What Happens When Your Phone Spies on You?
Do you ever feel like you’re being followed? This feeling of unease is familiar to most, and even though the vast majority of us are not being followed in the physical world, almost everything we do online is tracked in one way or another.
In fact, as you probably know, most apps on your smartphone collect data for commercial purposes. But there is a significant difference between that, and actual spying.
Phone Spying: It’s Not What You Think
When they hear the term “phone spying”, most people probably think of Hollywood thrillers and wiretapping, and assume something like that could only happen to high-profile individuals or criminals. In reality, everyone who owns a smartphone is a potential target.
In the broadest terms, any program used to monitor a person’s activity without their consent can be described as spyware (i.e. spying software). A regular app downloaded from a reputable app store that collects unauthorized data is considered spyware, just like software that is designed specifically to spy on people is considered spyware. And precisely becausespyware comes in many different forms, it can be a rather challenging threat to deal with.
For example, the company you work for might be spying on you with employee surveillance software: monitoring your conversations with co-workers, keeping track of your browsing habits, taking screenshots of your display, and so on. Meanwhile, your partner (or someone close to you) could be tracking your every move with stalkerware, a type ofspyware that is used for cyberstalking.
These apps wildly differ in their functionality, features, and level of intrusiveness, but the most powerful spy software can gather pretty much all information you have on your phone. This includes location, keystrokes, call logs, photos, videos, contacts, app usage, and so on.
But just how prevalent is spyware? As reported bySciTechDaily, one 2022 study noted that the number of devices with spyware in the United States surged by 63 percent between September 2020 and May 2021. In the United Kingdom, a 93 percent increase was recorded during this same time period.
The study, which was conducted by the University of California, San Diego, found that these apps use a wide variety of techniques to gather data from unsuspecting targets, and that most of them run in the background. It also established that popular spying software is not very secure (e.g. not using encryption), which brings another variable to the entire issue.
Is My Phone Spying on Me?
If you have reason to believe your phone is spying on you, you need to look for common red flags and warning signs. Here’s what you should pay attention to.
Battery Life
Spy apps are a massive drain on resources. If there is one on your phone, the battery life is probably much shorter than it used to be.
Background Noise
Many spy apps record calls and can activate the microphone, so if you hear background noise when talking or just using it,your phone might be tapped.
Suspicious Apps
Not all spyware is stealthy. Some variants are disguised as regular software, and designed to hide in plain sight. Check all the apps installed on your phone if you have any suspicions.
Temperature
If your phone feels hot when you hold it, and appears to overheat even when you aren’t running demanding applications, someone might be spying on you.
Data Usage
Most spyware sends data to the perpetrator in real-time, so you should take note of any spikes in mobile data usage if you have reason to believe you’re being monitored.
Performance Issues
Performance issues are not necessarily a sign of spyware, but if you are being spied on, your smartphone will definitely experience moderate to significant performance issues, feel sluggish, struggle to launch apps, crash frequently, and so on.
How to Stop Phone Spying
If you establish that you are indeed being spied on through your smartphone, the first thing you need to do is identify the app that’s spying on you. This can be a bit tricky if you’re dealing with stealth software that works in the background, but you should still look at all the apps on your phone carefully, and remove the ones that seem suspicious. Installing antivirus software, changing all passwords, and updating what needs to be updated would be the logical next step.
The easiest and safest option is tofactory reset your phone. This will restore the device to the state it was originally in when you first bought it, wiping all data, including any malware or spyware. Naturally, this means that you should back up all important data (e.g. contacts, photos, documents) before doing a full reset.
How to Prevent Spyware Infecting Your Phone
With that said, it’s best to focus on prevention, as with any other cyber threat. For a start, this involves implementing basic prevention measures, which means that you need to:
If you do this, you should be able to fend off most cyberattacks before they even take place. But if you want to go the extra mile, there are plenty of steps you can take to improve your overall security. If you’ve got an Android phone, consider using a more secure and privacy-oriented operating system, such as Graphene. And whether you’re on Android or iPhone, you can always use VPNs, encrypted email providers, and other security-enhancing software.
Don’t Let Your Phone Spy on You
Like most people, you probably keep your smartphone close all day, every day. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this, but if someone were to weaponize it against you, the consequences would be dire.
That is why it’s important to remain vigilant, and stay up to date on the latest trends in cyberspace. Remember, your smartphone is never as secure as you think it is, and there’s always room for improvement.
Think about all the data you keep on your smartphone. Is it really secure there? Here are eight reasons your phone isn’t that safe.
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