Can Someone Really Hack Your Phone Just By Calling or Texting You?
As our smartphones have become central to our daily lives, many people are understandably worried about the potential of hackers infiltrating their devices to steal sensitive data or commit fraud. In fact, Americans lost over $29 billion to phone scams alone in 2021 according to the 2021 US Spam & Scam Report by Truecaller.
One of the most common questions I hear is whether a hacker could break into someone‘s phone by simply placing a call or sending a text message to their number. The answer is not a straightforward yes or no. Let‘s break down the possibilities and risks.
Phone Call Hacking Risks
In general, you don‘t need to be too concerned about a hacker gaining full access to your phone and data by just calling you. Standard cellular voice calls are not a viable way to transmit malware or hack into your device‘s operating system.
When you receive a call, your phone essentially just processes the audio data, without allowing any external code to access or modify its software and settings. So even if a call came from a hacker, the voice data itself is unlikely to pose a technical threat.
However, that doesn‘t mean you are 100% safe from phone call hacking attempts. There are a couple sneaky ways criminals try to exploit our phone communications:
SS7 Exploits
The global telephony signaling system SS7 has some known vulnerabilities that could allow hackers to listen in on calls, read texts, and track locations by gaining improper access to the cellular networks.
However, these SS7 attacks are highly complex, expensive, and typically only accessible to sophisticated criminal groups or governments. Average users don‘t need to lose sleep over this. Cellular carriers are also working to patch SS7 holes.
Vishing Scams
A much more common phone hacking risk is social engineering tricks like "vishing" (voice phishing). Instead of placing a call to directly hack your device, scammers call victims and impersonate legitimate companies to deceive them into revealing account credentials, financial info, and other sensitive data.
1 in 3 Americans reported losing money to phone scams in 2021, with an average loss of $502 according to Truecaller research. Vishing cons are surging as criminals exploit our trust over the phone channel.
So while scam calls likely won‘t hack your device itself, the callers can certainly wreak havoc if you fall for their ploys. Stay vigilant and never give out sensitive info to unsolicited callers. If in doubt, hang up and call back using an official number.
Text Message Hacking Risks
Compared to phone calls, malicious text messages pose a bit more of a potential hacking risk to your device, although still not just by virtue of receiving the SMS itself. Hackers can try to send texts containing malicious links or attachments that infect your phone with malware.
Smishing Scams
Similar to email phishing, smishing (SMS phishing) messages aim to trick you into clicking on a malicious link or downloading an infected file. They often impersonate legitimate companies and create a false sense of urgency.
For example, you might get a fake text claiming "your account has been locked, click here to verify your info." If you do, the link could send you to a convincing phishing page to steal your login credentials, or even trigger a drive-by malware download.
SMS Hijacking
Another way criminals exploit text messaging is through SMS hijacking. If a hacker can gain access to your cellular account, they can essentially take over your text capabilities.
Attackers often use SIM swapping techniques, by impersonating you to your carrier and having your number transferred to their own SIM card. Then they can intercept any two-factor authentication codes sent to you via text.
While SMS hijacking is a serious threat, the main vulnerability is lax carrier authentication to make account changes – not your actual device‘s security. It‘s more about identity fraud than malware infection. I‘ll share carrier security tips later on.
Spyware Concerns
If a hacker was able to trick you into installing spyware on your device, that malicious software could allow them some degree of remote access and monitoring capabilities. This includes potentially viewing your text messages.
However, getting that spyware on your phone in the first place typically requires you to interact with a malicious app or link. Simply receiving a text alone is not enough to infect you. The smishing techniques above pose a bigger risk.
Beware of suspicious text messages that pressure you to click links or share info. Source: FTC
How Common is Phone Hacking?
Hacking specifically by phone calls or text messages is thankfully not the most prevalent form of cell phone compromise. SIM swapping and malicious app downloads are more common culprits.
According to Verizon‘s 2022 Mobile Security Index, 45% of organizations experienced a mobile-related compromise in 2022. Leading causes were malicious apps and sites rather than call/text hacks.
Still, vishing and smishing scams are surging, and they can lead to account takeovers and identity fraud which are just as harmful as device breaches. An estimated 87% of Americans have received a smishing text. And complaints about phone scams to the FTC rose 32% from 2020 to 2021.
| Mobile Threat | Prevalence |
|---|---|
| Spam & scam calls (vishing) | 59.4 million Americans lost money to phone scams in 2021 |
| Phishing texts (smishing) | 87% of Americans have received a smishing message |
| Malicious apps | Top cause of mobile compromises in 2022 |
| SS7 cellular network exploits | Increasing risk but still very rare for average users |
Data sources: Truecaller, McAfee, Verizon
What To Do If Your Phone Is Hacked
While an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to mobile security, sometimes breaches still happen despite our best efforts. If you suspect your phone has been compromised, swift action is important to minimize the damage. Here are the key steps to take:
- Disconnect your phone from the internet immediately, by turning off WiFi, cellular data, and Bluetooth while you investigate.
