How to Find Out Who Hacked Your Phone

Updated: November 14, 2024

Your phone is an extension of your digital self. Imagine a stranger having unrestricted access to it—completely exposed, every website you’ve visited, every photo you’ve taken, and every password you’ve used.

Hackers do this every day. They can steal your identity, drain your bank accounts, and even stalk you.

If you suspect your phone’s been compromised, don’t panic. This guide will show you how to uncover the signs, identify the culprit, and reclaim your privacy.

We’ll walk you through detecting suspicious activity, tracking the hacker, and taking steps to protect your mobile device against future attacks.

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How Do I Know If My Phone Has Been Hacked?
Who Can Hack My Phone?
How to Trace a Phone Hacker
What Should I Do If I Suspect My Phone Has Been Hacked?
How to Protect Yourself Against Future Attacks
Key Takeaways

How Do I Know If My Phone Has Been Hacked?

There are a few warning signs that might lead you to think that your phone is hacked. Let’s take a closer look at those below:

1. High battery temperature

If you’ve noticed that your phone is a lot warmer than usual, this is potentially a sign of hacking. That’s because intruders will typically use software on your device to help them track all of your data, making your device’s processor work harder, and generating more heat.

2. Battery draining faster than usual

Again, if a hacker has installed malicious software on your device, it will require more processing power to run. This will inevitably cause your phone battery to drain much faster than usual. Poor battery life could be an indicator that your phone is hacked.

Important Note: Although high battery temperature and fast battery drain can be signs of phone hacking, there may be other explanations. For example, phones are usually hotter when running resource-heavy apps like games. Plus, battery life deteriorates as phones age.

3. Background noise

If you hear background noises from your phone, such as echoes, static, or clicking sounds, this may be a hint that your phone is hacked.

Background noise like this is usually most audible when you’re on phone calls and is a potential sign that someone is listening in. So, it’s probably a good idea not to share anything too personal if it sounds like R2-D2 is on the other end of the line.

4. Pop-ups or changes to your screen

Malware can also cause suspicious pop-ups or changes to your home screen or apps. Any significant changes you don’t remember are a warning sign that your cell phone has been hacked.

Have you experienced weird appointments or reminders in your phone’s calendar app? This is likely the result of phishing, which is when hackers gain access to your personal and business calendars to steal information.

5. Presence of suspicious apps

A hacker may install spy apps on your device, designed to monitor your activity. These apps run in the background, and unlike traditional apps, they often don’t show an icon on your screen.

You may be able to identify any suspicious apps by looking at your active hours, battery usage, memory, and data usage.

However, it’s normal for cell phones to have several hidden system apps that you don’t know anything about, making it hard to distinguish between what is needed for your phone to run and anything that may be monitoring your activity.

6. Certo has detected spyware on your phone

If you think your phone is hacked, you should download Certo to determine if your suspicions are correct.

You can scan your device for potential threats with Certo Mobile Security for Android or Certo AntiSpy for iPhone. If anything suspicious is identified, Certo will help you to remove it.

Fig 1. Finding a virus with Certo for Android.

Uncover mobile spyware with Certo.

Certo's award-winning spyware detection tools for iPhone and Android are trusted by millions worldwide.

Who Can Hack My Phone?

Once you know that your phone has been hacked, the next step is to discover who did it. Is it an anonymous third party? Or even more worrying, is it someone you know?

A common misconception is that hacking a phone requires some mysterious computing superpowers. However, today, this is far from the truth.

Spyware is available for as little as $30 and does not require any specialist knowledge to use. All the hacker needs is access to your phone for just a few minutes to install the spyware and monitor your activity.

Some professional hackers can even steal your data without physical access to your phone. Thousands of people working in black market operations are trying to find a way to hack cell phones to obtain sensitive data.

How to Trace a Phone Hacker: Who Is Spying on My Phone?

