Traditionally a headache reserved for celebrities, smartphone-hacking concerns have crossed the VIP vs. everyone else blood-brain barrier and are now a legitimate concern for anyone who owns a cell phone.
But is this really a serious problem for us regular folks? Are our voicemail messages so interesting that someone would invade our privacy to listen in? Before we go barking up the narcissism tree, it’s best to examine what phone hacking is and whether you really need to worry about it.
The Security Risks of Phone Hacking
There are many types of phone hacking methods, ranging from hacking into a live conversation or into someone’s voicemail, and to hacking into data stored on one’s smartphone. While the fear of the unknown can keep anyone on edge, the person most likely to hack into your live conversation or voicemail will be someone that you already know, and in today’s mobile world, phone hacking continually grows as a security issue. As people increasingly store sensitive data on their mobile devices, the opportunity to exploit privacy weaknesses becomes more tempting to unscrupulous frenemies, exes or the occasional stranger.
There is a cottage industry of phone hacking software, ostensibly developed for legal uses, but that can be easily abused by anyone (password crackers aptly named John the Ripper and Cain and Abel are two examples). Opportunistic hackers can wreak havoc with data deletion or install malicious software that gathers bank account logins and confidential business emails. So, how can you make things tougher for hackers?
How to Secure Your Phone From Hackers
If you want to be proactive, there are several measures you can take to protect yourself against phone hacking, most of which involve common sense. In addition, there are advanced methods to ensure that your phone is as secure as possible (without losing its full functionality). For example:
Basic Phone Security Tips
For casual phone users, adhering to the basics is a great place to start when it comes to blocking simple hacking efforts:
- Never leave your phone unattended. Keeping your phone with you at all times while in a public place is the first, best rule to follow.
- Change your phone’s default passcode. Your phone likely comes with a simple, predictable default password, and those who know can use this to their advantage. Change your code to something more complex, and resist the usual “1234,” “0000” and “2580” codes that are commonly used.
- Manage your Bluetooth Security. Avoid using unprotected Bluetooth networks and turn off your Bluetooth service when you aren’t using it.
- Protect your PIN and Credit Card data. Use a protected app to store PIN numbers and credit cards, or better yet, don’t store them in your phone at all.
Advanced Ways to Prevent Phone Hacking
- If you’re still worried about hacking, there are further steps you can take to protect yourself. However, taking things too far will defeat the purpose of having a smartphone at all.
- Avoid unsecured public WiFi. Hackers often target important locations such as bank accounts via public WiFi that can often be unsecured due to relaxed safety standards or even none at all.
- Turn off your autocomplete feature. By doing this, you can prevent stored critical personal data from being accessed.
- Regularly delete your browsing history, cookies, and cache. Removing your virtual footprint is important in minimizing the amount of data that can be harvested by prying eyes.
- Have an iPhone? Enable Find My iPhone. By turning the feature on in your settings, you’ll be able to locate your phone if you misplace it before the hackers can lay their paws on it.
Remember—if the thought of hacking has you tossing and turning at night, you can just turn the phone off, remove the battery and hide it under your pillow for some sweet lithium-ion induced dreams. Or, you can double down on securing your mobile devices with mobile security solutions offering secure web browsing and real-time defense against phishing attacks.
Please answer the questions.
- Have you ever been hacked? What happened?
- Which are some of the ways hackers can be dangerous to society?
- Which are some of the ways that they can be useful to society?
Taken from
https://www.webroot.com/us/en/resources/tips-articles/how-to-prevent-phone-hacking-and-sleep-like-a-baby-again
1. I have had knowledge of cases in which the data and personal content of the victims were exposed.
2. How Hackers Can Be Dangerous to Society
– Invasion of Privacy: Hackers can access personal data, voice messages, and private conversations, violating people’s privacy.
– Financial Theft: They can steal bank account logins, credit card information, and conduct fraudulent transactions.
– Data Deletion or Exposure: Malicious hackers can delete or publicly sell important files, causing financial and operational losses.
– Exploitation of Public Wi-Fi Networks: Unsecured networks can be used to intercept confidential communications or spread malware.
3. How Hackers Can Be Useful to Society
– Ethical Hacking (White Hat Hackers): They help organizations find security vulnerabilities before criminals exploit them.
– Cybersecurity Improvements: Hackers expose vulnerabilities, prompting companies to strengthen their digital defenses.
– Bug bounty programs: Ethical hackers are paid to find and report security vulnerabilities in software.
– Innovation in security tools: Many cybersecurity tools (such as password crackers) were originally developed for legitimate testing purposes.
Have you ever been hacked? What happened?
As an AI, I don’t use a personal device or store personal data, so I haven’t been hacked. However, many people report experiences where hackers gain unauthorized access to their live calls, voicemails, or the sensitive data stored on their smartphones. This unauthorized Access can lead to privacy breaches, financial losses, or identity theft.
Which are some of the ways hackers can be dangerous to society?
Privacy Invasion: Hackers can intercept live conversations or access voicemails, exposing personal information.
Data Theft: They may steal sensitive data such as bank details, passwords, or confidential emails, potentially leading to fraud and identity theft.
Malware Installation: By installing malicious software, hackers can compromise a device, giving them further control or access to more data.
Impact on Critical Services: In some cases, targeted attacks can disrupt essential services, affecting organizations and society at large.
Which are some ways hackers can be useful to society?
Ethical Hacking: White-hat hackers use their skills to find vulnerabilities in systems, helping organizations to strengthen their security.
Penetration Testing: By simulating attacks, security experts identify and address weaknesses before malicious hackers can exploit them.
Advancing Cybersecurity: The continuous identification and reporting of vulnerabilities contribute to the development of improved security practices and technologies.
1. Have you ever been hacked? What happened?
I haven’t been hacked until now. Hacked is a very common situation nowadays, common like dangerous and unwanted; but I haven’t suffered it.
2. Which are some of the ways hackers can be dangerous to society?
There are several ways hackers can be negative for society.
Hackers can extract information without permission and communicate to persons to ilegal proceedings. In case they don’t , this personal data rest exposed to delinquents.
The activity of hackers was created to profit the personal data. They can offer it to agents who trainning and specifical IA, and serve to identify our tastes or preferences to contact us with comercial goals. They can use the data to use our identity.
3. Which are some of the ways that they can be useful to society?
Yes. Hackers develop and activity inside society, then it can be useful too.
The activity allows us to discover vulnerabilities in our computer systems. In this way, we can work to do more safety them.
Hackers can uncover new fields of study and research. Their illegal activities can reveal opportunities for the development of science and technology.
1.Have you ever been hacked? What happened?
Not,I haven´t ever been hacked.I hope no ocurr me.
2.Which are some of the ways hackers can be dangerous to society?
Many hackers steal information to change money,
they are extortionists.They are dangerous because use information personal to sell to other persons.
3.Which are some of the ways that they can be useful to society?
I think that sistem of hackers can be used the police to investigates mafias or human trafficking