How Your Mobile Can Spy On You

Mobile phones have become an indispensable part of our lives and it’s almost impossible to think about living normally without these devices. However, it’s important to take a few precautions since your mobile phone can be used to track your activities and access your confidential data. Here’s how your mobile phone may be spying on you without you ever realizing it.

Geo-tracking: Most smartphones have the ability to locate themselves, which makes it convenient for the user to find their way or locate a lost or stolen phone. However, the feature can also be misused by malicious apps installed on your mobile phone. Even if you have switched off the GPS, the location can still be tracked using malicious code. Cases have been reported where hackers have used geo-tracking data for carrying out phishing attacks.

Wi-Fi Tracking: A public Wi-Fi hotspot is highly desirable for users, but it also increases the risk of hacker attacks. Hackers are always looking for vulnerable devices connected to a public Wi-Fi hotspot, and your phone may be the next to be targeted. Hacking into your mobile phone may be difficult, but hackers can track your browsing activity while you are connected to a public Wi-Fi hotspot.

Camera: There have been cases where hackers have used the cameras on mobile phones to track the activities of the owner. Usually, spy software is installed on the mobile phone to gain unauthorized access to the camera. This can be done via physical access to the mobile phone or through remote exploitation.

Microphone: Just like the camera, the microphone can also be compromised by hackers. It is commonly used to listen to and record phone conversations from a remote location. A compromised microphone can also be used to gather data about the user’s activities.

Backdoor: In recent times, there have been allegations that some of the mobile phones manufactured in China come with pre-installed hidden backdoors. It is claimed that these backdoors can be used to collect data without authorization and track user’s activity and browsing habits. Buying unbranded Chinese mobile phones can certainly increase the risk of compromising your confidential data.

Since it is difficult to imagine life without a mobile phone and its inbuilt features and functionalities, it’s essential that you take precautions to stay safe and protect your private data. For this, you need to make sure that you do not install apps from external sources. This could be extremely risky and could expose you to hackers. Second, you need to keep your phone up-to-date with security patchesand other app and system updates. Hackers are always trying to find new vulnerabilities and if your phone is not updated, they might exploit the vulnerabilities present on your phone.You can also consider installing anti-virus software for added protection, especially if you frequently visit unknown sites on your mobile phone or access public Wi-Fi hotspots.