes any performance issues, great. Even if not, it’s a good idea to clear your device of apps that may have been flagged from that security scan.

You can also try shutting down apps one by one, as soon as your phone starts to slow down or heat up. If shutting down a particular app seems to return things to normal, that app may be malicious – or at the very least, not play too well with your device.

2. Do a factory reset

If after deleting the suspicious app(s) your phone is still behaving strangely, this nuclear option is a quick way of clearing your device of malicious – or sluggish – software left behind.

Android: Settings > System > (Advanced) > Reset options > Erase all data

iPhone: Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings

3. Check if your information is out there

Unfortunately, many hacks and malware present few to no symptoms and often the only time people are aware of a breach is when their digital services are hacked, or, worse, they’re the victims of identity fraud, where hackers have used their stolen information to open accounts or lines of credit. 

There are a few tools you can use to check if any of your information has already been compromised. Have I Been Pwned? is a website run by security developer and Microsoft Regional Director Troy Hunt that checks if email addresses have been exposed in breaches of popular apps and services.

Security apps including Bitdefender (Android) and Lookout (iOS) can also alert you if apps and services you use have been breached, putting your personal information at risk.

Depending on the scale of the data that has been exposed, you may want to set up a fraud alert at the major credit agencies, which will require any potential creditors to request additional verification of your identity.

Keeping your smartphone safe

If you find that your logins – particularly passwords – are floating around online, the first thing to do is to change your passwords. The best way to do that is to use a password manager which can automatically generate and save complex, unique passwords for each of your accounts. Check out our top-rated picks here. We like the Dashlane password manager, whose Premium version (from $4.99/month) also scans the Dark Web for instances of your emails or logins being posted for sale.           

And to reduce the risk of future phone hacks, always observe general cybersecurity hygiene:

  • Think twice before clicking links in SMSes, other messages and emails
  • Review app permissions to minimize the risk of a malicious app download.
  • Enable two-factor authentication for every online account possible – and especially primary emails and logins like your Apple ID.
  • Download security updates for your phone when available to patch vulnerabilities that could otherwise be exploited.
  • Protect your device with a PIN or biometric authentication.

Updated on 6/16/2020 with new tips and recommendations

[Image credit: phone hacker concept via BigStockPhoto]

Natasha Stokes has been a technology writer for more than 7 years covering consumer tech issues, digital privacy and cybersecurity. As the features editor at TOP10VPN, she covered online censorship and surveillance that impact the lives of people around the world. Her work has also appeared on BBC Worldwide, CNN, Time and Travel+Leisure.


Discussion loading

Someone hacked my location history

From Jayaprakash on June 27, 2019 :: 11:16 pm

Someone hacked my location history

Reply

hpw do i find putvwhpvid listenongvto my phpne calls reading myvtexts sharing an account of my email

From Rhonda Hall on June 28, 2019 :: 1:10 am

who is spying on my phpne and why! how do i catch the persons involved and put a stop to it and bring them tp justice

Reply

dont fear supereeo is here

From supereeo on March 10, 2020 :: 2:01 pm

dont worry civilian ill bring the hacker to justice

Reply

Please help me!

From Ally on October 09, 2020 :: 8:02 am

I’ve been hacked for many years in every way imaginable.
Fraudulent activity, Identity theft, invasion of privacy and the list goes on and on. My mother’s house was rigged as well. All of my siblings phones too. Listening devices, indexing emails, email duplication,
I know it’s my ex husband. i can’t prove it .......yet!
I’ve sought help and no one. can help me ! I feel violated and
defenseless, most of the time scared that i’m being followed to be hurt. He’s tried to slowly poison & run me off the freeway, and many other scare tactics.
I live alone and my apt has broken into and bugged, law enforcement thinks it’s all in my head. I am not really tech
savvy but I’m not stupid and see what is happening clearly & would appreciate hearing from you and definitely could use your help!!!
Did i mention my ex is a programmer analyst consultant in the Technology field. Offshores work in India and I believe China!
Owns apple shares etc etc   Very well situated while i’m trying to live in peace away from the drama he brings to me daily.
Want to protect myself HELP!