- Scan your phone for malware using reliable mobile antivirus software and remove any threats found.
- Change the passwords to all your important accounts like email, banking, and social media. Watch for any signs of unauthorized access or changes.
- Check your phone bill for suspicious charges and report them to your carrier.
- Consider doing a full factory reset of your phone to wipe it clean and start fresh. Just make sure to backup your data first in case it‘s lost.
- Report any fraud or crime to the relevant authorities like the police, FTC, or FBI.
- Stay vigilant and take proactive steps (listed below) to better protect your phone and accounts moving forward.
How to Protect Your Phone From Hacking
Now that you have a broader understanding of the potential risks and impacts of phone hacking, let‘s focus on prevention. Here is my advice as a mobile security expert to reduce your chances of falling victim:
Secure Your Cellular Carrier Account
Contact your carrier and set up a unique PIN or password required to make any changes to your account. Consider using a secret security question too. Enable any extra security features they offer.
This helps protect against unauthorized SIM swaps or port-out scams where criminals can hijack your phone service. It‘s low-hanging fruit that many people neglect.
Don‘t Trust Unsolicited Calls and Texts
Be extremely wary of calls and texts from unknown numbers, especially if they sound urgent or too good to be true. Avoid clicking on links or downloading anything unless you can verify the source is 100% trustworthy.
If an alleged company or government agency demands sensitive info or payment over the phone, pump the brakes. Independently find their official contact info and reach out directly to inquire if the request was legitimate.
Keep Your Phone and Apps Updated
Regularly check for and install updates for your phone‘s operating system (like iOS or Android) and all the apps you use when available. These often include critical security patches against newfound vulnerabilities.
Cybercriminals are constantly looking for holes to exploit in outdated software. Staying up-to-date helps plug those gaps and reduce your attack surface. Enable automatic app updates for convenience.
Use Strong, Unique Passwords
Make sure all your accounts that are accessible from your phone are protected by strong, unique passwords. That means at least 12 characters mixing upper and lower case, numbers, and symbols.
Crucially, don‘t reuse the same password across multiple accounts. Otherwise one breach can domino into many. Consider using a reputable password manager to securely generate and store complex passwords.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication
Add an extra layer of protection to your important accounts by turning on two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever offered. This requires a second credential beyond your password to login, like a code from an authenticator app.
So even if a criminal gets ahold of your password through a phishing scam or data breach, they still can‘t access your account without that second factor. Hardware security keys offer even stronger protection.
Be Selective About App Permissions
When you install a new app, pay attention to what permissions it requests access to, like your contacts, camera, microphone, location, etc. Only grant permissions that are truly necessary for the app‘s function.
Some shady apps use excessive permissions to slurp up data to sell or even spy on you. Avoid installing apps from outside official app stores, and do your due diligence on the developer first.
Stay Informed and Vigilant
Ultimately, your own awareness and instincts are your best defense against mobile threats. Stay up-to-date on the latest scams and hacking trends. Share these tips with friends and family so they stay safe too.
Trust your gut if something feels "off" about an interaction. Take the time to independently verify any requests that involve your sensitive info or money before acting. A little extra caution can save you a lot of heartache.
The Bottom Line on Phone Hacking
To sum up, your risk of having your phone completely hacked just from an incoming call is quite low. Vishing scammers can definitely trick you out of data or money if you let your guard down, but they typically can‘t compromise your actual device.
Text messages are a bit more likely to contain malicious links or files that could infect your phone with malware if you interact with them. But the text itself likely won‘t auto-hack your device. Your level of caution and cyber hygiene is a key factor.
More prevalent phone hacking risks include SIM swapping scams to intercept your calls and texts, shady apps that leak data and spy on you, and phishing sites that steal your credentials. Focus your prevention efforts there too.
Implement the tips we covered like using strong unique passwords, enabling 2FA, keeping software updated, limiting app permissions, and not trusting unsolicited requests for info. Be a savvy, vigilant mobile user.
No one can 100% eliminate their risk of phone hacking in today‘s digital world, but you can certainly minimize it and make yourself a much harder target. Stay alert out there and spread the word!
Have more mobile security questions or tips to share? Leave a comment below and let‘s discuss. Stay safe!