I'm worried that my phone might have been compromised. A colleague of mine has been dealing with a hacker who's blackmailing him for money. After a call with him, I received a message from the hacker through my Gmail, which my other colleague also has access to. The hacker claimed to have pictures of me and my girlfriend. I'm not seeing any unusual data usage, but my battery life has been draining more quickly lately. I reset my phone and created new accounts, but I haven't changed the ROM yet. I'm considering doing that, but I'd have to transfer all my photos and data, which sounds like a hassle. How can I check if this hacker has really accessed my phone?
3 Answers
One straightforward step you can take is to change your Gmail password and enable two-factor authentication. That could help secure your account and prevent further access from this hacker. If you're serious about security, consider doing a full factory reset on your phone and switching to a new ROM, but make sure to back up important data first!
The battery issue might not be directly related to the hacking attempt—phones do lose battery performance over time. But still, it’s definitely worth checking for any suspicious apps or processes. Look through your apps and see if there’s anything unfamiliar or if any permissions look odd. If you're really concerned, transferring your important photos and doing a fresh install could be the safest route.
Did you open the document file he sent you? It could have had malware or macros embedded in it. If you did, that raises some red flags. It's a good idea to run a security scan or use antivirus software to check for any unusual activity.
Yes, I did open it, but I'm still not sure if he has access or not. If he does, what should I do next?