Today, everyone talks about the importance of online privacy. Online privacy tips, like making sure to only open safe links and to avoid clicking on unknown files, can help you stay safe, but they’re not addressing one of the bigger issues.
Cybercriminals could use your cell phone to monitor where you are and even to look at you. Cybercriminals can gain control of your device, turn on your microphone, use your camera and spy on you. In fact, once a cybercriminal gains access to your phone, they’ll be able to watch your every move and hear your every word.
Cybercriminals Compromise Your Phone and Internet Security
One of the best things you can learn is how to be private online. Talk to your children, too, because internet safety for kids can help prevent their smartphones from becoming compromised.
Everything is online, and anything you or your child put online can be seen. There is a common saying that is, “Don’t put anything on the internet that you don’t want on there permanently.” This is the one rule that everyone should live by.
Some additional tips to follow to help you avoid getting your smartphone or smart devices compromised include:
- Avoiding accepting friend requests on social media from unknown users
- Not answering spammy text messages
- Avoiding answering phone calls from people you don’t know
- Avoiding clicking on unknown links
You should be using an antivirus and antimalware suite to protect your devices. You also need to have a secure password.
If, for any reason, you believe that your phone has been compromised, stop what you’re doing and shut off the phone. Take it back to your cellular service provider to discuss what to do. If you don’t turn the phone off, the person who compromised it may still be able to access your files, your cloud, your location and other identifying information.
Cybercriminals Could Hack Your Phone and See What You’re Doing
It’s scary, but it is true that cybercriminals could hack your phone or your children’s phones to take photos, conduct reconnaissance and control your data. If a hacker does happen to get into your device, they’ll have access to your calendar, video, any apps on the device and more. You may not even know that they’re watching, because the chances are that the camera will turn on without notification lights or flash, so you’ll be unaware that it’s on. For example, GhostCtrl is a famous malicious form of Android spyware that gives people the opportunity to “ghost” on a device and use it without the user noticing.
There are steps you can take to be safer. Removing as much of your information from the internet as possible is key.