If you suspect that your phone is hacked, there are a few things you need to do. Here are three methods of tracing a phone hacker:

1. Find out who has installed spyware on your phone

Spyware is malicious software designed to track everything you do on your device. A standard method of installing spyware is for someone to plant a hidden spy app on your phone.

This is most likely to happen if someone has physical access to your device, even if it’s just for a short while. It could also happen (although it’s less likely) if you click on a suspicious link and download malware disguised as an innocent app.

Spyware is often invisible to you as the device owner and could give the attacker full access to your data. Additionally, most spy apps are designed to protect the identity of the hacker who installed them.

They work by sending captured information to the spyware provider rather than directly to the hacker. The hacker then logs into the spyware provider’s website to retrieve information stolen from the infected device.

This means details of who installed the spyware are not stored anywhere on the infected device, giving the hacker a layer of anonymity. This can make finding out who installed spyware on your phone somewhat tricky.

A great way to combat this is to use Certo AntiSpy (for iPhone) or Certo Mobile Security (for Android). Certo’s anti-malware apps will help identify the name of the spyware installed on your phone, allowing you to track down the manufacturer of the spy software.

You can then inform them that someone has installed the software without your permission and request details of the person who originally purchased the software license.

Here is a sample email you can send to the spyware developer to get the required information:

Dear Sir/Madam,

I have performed a malware scan on my phone and found that <spyware name> is installed on my device. I did not authorize this software to be installed on my phone; it has been done entirely without my permission.

I, therefore, need to find out who installed this spyware on my device. Can you please provide this information as soon as possible? My phone number is <phone number>, and my device serial number is <serial number>.

I trust this is all the information you require to retrieve the information from your systems, but please let me know if you need anything else.

Yours faithfully

John Doe

2. Find out who hacked your iCloud account (iOS devices only)

iCloud is an excellent solution for backing up your Apple device and storing photos, contacts, and other data in the cloud. You can save everything from custom app settings and text messages to videos you’ve taken with your phone.

Unfortunately, as good as Apple claims its security is, there are still ways for a hacker to access your account.

The main difference between having your phone hacked and your iCloud account hacked is that intruders don’t need to install any software on your phone to access your iCloud account.

A different method of investigation is required to find out who has hacked your iCloud account. Firstly, you must contact Apple and ask them to provide you with all the details of recent access to your account. This will usually include IP addresses that can be used to identify the hacker.

Look out for email notifications from Apple that alert you to new account logins. Immediately report suspicious activity directly to Apple.

You can view a more in-depth explanation of this type of hack here.

3. Setting a trap for a hacker

Another method you can use is to booby-trap your phone if you suspect someone might want to infiltrate.

This doesn’t guarantee protection from them installing anything onto your phone or viewing your information, but it will help you catch them red-handed or can act as a deterrent—much the same as a home alarm system.

The Certo app for Android allows users to take a silent photo of anyone who might be trying to hack their phone.

Along with an alarm, this feature can be set up to trigger whenever someone moves your phone or enters an incorrect password multiple times. This feature will also be added to Certo for iOS in the near future.

Fig 2. Catching a phone intruder with Certo for Android.

What Should I Do If I Suspect My Phone Has Been Hacked?

1. Run a spyware scan immediately

Anti-spyware software like Certo can instantly scan your phone and inform you of any potential threats it finds. If spyware is detected, you can refer to the information above to determine who hacked your phone.

Here’s how to use Certo for both Apple and Android devices:

iPhone:

Download Certo AntiSpy to your computer. Connect your iPhone using the USB cable and hit Scan. If spyware is found, Certo will help you swiftly remove it from your device.

Android:

Go to the Google Play Store and download Certo for Android. Once downloaded, open the app and tap the Scan button.

After the scan, the app will show you a detailed report of any detected threats or vulnerabilities. Based on the severity of the findings, take appropriate action.