Reply

Make some huge changes

From Spyg on June 27, 2021 :: 5:04 pm

Wipe all devices first. Put a VPN/Antivirus on all devices in the home. Disable location, cookies, activity, and privacy settings in all devices. Encrypt them all with a sd card or bitlocker if you have a windows computers. You are probably gonna need to buy a 32 g microsd card for your phones and encrypt it. Put a VPN and antivirus on your phone. If they have hacked your wifi then buy a new router and put a firewall on it. use web pages like Tor or Startpage for added privacy.

More info

From Spyg on June 27, 2021 :: 5:30 pm

Delete all unsecure email accounts i.e. Yahoo, Gmail, AOL etc etc. Get a encrypted email account ONLY. Encrypt your cellphone and put a antivirus and vpn on it. Use privacy web browsers. Stay away from google. Create dummy accounts for samsung and don’t put your real name in the email accounts. DO NOT click on unknown links that come into your device or you get online. It will infect it with a bug that can bypass a VPN. Then you will have to master reset it again to get it out. Be blessed

I wish you could

From Rachelle gar is on October 16, 2020 :: 5:09 am

This girl has stolen my identity emails and their access opened accts. Stolen money has my personal info DOB SSN dl# family members names and info. She’s even stolen my dog. I can’t get no help from anyone e family, police and I’m not too social for other reasons. So I can’t ask friends. She’s put me on videos on the Internet and I have kids older models DS this could be so humiliating.please if you can help I need some. Thank you.Rachelle [REMOVED] or [REMOVED]

Reply

Can you help

From Wayne on March 28, 2021 :: 9:29 pm

I need proof I’m pretty sure and it’s getting silly now I’m being made out to be something im not,
This is a situation where it has gone past anything but serious, I often think I’m mad but I know I’m not I need help to get the evidence/ proof I need, or my life will never be the same no matter what I say often with evidence it just goes unheard.
I NEED TO KNOW IF IM RIGHT. And then either way I will know
ASAP

Reply

Try this

From Spyg on June 27, 2021 :: 5:08 pm

Wipe all devices first. Put a VPN/Antivirus on all devices in the home. Disable location, cookies, activity, and privacy settings in all devices. Encrypt them all with a sd card or bitlocker if you have a windows computers. You are probably gonna need to buy a 32 g microsd card for your phones and encrypt it. Put a VPN and antivirus on your phone. If they have hacked your wifi then buy a new router and put a firewall on it. Use web pages like Tor or Startpage for added privacy. Get rid of all unsecure email accounts i.e. yahoo, gmail, aol etc and get a encrypted one.

Please I think my step brother has my email address and is hacking me how can I stop him from spying

From Tamie on September 11, 2020 :: 6:31 am

What if they have my email. A dress and IV have changed it to a new one but I’m having to change my password. To get get back in accounts .for what reason of just being super paranoid I guess .but this phone is 2 month old. No reason I’m running out of data battery going to quick

Reply

Change them or delete

From Spyg on June 27, 2021 :: 5:12 pm

Delete all unsecure email accounts i.e. Yahoo, Gmail, AOL etc etc. Get a encrypted email account ONLY. Encrypt your cellphone and put a antivirus and vpn on it. Use privacy web browsers. Stay away from google. Create dummy accounts for samsung and don’t put your real name in the email accounts. DO NOT click on unknown links that come into your device or you get online. It will infect it with a bug that can bypass a VPN. Then you will have to master reset it again to get it out.

Reply

Best encrypted email

From Question on January 04, 2022 :: 6:29 am

What encrypted email provider you have found out is the best.

Encrypt everything

From Spyg on June 27, 2021 :: 4:59 pm

You are probably gonna need to buy a 32 g microsd card for your phone and encrypt it. Put a VPN and antivirus on your phone. If they have hacked your wifi then buy a new router and put a firewall on it.

