Is Your Phone Hacked? Follow These Steps Right Now

How Do You Know If Your Phone Has Been Hacked?

If your phone is hacked, cybercriminals could intercept texts and calls, access your sensitive accounts, apps, and information, or even install malicious software to spy on you.

Some of the most common warning signs of a hacked phone include:

• Your phone battery drains more quickly than usual
• Sluggish performance, with apps running slowly or crashing often
• A flood of pop-ups and spam ads 
• Apps launch without you doing anything
• Your device is overheating and feels hot to the touch
• You discover unexpectedly high data usage charges on your phone bill
• You’re locked out of your Google account or Apple ID
• You receive emails or text notifications containing two-factor authentication (2FA) codes that you didn’t request

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms or have any reason to believe your phone has been hacked, you need to act quickly to secure your accounts and personal data and remove hackers from your mobile device. 

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What To Do If Your Phone Is Hacked: 9 Steps

Before you start deleting apps or downloading antivirus software, you’ll want to make sure that the red flags you’re seeing aren’t being caused by outdated or malfunctioning software. In many cases, poor device performance can be fixed by restarting your phone or performing a software update.

If you’ve taken these measures and your device or apps are still acting strangely, you’ll want to take more serious precautions to remove hackers and secure your device. 

1. Use antivirus software to scan for and remove malware

Hackers use malware and other malicious software, such as trojans and spyware, to access your files, take over your phone number, or spy on you through your device’s camera and microphone. Antivirus software can scan your device for third-party apps that might be putting you at risk. 

Note: iOS doesn’t allow users to install antivirus software. Any company that claims to provide “iPhone antivirus software” is either lying or misrepresenting its products. 

How to use antivirus software on your Android phone:

• Download an antivirus app from the Google Play store. Only install apps that you download from official app stores — such as the Google Play store or Apple App store. Google and Apple have measures in place to ensure you’re installing security software that was built by a legitimate provider. 
• Turn off your internet access. Many malicious apps require an internet connection to send data back to hackers. By turning off your device’s cellular data and Wi-Fi connections, you can prevent data loss while you deal with the hack. 
• Run a “full scan” of your device. Many free tools only perform basic scanning, which often misses sophisticated malware. A full scan searches all of your apps and files for viruses that may be hidden. With Aura’s Antivirus app, you can do this with a single tap by clicking on “Run your first scan.”

📚 Related: How To Remove Viruses From Your Android Phone →

2. Make sure you’re not locked out of sensitive accounts

Hackers often target phones to gain access to sensitive accounts — such as your email, social media, or mobile banking. Once they gain access, they may change passwords to lock you out. 

Make the following checks:

• Try logging in to your accounts to see if your passwords work. If you can log in, search your settings for “active sessions” to see if any unfamiliar devices are logged in to your accounts. 
• Look out for emails and text messages about login attempts, password resets, or 2FA codes that you didn’t request. 
• Review your account settings, including security questions and backup details, to see if there have been any changes.

3. Update your operating system and apps

Hackers use vulnerabilities in old versions of apps (or your Google or iPhone’s operating systems) to attack your phone. A software update can close these “backdoors” and potentially even boot out hackers who have used them to infiltrate your accounts. It’s a good idea to update both your smartphone and desktop computers to close off all attack angles.  

Here’s how to update Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux devices.

For extra protection, enable auto updates. This will save time and ensure that you always stay ahead of known malware threats.

4. Delete suspicious or unfamiliar apps

Even after running an antivirus scan, you need to do a sweep of your device to make sure hackers don’t have backdoor access to your device through a malicious app that you accidentally downloaded (or that hackers placed on your device). 

How to find and remove suspicious apps from your Android:

• Open the Google Play Store app, and then tap on your profile icon.
• Go to Manage Apps > Devices > Manage.
• Tap on the name of the app you’d like to delete, and then Uninstall.

How to find and remove suspicious apps from iPhones:

• On the iPhone’s home screen, press and hold the app icon until the menu options appear. 
• Next, select Remove App. 
• When a confirmation screen appears, tap on Delete App, and then confirm by selecting Delete. 

It’s also a good idea to check app permissions at this point to see if any apps have access to your device’s core functions or sensitive data and features — such as your contacts, microphone, or camera.

5. Clear your browser cache and downloads

Your web browser saves data about frequently-visited web pages in a cache to make it faster to load websites that you often revisit. Some viruses can evade antivirus scans by hiding in your browser cache.

By clearing your cache, you wipe your browsing history, data, and cookies from the device — and, hopefully, erase viruses in the process.

Here’s how to clear your cache on Android phones:

• Open your Chrome browser.
• Tap on More > History, and then Clear Browsing Data.
• Choose a time range. To remove everything, select All Time.
• Ensure that Cookies and site data and Cached Images and Files are checked.
• Tap on Clear data to confirm.

Here’s how to clear your cache on iPhones:

• Go to the Safari app on your iPhone.
• Tap on Bookmark > History > Clear.
• Below Clear Timeframe, choose how much of your browsing history to clear. 
• Tap on Clear History.

Pro tip: If you have several Safari profiles, you can clear only the history of a specific profile or select All Profiles. If you think your phone is hacked, the safest approach is to wipe all history. 

6. Call your phone provider, and ask for a SIM PIN

In January 2024, a Toronto man lost $785,000 in Bitcoin after hackers took over his phone number with a SIM swap scam [*]. To prevent SIM swapping scams you need to secure your SIM.

Popular mobile carriers like T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T help customers secure their devices with a PIN number or passcode. You can also set a SIM PIN on your device itself: 

• iOS (iPhone or iPad)
• Samsung
• Most other Android phones

Pro tip: While the standard is a four-digit PIN, you should create a longer alphanumeric passcode whenever possible. 