2. Update your operating system

Whether you’re an Apple or Android user, keeping your operating system updated is critical for your security. Hackers exploit security vulnerabilities in your device’s software to steal your personal and financial information.

New updates provide security patches, making it harder for hackers to exploit these loopholes and access your data.

3. Change your passwords

This is a crucial step. You should change your passwords as soon as possible to prevent anyone from gaining unauthorized access to your private online accounts. These might include:

Online banking
Email (work and personal)
Apple ID or Google accounts
Phone passcode
All social media

Create unique passwords, ideally using a combination of upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

To create a strong password:

Make it long (12+ characters).
Use a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols.
Make each password unique for every account.
Use passphrases or a password manager to help you remember.
Change passwords regularly and enable two-factor authentication (more on this below!)

Lastly, set up a passcode or biometric authentication for your device for an extra layer of protection.

4. Factory reset your phone

You could also try to remove threats from your phone by performing a factory reset, but this is a last resort and should only be carried out after you have backed up all your data to an external device or cloud storage.

Here is how to factory reset your iPhone and Android device:

iPhone:

Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Scroll down and tap on General.
Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone at the bottom of the screen.
Tap on Erase All Content and Settings. If prompted, enter your iPhone passcode or Apple ID password to confirm.
Tap on Erase iPhone to initiate the factory reset process. Your iPhone will restart and erase all data, returning it to its factory default settings.

Factory Reset iPhone

Fig 3. Performing a factory reset on iPhone.

Android:

Open the Settings app on your Android device.
The exact location may vary slightly depending on your Android version and manufacturer. Look for an option like System or General Management.
Tap on Reset or a similar option.
Tap on Factory data reset or Erase all data (factory reset).
You must enter your PIN, pattern, or password to confirm. Then, tap Erase everything or a similar option to start the reset process.
Your Android device will restart and erase all data, restoring it to its original factory settings.

Factory-reset-android

Fig 4. Performing a factory reset on Android.

How to Protect Yourself Against Future Attacks

In today’s hyper-connected world, a hacked phone is a severe threat that can negatively affect your personal life, finances, and more.

Luckily, you can do a few things to reduce the risk of it happening to you and block hackers from accessing your device.

Check out this related video ⬇️

1. Use Certo

Perform regular device scans with Certo’s apps for iPhone or Android. This lets you quickly find and remove any malware that has infected your phone and gives you the tools to keep your device and personal data secure.

2. Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Virtual private networks encrypt all of the data you share online so that no one can access it. VPNs make it much harder for hackers to access your sensitive data, whether it’s your email inbox, social media accounts, passwords, or browsing history.

Research different VPN providers carefully before signing up to find a safe and secure option.

3. Be wary of public Wi-Fi networks

Public Wi-Fi networks are “open” and don’t ask for a password to access. You might be able to connect to them if you’re in a shopping mall, a park, or another public place.

However, you should be wary of any personal information you share online using public Wi-Fi. Hackers find this type of connection much easier to access than secured Wi-Fi connections that require a password.

If you need to be online when you’re out and about, we recommend using your mobile data or a VPN like NordVPN to reduce the risk of phone hacking.

4. Use two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication is a great way to protect your phone from hackers. It works by requesting two different types of authentication when you log in to an online account, such as your iCloud account.

To log in, you might be required to enter your Apple ID and password and a verification code sent to you by text message.

The extra information required makes it much more difficult for hackers to access your private data.

Key Takeaways

Today, spyware apps are easy to buy and install, making it possible for almost anyone to hack your phone. There are a few things you can do to trace a hacker and reduce the risk of phone hacking:

Finding the name and type of malware on your phone is the first step in determining who has hacked it.
Choose strong passwords and change them regularly. Don’t use the same password for everything; don’t share your passwords with anyone.
Use two-factor authentication to make it harder for hackers to gain access.
Install Certo Mobile Security for Android or Certo AntiSpy for iPhone to protect your phone against security threats.