What to do when you suspect your smartphone has been hacked?

With increasingly powerful specifications, smartphones have become mobile computers, able to handle many tasks without the need for a laptop or PC, but are also more vulnerable to hacker attacks. If the device shows signs of being attacked, users should "act" immediately.

Log out, change password

If you feel that your smartphone is showing signs of abnormality, the first thing you should do is log out of all accounts logged in on the device such as your computer account, bank account, e-wallet, social network. Then, log in on another device and change your password. This is to prevent hackers from stealing information and using it for illegal purposes.

In addition, users should also change their phone password. If possible, combine multiple supported authentication methods, such as password, PIN, fingerprint, and face to increase security.

Find strange apps

Strange signs on your smartphone such as unusual heat, consuming network data or battery draining quickly can be caused by background applications consuming excessive resources.

On iPhone, go toSetting, scroll down to find apps you never installed and uninstall them. On Android, go toSettings > Applications > Application managerand look carefully at the list, select the application to delete and clickUninstall.

In many cases, malware runs in the background, making it harder to detect and remove. Users can install third-party scanning apps like Certo or Avast. On Android, you can enable Safe Mode to find hidden apps.

Virus Scan

This helps detect viruses or malware on the phone and destroy them. Currently, most smartphones have built-in virus scanning tools and users can use them to find and destroy malware.

However, according to experts, users should use specialized products from third parties to increase detection capabilities. In addition, this software needs to be updated regularly to detect the latest malware strains.

Restore factory settings

This is a last resort if you still suspect your smartphone has been hacked. Factory reset will return the device to its original state, but all data on the device will be lost.

Before restoring the factory defaults, users should back up their data. However, only save the type of data that is really necessary, because this action can also accidentally save malware. Experts say that if possible, you should back up your data regularly when your smartphone has no signs of a virus, then choose one of the versions that feels safest.