Answering phone calls and responding to text messages is what we do multiple times a day on our cell phones. But do you know that some text messages or phone calls can hack your cell phone? It’s not just me, there are lots of people out there who claim that scammers can hack into your phone by just texting or calling you.
But is it even possible to hack your phone if you open a text message? Sounds interesting as well as dangerous. Let’s try to look more into it and see if it’s actually possible to hack your phone by just calling or sending a text message.
Table Of Contents
- Can Someone Hack Into Your Phone By Calling You?
- Can Your Phone Be Hacked By Opening A Text Message?
- What Are Some Other Ways Your Phone Can Be Hacked?
- How To Know If Your Phone Is Hacked?
- How To Protect Your Phone From Hackers?
- Can You Get Scammed By Opening A Text Message Or Answering A Call? Final Verdict
- FAQs
Can Someone Hack Into Your Phone By Calling You?
There is no technology developed yet that can hack a phone by answering calls on it. So don’t worry no one can hack into your phone by just calling you. However, there are some tricks using which hackers can scam you over answering phone calls.
For example, a hacker can intercept your phone calls and listen to all your private conversations. Similarly, a hacker can do social engineering attacks on you and get a lot of details about you over a phone call and you would not even know about it.
Overall, you won’t be hacked by just answering a phone call. But that doesn’t mean that you should answer all the random phone calls and talk to strangers over the phone for a long time. Because that can prove dangerous.
Can Your Phone Be Hacked By Opening A Text Message?
Unlike phone calls, there are ways using which a hacker can get access to your phone through a text message. In fact, in most cases of hacking, people got hacked by clicking on a spam link they receive in text messages. People receive such text messages on their phones through SMS, Email, WhatsApp, or other social media apps.
There are some special apps using which one can track your location by sending a link. It can be a plain text link or the link can be hidden behind an image or GIF. And for that, they don’t need to be a hacker with technical knowledge as anyone with the app can track your location through a text message. So to answer your question “can someone hack my phone by texting me?”, I would say, yes it is possible.
What Are Some Other Ways Your Phone Can Be Hacked?
1. Phishing Attacks
The most used method by hackers to get into someone’s phone is phishing attacks. It is a kind of social engineering attack that hackers use to steal the personal information of the victims. In this type of attack, you receive emails, text messages, or calls from sources that look trusted but aren’t.
2. Using A Spyware
Apart from phishing attacks, hackers may also access your phone using spyware. In this case, they will have to install a spy app on your phone i.e. they must have access to your phone at least once. When someone is spying on you using spyware, the hacker is mostly someone who you already know like your friend, spouse, or colleague.
Even if someone can’t get physical access to your phone they can still install spyware via text message on your iPhone or Android phone.
3. Through A Keylogger
A keylogger is a program that records the keystrokes made on the target device. It is mostly used to steal the password of the victim or read their private messages.
How To Know If Your Phone Is Hacked?
In most cases of hacking, people don’t even know that their phone is hacked until the damage is done. If your phone is hacked by a hacker then you can see the following signs on your phone. Looking at these signs you can tell whether your phone is hacked or not. If your phone is already hacked you can take some actions to prevent further damage.
- Laggy performance. If you notice that suddenly your phone has got slower, it can be a sign that someone might have hacked it.
- Unusual behavior. In case your phone shows some weird behavior like turning off and on by itself or some apps opening on their own then it’s a sign that your phone is compromised.
- Quick battery discharge. If your phone is getting quickly discharged then it is also a sign that someone has hacked your phone.
- Increased data consumption. Spyware needs an internet connection to sync the recorded data from your phone to the hacker’s device. If you notice that suddenly your data consumption has increased by a good margin then it is a worrying sign.
- Unknown apps are installed on your device. If there are some unknown apps installed on your phone that you have not installed yourself then they can be spy apps.
How To Protect Your Phone From Hackers?
Prevention is better than cure, so you should not wait till your phone is actually hacked by someone. You can protect your cell phone from hackers by using the following tips.
- Never click on unknown links. You should not open messages from unknown numbers and never, I repeat never click on links that seem suspicious.
- Set a strong phone password. In most cases of spying, it is someone who you already know is the convict. So you should keep your phone well protected with a strong password so that no one can install a spy app on it when you are not around.
- Install an anti-spyware app on your phone. A good anti-malware or anti-spyware app can prevent your phone from getting hacked. Even if your phone gets hacked, these apps can notify you in time so that you can take some action before it’s too late.
Can You Get Scammed By Opening A Text Message Or Answering A Call? Final Verdict
Hackers are really smart, they leave no stone unturned to get access to someone’s phone so that they can scam you. Although it is tough to get into someone’s phone by just calling or texting them, it’s not impossible. Therefore you should not answer unknown phone calls or click on links that you receive in text messages because those links may contain malware that may hack your phone.
You must be aware and take the precautions that I have shared with you above to protect yourself from hacking through calls and text messages.
FAQs
Is It Safe To Open A Text Message From An Unknown Number?
No, it’s not safe to open a text from an unknown number, it may contain spam links.
Can Your Phone Get A Virus From A Text?
Yes, clicking on a spam link may inject a virus into your phone.
Can Someone Steal Your Information Through Text?
Yes, hackers can steal your information through text messages.