Reply

Forest River Inc. / The company of mass corruption/ Built and Founded on Drugs

From Dave on July 02, 2019 :: 1:02 am

I know the exact group who tapped my cell phone and hacked my home computer. Law enforcement refuses to take action. The dope man has the law in this area under his thumb.
This is the 3rd time I have dealt with this in the last 11 years. Forest River Inc. (Goshen, IN)......
As long as you are willing to distribute and sell drugs that come from the top. You will be just fine at Forest River. You refuse to possess and deal their drugs of mass corruption….. Expect the worst. You will be TARGETED for harrassment, intimidation, bullying and threats. Threats to your life and the safety of your family. Forest River Inc. is built and founded on mass corruption. Every law will be twisted to benefit Forest River’s upper management. Indiana’s free-will employment will be used against you. Management will blatantly ignore all threats made by any ‘member’ of their organized drug ring. Harrassment and death threats are promoted by Forest River’s upper management and HR is trained to lie and sweep under rug laws that are set by Indiana State Law.
Forest River’s upper management makes their own laws and operates under absolute police protection. Upper management has also strategically placed life time retainers on the dirtiest attorneys to make I a living hell if your figure out the dope man’s real business isn’t RV trailers.
Forest River Inc. is a fake front for the real business at hand. Police protection via gifts and kick backs. Protection via financial contributions to State Law enforcement.
Gift contributions for elected officials.
Dope man has his thumb on the State’s officials. That equils…...create his own laws of mass corruption…...Billionare on corruption!!!! Goshen PD corrupt to the core!!!!

Reply

Sound like

From 3rd on July 02, 2019 :: 5:24 pm

??? I have serious problems with my phone u post that? Is that a threat? Can’t have everybody in your pocket and can’t payoff the whole world. Everybody gets caught eventuality. PROMISE.

Reply

It's becoming more common

From Spyg on June 27, 2021 :: 5:20 pm

HR is not gonna really care nor the people at work. I am going through this. You will have to take measures into your own hands. Follow theses steps:

Wipe all devices first. Put a VPN/Antivirus on all devices in the home. Disable location, cookies, activity, and privacy settings in all devices. Encrypt them all with a sd card or bitlocker if you have a windows computers. You are probably gonna need to buy a 32 g microsd card for your phones and encrypt it. Put a VPN and antivirus on your phone. If they have hacked your wifi then buy a new router and put a firewall on it. Use web pages like Tor or Startpage for added privacy. Get rid of all unsecure email accounts i.e. yahoo, gmail, aol etc and get a encrypted one. Stay away from google. Create dummy accounts for samsung and others and don’t put your real name in the email accounts. DO NOT click on unknown links that come into your device or you get online. It will infect it with a bug that can bypass a VPN. Then you will have to master reset it again to get it out. If they are following based on your work accounts (employers will give you outlook, gmail accounts etc for work purposes) the only option would be to get a job where they do not require you to have a work email of any sort. If they are using your SSN to track you then get a service like DELETEME.COM AND block/lock your SSN with EVERIFY and the Social Security Administration. FREEZE all credit reports too and get Identity theft services as they will monitor your information. God Bless

Reply

Help

From TT on September 29, 2021 :: 12:36 pm

What are some encrypted email accounts? I’ve been hacked for months by someone I don’t even know, all because of who I was dating at the time. Texts, emails, calls recorded, pics/videos posted of me on people’s social media pages, and much more. No one has been able to help. I called a company who wanted 900.00 to see if they found any issues with my phone. I’ve changed phones, numbers, Google/iOS, and cell companies numerous times. Business accounts of an acquaintance was messed with, along with money stolen from bank accts.

Reply

Help

From Girlie on July 02, 2019 :: 5:03 pm

Someone’s hacking my life. There in my phone,facebook, gmail, my pictures, my predictive texts even my tv; Chromecast mabey.They even drive by my house and say things that are out of context with what’s going on at the moment, but seen to relate to me. I’m left scratching my head sometimes sometimes. I ask my husband if he’s doing this? He swears no, but don’t someone need my phone to install spyware?

