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Tips to beat hackers at their own game

todayOctober 3, 2024 65

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Phone hacking has become such a norm that hackers have become brazen.

During a cybersecurity event in February, it was revealed that South Africa has, so far, seen a 104% increase in mobile cyberthreats.

While the stats might sound a bit far-fetched – hacking is a reality that’s been experienced by many.

On Wednesday, YNews anchor, Nokwaza Qumbisa, was among those who recently fell victim to hackers.

The unknown, unidentified individual hijacked her number, kicked her out of the network and her WhatsApp.

The hacker also managed to text some of her contacts, going as far as asking for money.

Qumbisa believes that network providers need to do better when it comes to security questions, for instance.

According to tech expert, Trent Meikle, there are many ways in which a phone or social media account can be hacked.

“Bad actors resort to methods such as tricking users into downloading bad software, either by tricking a user into downloading a phony app they believe to be real – or accessing your smartphone physically.”

Meikle says hackers can then install keyloggers directly onto a person’s device to keep track of what they are typing, which can help them see sensitive information such as passwords, email addresses and bank pins.

He says they do this by, among others, installing a Trojan, which is a type of malware that can scoop up all of that information automatically and send it back to the hacker for their own personal use.

Hackers also use sim swap scams and phishing, where they use email or SMS in attacks where they offer users a way to divulge their personal information without realising it, fooling them into believing that they are speaking with a reputable source (such as their bank).

Phishing scams trick you into giving hackers access to your device or data by sending you fake text messages or emails containing malicious links.

“It’s also worth mentioning that bad actors can also access your device should you connect to the wrong Wi-Fi network, believing it to be a free network owned by a restaurant or something similar,” says Meikle.

Scammers can be found across the world and this crime is fast becoming a way of living for some.

Meikle’s says there are ways Yires can prevent these attacks from happening.

He says users must refrain from:

  • Repeating passwords across different platforms and must look at having more complex and sophisticated passwords.

“An alarming number of users continue to re-use passwords every day,” he says.

Meikle has also advised people to use password manager on their smartphones and desktop devices, which can help keep track of more complex passwords and enable users to not remember their passwords as often.

  • Secondly, he urges people to avoid having their phones accessed physically.

“Users can use biometrics such as a face scan or fingerprint to open their devices. A pin or password must be set as a back-up,” he adds.

  • One of the other ways users can protect themselves is to avoid downloading games or apps that are not on their smartphones’ official app store (iOS App Store and Google Play Store).

“This is an easy way for bad actors to gain access to your phone’s internals without the user being the wiser. There are many security-focused apps that can help sweep and detect any suspicious activity on the smartphone,” says Meikle.

  • Never ever click on a link that you are not 100% sure what they are – especially if they are sent in email/SMS format.

“If we are talking about a social media account being hacked, the only solution is to immediately change the password and log out all devices. If a debit/credit card was associated with the account, it’s worth cancelling the card too, just to be safe, to prevent bad actors from using the card to their advantage,” says Meikle.

  • Always keep your phone’s software and apps fully up to date.

Meikle says there are some steps that cellphone users can take even after someone has hacked into their device.

  • Backing up your smartphone often is a great idea, allowing you to fully reset your smartphone to get rid of any unwanted visitors in your phone at a moment’s notice.

Continuing without conversation, Meikle says, hackers’ methods are only becoming more complex.

“This force users to grow and adapt with the times and employ more stringent security protocols surrounding their devices to avoid the issue,” he says.

Written by: Nonhlanhla Harris

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