How To Determine Whether Your iPhone Has Spyware.
Can you remember what life was like before buying the first iPhone? Apple’s small, handy mobile device has come a long way and has changed the lives of many people.
Advances in technology continue to spur new creativity and explore new ways to use the iPhone. Unfortunately, this also increases the likelihood of a breach of your security and privacy.
When you think about everything that might be on your iPhone, I’m sure spyware wouldn’t even make the list, but it’s a real threat. It seems that anything with a battery and a screen can be digital attack these days. In the age of social media, this only heightens the need to understand what you are struggling with and how best to deal with it.
The Different Types of Spyware
There are three main types of spyware to look out for when it comes to your iPhone. The most common form would be stealthy spyware, followed by a mask attack.
Both are malicious code that can enter your device through apps and various links. The third attacks your iPhone using the data you’ve backed up to iCloud.
Spyware
A spy app is a type of spyware that needs to be installed on your iPhone. This can be done either by you or by a stranger who accidentally grabs your phone. Before you get mad, there is no spyware on the App Store. Apple is really good at checking for malicious apps, so they don’t go public.
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Instead, you’ll have to download and install the app from a shady third party website. This also means that your iPhone must be jailbroken before anything happens. So, if you’ve recently decided that an untrustworthy app looks too good to abandon, you may have accidentally invited spyware to your iPhone.
This particular spyware is incredibly difficult to detect without using an anti-spyware tool like Certo iPhone.
Mask Attack
Unlike a spy app, a stealth attack infiltrates your iPhone from a trusted source. Apple is great at preventing this kind of thing, but it’s not perfect. Sometimes spyware can sneak up like a ninja, bide its time and only attack during a recent update.
Masque Attack is incredibly insidious as it often looks like another application update. One compromised update is enough to turn your iPhone inside out. To best protect yourself from one of these attacks, make sure you perform a thorough check of the update information. If the name or title looks a little odd, just say no.
iCloud Infiltrator
You don’t need access to your iPhone to attack iCloud Backup. Instead, this particular type of spyware is the result of poor protection of your iCloud credentials. All a hacker has to do is figure out your username and password for your iCloud account and whatever you’ve copied to the server can be taken.
This particular spyware is even harder to detect than others, unless you keep an eye on everything you’ve ever backed up to iCloud. As long as your device is set up for iCloud backup, all your texts, call logs, and app history are available.
If you think you have been hacked in this way, change your password immediately. You will also benefit from enabling two-factor authentication.
After that, even if you feel that everything is in order, I highly recommend reporting it to Apple Support. Tell them what happened as they can track down anything unusual as they move forward.
Common Symptoms of Spyware
The symptoms of a spyware attack can mimic other malfunctioning issues in your iPhone. However, any of the following could indicate that your phone might be jailbroken:
- Spyware can overload the iPhone’s processor, quickly depleting your resources and causing your battery to overheat. A battery that keeps getting hot even without using any resource-intensive applications could indicate a spyware problem.
- Unauthorized applications are a serious problem, so if you find that your iPhone is constantly connecting to the Internet without your permission, the application could take over. Pay special attention to this, as it is possible that this application will try to update itself, causing you further problems.
- Continuously receiving requests to sign in to your Apple account can and should be related to you. Even if it is not a spyware problem, it could indicate that there is a problem with your device. Chances are, if it turns out to be spyware, someone has your credentials and is trying to use them. If you notice this, change your password immediately (from another device) and contact Apple Support.
Precautions
All devices are susceptible to intermittent spyware attacks, no matter how Apple tries to combat them. The best defense is to exercise due diligence.
Never leave your iPhone unattended, always update your iOS to the latest version, and choose Touch ID instead of using a passcode. Practice these protective measures and relieve yourself of future grief.
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