Reply

Help

From Steph on September 12, 2019 :: 9:34 am

Mine to when u get your answer send .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Reply

Im having same

From Roger on October 25, 2019 :: 1:18 pm

everything that you just mentioned is happening to me as wellI’m going as far as seeing to psychologist and a psychiatrist and they all said that there is nothing wrong with me I am most likely being gaslighted mind manipulation as far as your phone goes I would save your phone I would contact your state officials because it is a crime to hack your phone and TVs and things

Reply

me tooo

From pam on November 21, 2019 :: 8:35 am

I have been hacked and all accounts taken over - some i got back but it has disturbed my life so much i had to quit my job.  I am in therapy because mine had downloaded a bunch of creepy porn and then would come in and erase all evidence.  It has taken a month for me to figure out its my ex because its all his stuff they keep taking and he has made passive threats. the police dont care they say i need mental health help - laughable as this ex is psycho.  tow most of my friends have run away because they don’t want to be hacked - some think it is me - its the most stressful thing i have ever been thought!!  we need serious laws to deal with this and protect victims,  Mine is related to domestic violence and i have a restraining order but it isnt helping.

Reply

I know what you’re going thru

From It on January 31, 2020 :: 8:16 am

Someone hacked my phone and put me thru the same stuff and nobody believes me. They say I’m not that important for someone to do such a thing. But I get texts messages and emails asking me questions or telling me what I’m doing and where I’m at. I’m thinking about just deleting everything and starting all over again and do a factory reset. Just put only the few I trust back on my phone and not get anything from iCloud or iTunes. I just wanna know if I’m not important why are their people out there messing with my life ?? So I understand everything you are going thru rn .

Reply

You are telling the truth and you are important

From Pam on April 10, 2020 :: 5:42 am

People told me I was not being hacked - I was. They told me it wasn’t google - it was. They said it’s not your ex - it was. I was hacked on every account I had all at same time! My life fell apart. I’m working at putting it back together. If one more person says “ did u change your password” I’m going to hack one account of theirs and say to them (one… I had over 50) oh did u change your password…. jerks

I won’t hack anyone I’m just making a point

Make changes

From Spyg on June 27, 2021 :: 5:23 pm

Get rid of all unsecure email accounts i.e. Yahoo, Gmail, AOL etc. Only get a secure email account. Turn off all settings in your browser that log activity and cookies. If the hacker is in the router all of this won’t matter. You will need a new router with a firewall.

Reply

I know how you feel

From It on January 31, 2020 :: 8:07 am

I was getting text message and emails on everything I was doing. I turned my location off and I get a text saying that I can’t hide from them. Then they would text from different numbers and ask me questions. I’m seriously thinking about starting over and deleting everything back to factory settings.

Reply

Take this seriously

From Lil red 70 on May 03, 2020 :: 8:56 pm

You have jyst described GangStalking. It is a serious crime and Judges are not showing the slightest leniency when it’s time for judgment.  These ppl invade every space of your life. Tgey disrupt your life in a wsy tgat ultimately causes an individual to lose everything.  Their homes,vehicles,careers,family,friends, till finally they give up. Mass shootings,3 of them, the perps had prior issues, saying ppl were following them, hearing noises at nught, phone was bugged, etc. Or sadly they commut suicide, nobody believes them,  they’re abandoned,  ridiculed, broje, scared, feeling hopeless and helpless because the ones you expect to always have your back no matter what, your FAMILY, are sometimes the 1st to turm away. I hope and pray things have gottem beter for you. Please got to YouTube and search GangStalking,these videos will help you at least to know you are NOT alone amd you are NOt crazy.
.

Reply

Help Again . John How

From Girlie on July 02, 2019 :: 5:13 pm

Any advice.

Reply

Is it aAgainst the law to download your husband gmail on your iPhone

From Darlene on June 28, 2020 :: 6:16 am

And I feel my phone is bieng jacked by him one cuz of the cheating part and doesn’t want me to know and the other Anout a year ago I’ve gas block me from all of our personal belonging but been married for 28 years with 7 children but everything change

Reply

Help Again

From Girlie on July 02, 2019 :: 5:20 pm

John How outta Carrollton Ga, won’t help me he’s my attorney I have him on retention. Is he working for the group that’s hacking my life? Someone paying him to ignore me?

Reply

Help

From 3rd on July 02, 2019 :: 5:21 pm

Please any advice to stop the ASSHOLES who are hacking my life.

