Cell phone hacking has become a large problem today, which makes mobile phone security a hot topic. The way hackers do this, is that they either sell or offer programs online that people must download to their cell phones. What people do not realize though, is that while they are downloading the programs, they are also unknowingly installing spyware onto their phones at the same time.
What Kind of Information Can Hackers Get When They Hack a Cell Phone?
Once this spyware has been installed on people’s mobile phones, whenever they make a call, the hacker will receive a text message letting him or her know. He or she can then listen in on the phone call or read the texts through a computer. Although, most of the information that the hackers get will be useless to them, they can often obtain extremely valuable information, as well.
In today’s high-tech times, more and more people are purchasing products and paying their bills using their computers and/or their cell phones. When people do this, if their phones were hacked, the hacker will be able to steal a variety of information including names, addresses, credit card or debit card numbers, bank account numbers and social security numbers.
High-tech mobile phones are easier for hackers to hack than low-tech phones, as the high-tech phones have more options for downloading software onto the phones. Hackers are even able to activate the cameras on people’s phones and watch what the people may be doing. They can also hack into the GPS systems on the phones and determine where the people work and live.
How Can One Tell if Their Phone Has Been Hacked?
There are a few ways that people may be able to tell if their phones have been hacked. One sign, that a cell phone may have spyware installed on it, is if the battery remains warm even when the phone has not been in use for a long time. Another sign that the phone may be hacked is if it suddenly lights up for no apparent reason. Finally, if people hear strange beeps or clicks while they are using their phone, it could mean that a hacker is listening in on the conversation.
Can People Prevent Hacking From Occurring?
There are ways to prevent cell phone hacking. The best way is to purchase identity theft protection for the phone. For those people, who cannot afford this protection, they may want to consider paying their bills in person or buying a cheap prepaid cell phone to pay bills and make purchases. The best way to avoid having one’s phone hacked though, is to avoid downloading things to the cell phone that are not from well-known sites or businesses.
In conclusion, although many people do not think that their mobile phones can be subjected to hackers, the hacking industry has ballooned in recent years. More than 4 million people were the victims of hackers in the year 2003, and experts expect that figure to be close to 9 million for the year 2011. However, people can protect their valuable information by investing in identity theft protection and taking the other precautions as stated above.
Tags: Hacking, Mobile Phones, Mobile Security
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on October 4, 2011 at 8:22 am
I can’t believe this, what is this world coming to! I am now worried about this as my phone lights up on it’s own every now and then. Thank you for sharing this post.
on October 4, 2011 at 3:34 pm
Whoa. That is something. Stunning revelations, Totally blown. Didn’t know it happened, and this way. Important read this one.
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on October 4, 2011 at 6:10 pm
Mobile malware certainly is a growing problem. It’s not by any means at the level malware targeting PCs is at, but it is something everyone should be aware of nonetheless. I work at Symantec and we’ve seen a pretty sizeable increase in the type of malware described in this blog post – we call them Trojanized apps – this year. As mentioned, these are basically legitimate apps that have been cracked by hackers – adding malicious code in the process – then re-released either on third-party apps sites or even on official app markets. If anyone is interested in reading about some specific examples of this type of mobile malware, here are a few links to some Symantec blog posts: http://bit.ly/pModth, http://bit.ly/nqLrir, http://bit.ly/pKKGdI.
Cybercriminals are still trying to figure out how to really make significant amounts of money off mobile malware. When they do, expect to see an even bigger jump in the amount and sophistication of these threats.
Spencer Parkinson
Symantec
on October 4, 2011 at 10:48 pm
That really annoys me knowing that someone can listen to my calls. Sometimes, it even drove me to the point where I thought that it would be better if i don’t have any cellphone. LOL!
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on October 5, 2011 at 1:47 am
I don’t know that their are such things that they can hack your cell phone.Can someone tell me how to avoid this I don’t like that my cell phone will be hacked.
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on October 5, 2011 at 6:35 am
There were some big news recently about phone hacking including British PM, I think people need to be more cautious about their mobile privacy and security.
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on October 5, 2011 at 8:06 am
We can only hope that people with be more cautious. The amount of information that people carry on they mobile phones is probably not far off from the information on their computers.
on October 7, 2011 at 1:03 pm
Hi Steven,
That’s really scary! I’m glad you gave us the warning. I hope that many cellphone users will be able to read this so that they’ll be more careful and cautious when downloading stuff.
How awful if hackers steal your personal information and use it against you. And it’s also disturbing that they can even use the cellphone’s camera to view the owner.
Thanks for sharing your tips on how to prevent cellphone hacking. I’ll definitely keep them in mind.
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on October 15, 2011 at 8:07 am
Very good and informative article, thanks for it. But any free software, which prevent us bieng hacked?
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on October 19, 2011 at 5:26 pm
Because more people are more techie nowadays, many of them can already think of becoming hackers since this can proved how great they are. One point actually caught my attention that the battery used to heat up even not in used. I thought hackers will only have your line but the unit/mobile phone itself won’t get affected. Great points here to educate us with regards on protecting ourselves from hackers.
on October 26, 2011 at 10:52 am
MMh, damn hackers
I bought some ringtones from here. Is it possible that hackers use such features to enter my phone?
on October 28, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Look at what happened to the Gardian newspaper. they where hacking all sorts of peoples phones for stories. Everyone from footballers to murdered teenagers were having there phone hacked. I have no doubt that phone hacking is bigger than we think from the lowest to the highest levels.
on October 31, 2011 at 8:15 am
That was a huge story and really put the spotlight on phone hacking. I’m hoping that many phone companies and mobile OS developers can come together to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again.
on November 5, 2011 at 4:18 am
My mobile phone is also hacked by some unknown hacker last month. i got virus in my mobile.
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on November 6, 2011 at 3:11 pm
That sucks. I hope you manage to remove the virus to protect your data and phone.
on January 19, 2012 at 1:50 pm
can there any software by which cell phone is hacked by another cell phone(all calls and messages)
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