Image courtesy of hacker.io
Here’s the recent headline: The most significant data breach in history involves 16 billion login credentials. It’s funny how the tech giants don’t include us in the information; it’s like they don’t care about us. With a global population of 8.25 billion, one can see how enormous this data security breach is.
Incidentally, China had its largest data leak on May 19, with over 4 billion records exposed and stolen. The 16 billion login credentials data breach occurred on June 16. To help prevent cybercriminals from accessing your personal login data credentials, please shut down your smartphone every day.
When you shut down or reboot your smartphone, you disable any malware cybercriminals have put into your smartphone’s memory. They are called zero-click attacks, while one-click attacks are called phishing or clickjacking. Changing your password every month is a hassle, but it’s also a great way to protect yourself. Setting up two-factor authentication (2FA), also known as multi-factor authentication (MFA), is also a great way to protect yourself. Update your software as soon as possible after it’s been released.
Here are the warning signs that your smartphone has been hacked:
1. Unexplained Data Usage
2. Battery Drainage
3. Unexpected App Activity
4. Slow Performance
5. Suspicious Text Messages Or Calls
“Unstructured Supplementary Service Data” codes, aka USSD codes, are shortcodes that are frequently used to check account balances, activate services, and troubleshoot technical issues. The same USSD codes can give hackers access to your personal information on your smartphone. They can also be used to discover if your smartphone was hacked.
Use these USSD codes to see if you’ve been hacked:
*#06# – Shows your smartphone’s IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity). If you see a different IMEI number than the one usually associated with your phone, your smartphone is likely hacked. Remember, you could see a few numbers: IMEI, IMEI2, MEID and EID. You can verify those numbers pertain to your device by looking at your Settings and Account Information.
*#062# – Shows when your SIM card was last updated. If you see a date you don’t recognize, or if the date listed is significantly different from when you last remember updating your SIM card, your smartphone was probably hacked.
*#21# – Shows you a list of numbers your calls that have been forwarded to. Any numbers listed that you don’t recognize, or if your calls have been sent to a number you didn’t set up, your smartphone may have been hacked.
If you have any questions, contact your device manufacturer. I called Apple and they stepped me through the process and we did a safety check too. Please don’t become a victim to cybercriminals.