Reply

You have your work cut out for you

From Spyg on June 27, 2021 :: 5:26 pm

Wipe all devices first. Put a VPN/Antivirus on all devices in the home. Disable location, cookies, activity, and privacy settings in all devices. Encrypt them all with a sd card or bitlocker if you have a windows computers. You are probably gonna need to buy a 32 g microsd card for your phones and encrypt it. Put a VPN and antivirus on your phone. If they have hacked your wifi then buy a new router and put a firewall on it. Use web pages like Tor or Startpage for added privacy. Get rid of all unsecure email accounts i.e. yahoo, gmail, aol etc and get a encrypted one.

Encrypt your cellphone and put a antivirus and vpn on it. Use privacy web browsers. Stay away from google. Create dummy accounts for samsung and don’t put your real name in the email accounts. DO NOT click on unknown links that come into your device or you get online. It will infect it with a bug that can bypass a VPN. Then you will have to master reset it again to get it out. Stay Blessed

Reply

Funny that a threat. Everybody

From 3rd on July 02, 2019 :: 5:27 pm

Funny that a threat. Everybody gets caught eventuality. Can’t payoff the whole world. Like maybe the Secret Service. That’s me being desperate.

Reply

Mitochondrial eve

From Hotbarbie on July 22, 2019 :: 11:48 am

Hi
I hope you can help

Reply

I have been hacked

From Daniel on April 03, 2020 :: 5:41 am

My ex-boyfriend keeps on monitoring my phone,he know who would the person that i am talking with and the person i am chatting with.can you lease help me stop this for me to contain my privacy?thank you

Reply

Some stoked my info

From Michael soverns on July 30, 2019 :: 10:06 pm

Somebody stoked my phone and changed my info I can’t reset it cuz they changed my device password and stoked my Sims card what do I need to do

Reply

Here's how to reset your phone

From Josh Kirschner on July 30, 2019 :: 10:37 pm

We have an article on how to reset your Android phone if you can’t remember your password. It will give you the steps for all the major Android brands and models.

Reply

My phone been hacked I factory reset it changed emails everything

From Christina potter on January 30, 2020 :: 1:10 am

It keeps happening, I think I know who

Reply

None of that works..

From Hacked on March 25, 2020 :: 2:38 pm

The same has been happening to me forcthe last year. People who know my ex They can hack you from your phone carrier account. They grey out the apps so you cant delete. Changing passwords or setting back to factory doesnt work. The police and govt officials dont help. Like parasites they attach themselves to your life

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Need a security?

From Donald Johnson on July 23, 2020 :: 8:51 pm

Its been a crazy having my phone wiped out from sources only God knows where they originated from. I was eventually lucky enough to come across a web developer who wrote some scripts I put in my phone it helped me alot in having security breaches.

Someone told me that they were hacking my phone

From Dana McKenzie on August 09, 2019 :: 11:55 pm

Someone told me that they hacked my phone wirelessly and i would like to know what I could do to setup them from getting into it again.

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How do you know they hacked your phone?

From Josh Kirschner on August 13, 2019 :: 5:12 pm

Just because someone told you they hacked your phone doesn’t mean they did. Do you have any real evidence your phone was hacked?

Until you know if your phone was hacked and how it was done, it’s hard to provide any specific advice. But we have a whole article on how to prevent your phone from being hacked if you want general tips.

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Virtual BLE

From DW on August 22, 2019 :: 6:43 pm

I have an “Airplay” Bluetooth LE device that follows my Android device every step I take within 2km of my house. The MAC has been spoofed. I believe a virtual SD-WAN is being used via a radar device connected to the electricity network’s pole across from my house. There’s no device like it anywhere near or far. I believe it facilitates fake 3G and 4G eNodeB towers of various frequencies which only seem to broadcast over my house and nowhere else. Demonstrated 4G LTE ‘fallback’ exploits. I don’t know what to do to stop it!

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Hacked by Text and Pictures

From Brenda on September 04, 2019 :: 4:38 pm

Last year on my iPhone that I just bought someone sent me a Netspend text. I clicked on it. Got spyware. Never used it again. March of this year got Lg Stylo 4. Pictures from old Lg had spyware. Immediately during activation on new phone pictures attached with spyware was automatically sent to Stylo 4. It’s not just email or text with links but the text itself and pictures.
Installed Norton on phone and says don’t detect malware. To me no antivirus works.

