Hacked Apps: How to Identify and Fix Them

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Have you ever had to deal with a phone with hacked apps or hack-related issues before?

As of 2023, 80% of attacks against mobile devices happen through apps.

Out of dire need and desperation, having lost my phone to a thief, I bought an Android device to get through the times. It was a horrible experience with ads, pop-ups, auto-installation of apps, and lots more. I was frustrated.

I would later learn that some apps on my phone were hacked. Have you always been bothered that your phone might have been hacked? Or you have the question, “How do I know if my phone has been hacked?”

What are Hacked Apps?

A hacked app is a mobile application that is manipulated, whether purposefully or not, and has vulnerabilities. They infect your phone, affect your operations, and may unlawfully access your files and trigger certain actions.

Often, phones get hacked in the presence of an unprotected app. An app that is vulnerable to bugs or purposely made to be a bug on people’s phones is an infection to everything, including personal information on your phone.

Many apps that claim to do something special, which is often illegal, or promise to give access to some tools are culprits of device hacking–e.g., an app that claims to download any form of software, music, or video on the web may be hacked. An app that allows you to stream a show or event can be dangerous, too.

Signs of a Hacked Phone

1. Pop-up advertisements when using apps or browsing the net. They can claim the whole screen with only a little “x” for you to close them. Sometimes, they may even have no close button. Avoid clicking on them.

   
   

2. SMS messages and calls you did not initiate. Have you been getting any? Some SMS from unknown sources or ad messages can contain links; avoid them.

3. Apps you did not install. They may be gambling or betting apps. Sometimes, they are p*rn or x-rated apps.

   
   

4. The battery drains too fast.

5. Unreasonable increase in data consumption and usage. You now require more data to access the internet; perhaps it finishes too early, or you notice that you are going overboard with your data consumption beyond usual.

6. Suspected sign-outs from your phone-based accounts or unusual activity that asks you to confirm or change your passwords.

How to Get Rid of Hacked Apps

Remove unrecognized apps.

This requires patience and consistency, as some apps may keep reinstalling even after you have deleted them. If any of them is stubborn and will not uninstall, try to put your phone in “Safe Mode.”

While not all devices may have a Safe Mode start, the Samsung Galaxy series does. Through Safe Mode, you can see system apps as permanent. So, you can see all third-party apps as grayscale and uninstall them. All third-party apps are disabled in safe mode.

Block malicious ads and annoying pop-ups.

I am sure we all hate pop-ups, including the designers of those annoying banners.

When an ad banner takes over your screen, there is a potential problem. Sometimes, you click it unintentionally, especially if you were using your phone when the pop-up came on. So, a good solution would be to use an adblocker.

It is really safer for you if you use your system’s ad blocker. However, if your phone does not have a system ad blocker, you can check out other ad blockers. Read reviews and comments before you decide. Don’t jump on a random ad blocker.

Stubborn apps? Freeze them!

So, sometimes, some apps seem like they won’t go off even if you uninstall them. That was my case. If your phone has a freezer (a ‘place’—for the lack of a better term—or system that allows you to pause an app), then you can put these malicious apps in there. That way, they are still on your phone but paused.

Disable apps manually.

Unfortunately, not many phone brands have a freezer. However, you can try to go to your phone’s settings and then to apps. From there, look for any potentially hacked apps to clear the cache and data. Then, you can disable them.

For most, if not all, devices, disabling an app is only functional for as long as your phone stays on. Once you reboot, all apps restart, fully functional. So, you may want to check if those apps are still disabled or if you will have to manually disable them each time you power on your phone.

Still Persisting? It’s time for a factory reset.

I am sorry it has to come to this. If any of the above methods do not work, then you have to do a factory reset. A factory reset or formatting will wipe your phone’s memory of all data and installed apps. Your phone will be as good as new, except for the body, of course.

Well, for me, I had to do a factory reset on my old phone twice. When I got fed up, I decided I would not use unbranded phones or phones with no major market share. Never again.

If you are still not confident about what to do next, try getting technical support from a walk-in phone store or a remote view support.

How to Protect My Phone from Getting Hacked

Use a trusted VPN (paid or ad-free, preferably): When visiting an untrusted site, cover your data track using a VPN as a shield. Public Wi-Fi is the least safe data source for connecting to the internet. Your activities here are exposed to other networks. So, using a VPN can give you extra protection if you use a public network for internet access.

Get good phone products with credible brand names. See, the truth is, your phone security issue is about 50% solved when you have a trusted brand. A good phone brand can have enough apps for most of your daily drives. It may also offer cloud services and other things.

For instance, I am a Samsung fan and customer. Samsung offers its internet browser app, cloud storage, password manager, remote view support app (Smart Tutor), file share app (Smart Switch), Galaxy app store, messaging app, etc. That way, I minimize third-party apps that I get to install on my phone. I can trust the brand to do a better security job than I can when it comes to keeping up with my security privately.

Use trusted app stores. Many hacked apps are obtained from untrusted websites. An advantage of app stores is that they have standards for apps that would be uploaded on the platforms. Also, they run protection tests on the apps before they are approved. Although 25% of apps on Google Play have security flaws, it is a lot safer to get apps from stores than elsewhere.

Don’t leave your gadget with an untrusted hand. Always let your phone be with you at all times. For no reason should your phone be with an untrusted person. A minute is too much to get your phone hacked! Most importantly, if you lose your phone for a while and a good Samaritan claims to have found it, you should perform a routine check of the apps and the integrity of your data. Change your passwords, too.

Utilize the app permission settings: Ensure that app permissions are set to be manually allowed by you. That way, you are in charge of what other programs an app can access on your phone, such as microphone, camera, device storage, Bluetooth, etc.

With this setting, your phone hinders apps from accessing programs or places where you might have stored sensitive information.

Another setting you will find helpful is for your phone to not allow installation from unknown sources. Your phone will give a trigger warning when applications from unknown sources want to get installed on your device. ‘Unknown sources’ often refer to places outside your phone’s app store or Android store (Play Store).

Keep your operating system updated: Phones and OS get affected by bugs, which may not be from your end. Phone operating systems can develop bugs or issues that can compromise the phone’s safety and security. So, keeping your phone updated is a safe thing to do.

In conclusion

Hacked apps are characterized by intrusion and malware that can affect your personal and data safety. Signs include popup ads, SMS and calls you didn't initiate, apps you didn't install, fast-draining battery, and unreasonable data consumption. Solutions include removing apps, blocking pop-ups, freezing them, and manually disabling apps.

Apart from using ad blockers, you can try out browser-based pop-up blocking using this method. It works for Google Chrome, and the process is similar for most other browsers.

It is better to be proactive with your security than to leave things to chance. In my experience, unpopular phone brands do a terrible job of securing their products. After formatting my phone twice, I still had issues with the ads until I decided to save up for a better phone. Give yourself peace of mind by buying a safe product.

You may say I have nothing to lose; I don’t have much right now. With spyware, in the future, you may be at the mercy of cybercriminals and blackmailers.

Hey, you can also read about how a hacked variant of WhatsApp is giving Meta a run for its money.