There is always a question in everyone's mind "Can someone hack my phone by texting me?"
Smartphone has become an intact part of everyone's life. It carries almost everything essential to you like your bank details, social media accounts, personal data like photos or videos, contact details, search history, and more such information. So, it is evident that losing out on such essential data through hacking can be devastating.
The question remains the same, can attackers hack into your phone just by a text message. Well, technically, text messages are one of the top ways through which cybercriminals get entry into the victim's system. But that involves the victim's contribution too.
Let us discuss more on whether it is possible to hack into a mobile phone just by sending a text. We will also discuss the most common ways attackers use to infiltrate a system.
Can Someone Hack my Phone by Texting me?
Suppose you received a few text messages from an unknown sender that contains some links. Now it solely depends on your further actions whether or not your device will be hacked or infected with malware.
Merely opening the message wouldn't do any harm, but if you click on those suspicious links, you might be redirected to some untrustworthy webpages or sites. Some texts messages might also contain links that can trigger the download of an unwanted app. This is done just to increase the download numbers or other promotional gains.
Some messages are designed to trap users into following malicious links, such as the Nbryb web page, to gain control of the system. Clicking on such a link would download a malicious spying app in the background, and users would have no idea that their device is being spied on.
Cyberattackers also use text messages as a medium to send too good to be true offers. Such offers are entirely bogus and sent just for initiating malicious tasks.
All in all, even though the technology is advancing rapidly, hacking a phone just by sending a text is still too far-fetched until the receiver is also involved.
Can Someone Hack My Phone by Calling Me?
This is another query that makes people anxious - "Can someone hack my phone just by calling?"
Again, no such technology exists that can introduce the hacking codes or apps just by receiving a call from a hacker. Imagine if such tech exists, what havoc it would have created till now.
Similar to text messages, on phone calls too, scammers trick users, through social engineering techniques, to provide their confidential information like banking credentials. Scammers professionally create a sense of urgency or fear among people to gain their trust and sensitive details.
Clearly, without the victim's involvement, hacking through call is impossible.
What are the common methods used for Hacking?
Other than text messages and phone calls, hackers use the following common methods to conduct hacking.
1. Phishing
The phishing attack is the most popular method used by cyberattackers for hacking. Attackers use social engineering techniques to create a sense of fear or urgency in the victims' mind so that they don't have time to think about the situation. For example, an attacker can pretend to be an executive from a bank and ask users for their credentials to save their account from blocking. The users, in the sense of urgency to protect their bank account, would quickly provide the details.
2. Public Networks
Public Networks such as Wi-Fi at restaurant or malls are very loosely encrypted. Cyber intruders take advantage of this vulnerability to infiltrate into the devices connected to that network. Private networks are more secure than public ones; therefore, it is never recommended to connect to a public network without the cover of VPNs.
3. Keyloggers
Keylogger is a malicious application that would record all the keystrokes that you enter on your device. In this way, it would collect all the sensitive information like credit card details, banking information, login credentials, and more.
4. Spyware
Spyware is specially designed software that can monitor the activities of the person who is using the device. Hackers can also use spyware for activating the front cam and microphone of the device. Spyware can store and share your information and data to the hackers involved in its development.
5. Brute Force
Brute Force is the technique used by infiltrators to break into any account. In this, the attacker tries combinations of different username and password to gain access. There are various dedicated software for conducting the brute attack. It is like an army attacking the entrance of the fort to break it.
Bottom Line
In the current scenario, in order to infiltrate into someone's device or account, the action from both the attacker and the victim is necessary. Yes, your phone can be hacked by a text or call, but only if you allow it to. The best thing you can do on your part is to avoid installing the apps from unknown or unverified sources and never let yourself fooled into "Too Good to be True" offers.