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Do not trust APPLE

From Spyg on June 27, 2021 :: 5:34 pm

Yeah Apple devices are a thing of it’s own and I think a hackers dream. You might want to consider a Samsung device or another one where you can encrypt it with a sd card.  DO NOT click on unknown links that come into your device or you get online. It will infect it with a bug that can bypass a VPN. Then you will have to master reset it again to get it out.

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***factory reset

From Jessica rabbit on October 26, 2019 :: 1:57 am

I highly recommend factory reset.
I was hacked last year and this year by my ex bf’s new gf. She stalked my family and I even went as far as threatening my family’s lives. I share children with my bf but have no contact with him anyways.

People are just plan out crazy and hide it really well, didn’t find out it was her until she made the mistake of writing rants about me on her public social media.

I was so paranoid I even looked into hiring a pi to investigate my devices.

Factory reset does work I believe I even asked my phone company and they suggested that as well other than buying a new device and changing your number.

No one deserves to be hacked and paranoid, unless you’re a murder lol

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I factory reset 4 times in 6 weeks no help just hassle

From Pam on December 04, 2019 :: 9:58 am

My stalker has cloned my phone or did at the beginning but I think now hes in through Google or fb messenger. Neither account can be closed because I close it and it is reopened quick. It’s so criminal we need laws not answers that work in mild cases. I’ve been locked out 4 times I think from the phone finder app that he installed remotely w my google password. Once they have google it get exponentially worse ... I am using a diff operating system but am also now paying for 3 services…. I can use Google for this kind of stuff and to keep trying to close my accounts.  Google needs a better fraud department… from what I’ve read there are a large number of us

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Factory reset does not always work

From Nick on February 29, 2020 :: 6:30 am

Factory reset does not always work. I have a Galaxy S10+ that has been hacked for the last 3 months by who I suspect to be my ex narcissistic gf and a group of her flying monkeys. We share kids together so can’t go no contact. I’ve factory data reset this phone more times than I can count. Police won’t help, carrier says they don’t see anything out of the ordinary. So I’ve been battling them myself. Look for apps that can be exploited easily, on my galaxy I noticed Bixby apps have been used to access my camera, NFC settings are used with android beam to take info from my phone, packet sniffers installed on my modem for my wifi. Its become a full time job trying to stop this!

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Are you me?

From Scott major on March 13, 2020 :: 3:17 pm

I have the same going on. Do have a S10 plus, but I fear that it is my ex narcissist wife but my current narcissist girlfriend. Or the retired government Network/Linux guy who lives next store or a sort of friend who seems to always show up when I put up a new firewall or change play services. Or The girlfriend and the frien working together.Nice to see other people going Insane also. I really do not know what reality is a nymore in some respects and feel helpless. I wonder if I know the truth and don’t want to face it? I want to know who is doing this for my own sanity. It seems many of my apps are altered and software is updated or replaced quite regularly by apps in some user area of google. My device config on Google lists it as a future usb device and I have found multiple configs with different or no DPI. I have Bixby, bluetooth,face service and a ton of other services running when I believe they should not. Have no clue what to do next. It also seems like my phone is copied or mirrored and my sims are altered or physically swapped. Think I will grab this cute stranger sitting next to me, trash my phone and move to the middle of nowhere. Anyone have any ideas for me to try?

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Take the stranger

From Denise on March 15, 2020 :: 2:55 am

Take that cute stranger and head to Chili in South America!

Hacked!

From Hannah callison on November 25, 2020 :: 11:18 pm

Literally have the same problem someone please help me!!!

Encrypt

From Spyg on June 27, 2021 :: 5:39 pm

Delete all unsecure email accounts i.e. Yahoo, Gmail, AOL etc etc. Get a encrypted email account ONLY. Encrypt your cellphone and put a antivirus and vpn on it. Use privacy web browsers. Stay away from google. Create dummy accounts for samsung and don’t put your real name in the email accounts. DO NOT click on unknown links that come into your device or you get online. It will infect it with a bug that can bypass a VPN. Then you will have to master reset it again to get it out.

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