It is not unusual to get phone calls or texts from telemarketers daily. You might be able to tell a few numbers are from telemarketers and would ignore them. However, there could be some calls or texts that you’re not sure are from a reliable source. In this article, we’ll explore if it is possible to hack a phone just by sending a text and if it’s a myth or reality.
This might make you wonder: can someone hack your phone by texting you? It is a thought that would pop into your mind instantly. But is hacking the phone through a text a myth or reality? Continue reading this article to get a better idea about it.
Signs That Your Phone is Hacked
Before we move on to understand if it is possible to hack phones through texts, let’s learn about the signs that indicate your device is hacked. It can allow you to find out any potential hacking attempts and stop them before they cause more damage. Here are a few of them:
- You’re running out of data
- Your phone feels hot
- You’re locked out of accounts
- You notice service disruptions
- Websites look different
- Unexpected charges show up on your phone bill
- The phone is running slower than usual
- The battery is draining faster than usual
- Strange pop-ups appear
- Strange messages are sent from your phone
- New apps appear
- Apps stop working properly
If notice any such signs, then you should find and remove suspicious apps from your phone. Besides that, you should download a reliable app and run an anti-malware scan. If nothing works, then factory reset your phone but make sure to create a backup of your data.
Is It Possible to Hack a Phone Just by Sending a Text?
There is a good chance that phone text can lead to a phone hack directly. Text messages can contain malicious links that hackers can use to launch phishing attacks or other scams. They might ask you to transfer money or trick you into sharing sensitive information with them.
If you get a suspicious text or call, then the best course of action is to not respond at all. A call-back scam is possible to initiate if you give a call back to any suspicious numbers. In the case of texts with malware links, you might see the following signs:
- Warning signs from social media platforms
- Request for assistance claiming to be a close friend of your family member
- Ads that showcase a sale or offer too good to be true
- A message with a suspicious link could look like one of the following:
An important thing to note is that scammers can also imitate — or “spoof” — phone numbers. Therefore, it might seem like they are calling or texting from your bank or any other service provider and would try to convince you to give up your personal information.
In such cases, you should ask them to send you a written letter to your home address. Also, don’t confirm your address since your bank, insurance service provider, etc., would already have it.
All in all, it is possible to hack your phone through text only if you click on a link or open unusual attachments. It will allow hackers to install the malware in your phone, giving them access to your data.
Is it Possible to Hack a Phone through an App?
It is safe to say that there is a great chance that calling through a cellular network makes it nearly impossible to hack phones. But can the same be said about apps to make calls such as WhatsApp? Well, many applications in the past were prone to such attacks
Take WhatsApp for example, which had a glitch that allowed unanswered phone calls to hack mobile phones in the past. However, that is no longer the case as the team behind the app fixed this security flaw.
Nonetheless, it is important to keep in mind that hackers are continuously looking for new security flaws. Therefore, there is no way you can be 100% protected.
The best way to prevent your phone from hacking is through maintaining digital hygiene as well as proactively managing your internet security and data privacy. Also, staying smart about responding to messages will ensure you don’t have to worry about anything.
Final Takeaway To Check if is Possible to Hack a Phone by Sending a Text?
With that, we hope you have a clear idea of whether someone can hack your phone through a text. Ideally, you should avoid responding to any text that contains suspicious links. Also, don’t call back on a number that you don’t recognize.
The post Is It Possible to Hack a Phone Just by Sending a Text? Myth or Reality? appeared first on Visualmodo.
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