How to know if your phone is being hacked?

Apple has sent alerts and emails to several Indian Opposition politicians, indicating that their phones might have been targeted by state-sponsored cyberattacks.

The leaders said that they received alerts on October 30 and 31 from Apple, stating that "state-sponsored attackers may be targeting" their iPhones.

What happened

• At least 20 Indian politicians, including AAP MP Raghav Chaddha, TMC MP Mahua Moitra, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, and Shiv Sena UBT MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, have shared Apple's alert text iMessage and email screenshots on their X accounts (formerly Twitter).

  Received text & email from Apple warning me Govt trying to hack into my phone & email. @HMOIndia - get a life. Adani & PMO bullies - your fear makes me pity you. @priyankac19 - you, I , & 3 other INDIAns have got it so far . pic.twitter.com/2dPgv14xC0

  — Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) October 31, 2023

• Ashwini Vaishnav, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, stated that "the government takes its role of protecting the privacy and security of all citizens very seriously and will investigate to get to the bottom of these incidents."

  VIDEO | "The government is concerned over the issue. We have already ordered an investigation and will get to the root of the issue. I would also like to add that there are some compulsive critics in the country who have a habit of criticising (the government) over every issue.… pic.twitter.com/RKePKi0owv

  — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 31, 2023

• "The government is concerned about the issue. We have already ordered an investigation and will get to the root of the issue," PTI quoted Vaishnav as saying.

• However, Apple also mentioned that the notifications may be 'incomplete or imperfect'.

• It also stated that some of the threat notifications may be false alarms or that certain attacks may not be detected.

Nevertheless, the issue of phone hacking has been observed frequently, particularly with smartphones. This includes private hackers or agencies that can infiltrate your phone by various means and get your data and other details.

As a smartphone user, it is important for you to understand how phone hacking works and be aware of the signs indicating that your phone may have been compromised.

Signs your phone might be hacked

Excessive heating: According to antivirus and anti-malware company, Norton, your phone may start heating up unexpectedly during use, even when not engaged in heavy tasks like gaming.

Programs that infiltrate your phone and run in the background consume significant energy, putting a load on the phone's CPU. This can also occur during phone calls. Overheating is a common sign of hacking, as noted by cybersecurity experts.

Battery drainage: If your phone has been affected by a hacking software, the battery may deplete rapidly. This suggests that the software is running in the background while the phone is in use, even when the phone is idle and not in active use.

Unregnognized outgoing calls: If your outgoing history has a list of numbers, you don't know about, it's a red flag that your phone might be hacked.

Background noise during calls: Another telltale sign of hacking is the presence of excessive background noise during phone conversations.

Even when the person on the other end is in a quiet room, you may hear background noise. If this persists, it may indicate that your phone is being hacked and your conversations are being intercepted.

What to do if you suspect your phone is hacked

The most effective measure to protect yourself from phone being hacked is to perform a factory reset of the phone, erasing all data. No antivirus software has been designed to detect programs that cause phone hacking.

According to data on Norton's website, it would be appropriate not to back up the apps, especially if you suspect that the phone as malware.  Instead, take note of the apps which you think you'd like to re-download and vet them to ensure they are legitimate.

For now, wiping the phone of all data remains the only way to prevent data theft and phone hacking.