7. Warn your friends, family, and other contacts

It’s easy to get caught up with protecting yourself if your phone is hacked — but don’t forget that other people may be at risk, too. Once fraudsters have access to your data and accounts, they may attempt to scam your friends and family by contacting them through your accounts.

Warn people you know that you’ve been targeted by a hacker. Let them know they can’t trust SMS messages and phone calls that appear to come from you. 

📚 Related: What Can Hackers Do With Your Phone Number? →

8. Consider factory resetting your phone

In the worst-case scenario, you may need to reset your phone to its original factory settings. This nuclear option will wipe all your phone’s data. While it’s not guaranteed to remove all viruses, it is often the only thing you can do when everything else has failed.

How to factory reset an iPhone:

• Create a backup. A factory reset will delete everything, including your device's apps, data, phone numbers, photos, and settings. First, save everything you want to keep to an external hard drive or cloud storage.
• Navigate to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone, and then tap on Erase All Content and Settings.
• Enter your passcode or Apple ID password.
• Confirm that you want to erase your device. After confirming, wait a few minutes for the reset to be complete.

How to factory reset an Android device:

• Back up your data to your Google account, cloud storage services, or transfer files to a computer.
• Tap on Apps > Settings > Backup and reset.
• Tap on Factory data reset > Reset Device, and then Erase Everything.

Note: A factory reset won’t help with hacked accounts. For account-related issues, you need to liaise directly with impacted companies — like the specific bank, vendor, service provider, or social media platform.

9. Secure your other online accounts, and sign up for identity monitoring

Identity theft and fraud don’t always happen right away. Hackers may gather more of your personal information before launching convincing phishing attacks or scams later on — when you least expect them.

If you think your phone is hacked, you should quickly secure your accounts:

• Create strong passwords. Every account should have a unique password that includes a complex combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, symbols, and numbers. 
• Use a password manager. These encrypted vaults make it easier to store and create complex passwords for every account.‍
• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA). With a second verification step in the login process, it’s harder for hackers to take over your accounts. The most secure forms of MFA utilize authenticator apps or hardware keys.

How Do Phones Get Hacked? 5 Real Risks

Phone makers and app developers are getting better at securing your data and devices — but hackers almost always find ways around the latest security measures. 

In November 2024, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned that messages sent between Apple and Android devices could be intercepted by hackers [*]. Ultimately, Androids are more at risk, as hackers use sophisticated technology to target vulnerable devices, like older Samsung models [*].  

Here are five ways that phones can get hacked: 

1. Phishing links in emails or texts. Scammers send phishing emails and text messages that create a sense of urgency in an effort to get you to click on malicious links. If you click, you could download malware or be redirected to bogus websites where fraudsters steal your personal details or credit card information. 
2. Malware (such as keyloggers, spyware, or trojans). Hackers hide malicious code in apps, games, and websites, allowing them to secretly infiltrate your phone. If this happens, the malware can record keystrokes, steal login credentials, and even grant hackers remote access to your device. 
3. Physical access. If someone gains direct access to an unlocked phone, they could install surveillance apps, modify security settings, or access private information without the owner's knowledge.
4. Vulnerabilities in outdated apps and operating systems. Hackers exploit security flaws in older versions of apps and operating systems. This is why it’s crucial to keep your phone up to date with the latest security patches.
5. AI-powered support call scams. In late 2024, a Microsoft cybersecurity consultant warned people about a convincing AI scam call [*]. Hackers are using sophisticated voice scams with deepfake technology, which is sure to become a prevalent threat as advances in AI make deepfakes more convincing.

📚 Related: Have I Been Hacked? 12 Warning Signs To Look For →

How To Protect Your Phone Against Hackers

Hackers know that your phone contains sensitive information and access to your email, bank, and social media accounts. The danger isn’t going away, so the onus is on you to proactively combat threat actors.

Here’s how to protect yourself from phone hackers in the future:

• Don’t jailbreak your phone. A jailbroken device allows for more customization, but it leaves your device vulnerable. 
• Review all apps, and only download directly from official app stores. It’s essential to read customer reviews and ensure you’re downloading a trustworthy app that is updated regularly. Also, stick with the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, as many third-party sites offer fake apps.
• Keep your phone with you. If strangers have physical access to your phone, they only need a moment to compromise your security. Keep your device close in public places, and make sure it’s protected with biometric security or a complex passcode.
• Create unique and strong passwords for every account. If you reuse passwords, a single data breach could endanger multiple accounts. Make sure you’re using unique and complex passwords for each account (and save them in a secure password manager).
• Get familiar with phishing scams. You should be able to spot the signs of a phishing attack — implemented by email or text message — so that you don’t unwittingly click on a malicious link that initiates a malware download. 
• Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). When on public Wi-Fi networks, you should use a VPN to hide your browsing activity and data. This encrypted network stops hackers from intercepting sensitive data.

📚 Related: What Can Hackers Do With Your Phone Number? →

The Bottom Line: Don’t Wait To Act When Dealing With a Hacked Phone

Phone hacking is somewhat rare. But if your device or data is compromised, it can have disastrous consequences. Hackers could gain access to your bank, clean out your savings, and launch scams against your friends and family from your social media accounts. 

Aura offers 24/7 monitoring and the industry’s fastest fraud alerts³ to protect your accounts, devices, credit files, and data from hackers and identity thieves. 

Aura’s award-winning digital security suite includes a VPN, antivirus software, and Safe Browsing tools to keep you and your family safe against emerging malware threats. With Aura, you can browse safely and confidently on every device, every day.