When you detect a keylogger on your phone, it is a serious issue. Keyloggers are malicious software programs that are usually remotely installed on your phone and track your keystrokes and other activities. It does not take long for these nasty programs to start draining your battery as well as causing you to lose privacy. Imagine having someone gaining access to all of your passwords and user names. This can cause financial or personal problems.
If you detect a keylogger on your phone, it is important to fix the problem before your data is compromised. To understand how that might happen, it’s essential to understand how a keylogger software works. Once a keylogger is installed on your phone, an individual can track all the activities on your device. These include –
- Calls and text messages
- Social media conversations (on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Telegram, and more)
- Track your browsing history
- Remotely access your camera and microphone
- Track your location in real-time and more.
These details are uploaded to an online database through which someone can track all your activities. Additionally, as the name suggests, a keylogger records all your keystrokes, which means that the person spying on you can also gain access to all your passwords and financial PINs.
This article will guide you through a few key ways to detect a keylogger on your phone, which are very important given the rise in cybercrime.
4 Ways to Detect a Keylogger on Your Phone
Your Phone’s Battery Gets Used up Sooner Than Usual
Any app on your device uses up its battery. The same goes for a keylogger. As someone who actively uses their phone, you must be aware of how long a full charge lasts on your device. As a result, if you suddenly notice that the battery is getting drained out faster than usual, the first thing you should do is to check your battery usage in your device’s settings.
For example, go to Settings > Battery on your Android device and check how much of your battery has been used since the last charge and tally this reduction with how much each app has used. If you find some discrepancy, this could be a sign that an invisible keylogger is using up your phone’s battery.
Your Phone’s Data Gets Over Sooner Than Usual
Just like your device’s battery, a keylogger also needs access to the internet to perform its primary function, which is to relay all the data from your device to an online database. As a result, this can lead to excessive data consumption. So, if you notice that your data is getting over sooner than usual, this could be signal the presence of a keylogger.
Once again, you can do this by tallying how much data each app on your device has consumed vis-a-vis the total data used so far. Any discrepancy can signal the presence of an invisible keylogger on your device.
You Notice Unusual Changes on Your Device
Some keyloggers also allow the person spying on you to remotely control certain activities on your device. As a result, if you notice the presence of strange apps or weird calls or messages on your phone which you never made or sent, it could mean that someone is remotely controlling your device. You need to take immediate action in such a scenario.
Strange messages being sent to your contacts can also hurt your reputation, especially if the content of these messages is inappropriate. Thus, you must keep an eye out for such changes and take immediate action if you notice them.
Your Phone Heats up Even When Not in Use
Every device is bound to heat up a little when it’s in use. This heating up can significantly increase when using heavier apps or games. However, when your phone isn’t in use, your phone naturally cools down. However, if you notice that your phone is warm or hot even after it’s been left idle for a long time, it could be a sign that there is some app running in the background.
If all your recent apps have been closed and you can’t figure out what could possibly be heating up your phone so much, you can rest assured that there is a keylogger on your device that is trying to extract information and relay it to its respective dashboard.
How to Remove a Keylogger From Your Device
Use a Spyware Removal Tool
The best way to remove keyloggers is with adware and spyware removal software. These programs work by searching through your entire phone and removing any parts of the code that are related to the keylogger program. After it has removed these keylogger elements from your system, your phone should run smoothly, and your privacy should be protected. It is best to find one of these programs and purchase it from a trusted source online.
While you might find several such tools for free that claim to get rid of any keylogger from your device, they can often be unreliable and can sometimes also be keyloggers themselves that can install on your phone and extract all your sensitive information.
Get Rid Of Malware
Malware is another type of keylogger, and it works much like a Trojan horse. It runs silently in the background and reports information about your activity. Most malware doesn’t cause any harm to your phone, but there are some that can delete files, free up your storage, or log keystrokes. Using an anti-malware program is the best way to get rid of them.
There are some other ways to detect keyloggers on the phone. If you’re trying to remove a malware program, you can run an anti-malware program alongside a spyware or adware removal program. This will help fight off these keyloggers and prevent them from getting into your system. You should also make sure that you have the latest updates for your security suite. Some keyloggers can be updated easily with new malware, and you don’t want this to happen to your phone.
Perform a Factory Reset
If all else fails, the best way to remove a keylogger from your phone is to perform a factory reset. Doing this gets rid of all data and programs on your device, which means that it will also be able to remove any invisible keylogger. However, before you go ahead and take this final step, remember that take a backup of all your data, including your WhatsApp conversations, to ensure you retrieve them all when you reinstall the app later.
In Conclusion
As you can see, a keylogger can be a pesky intrusion that can prove to be immensely dangerous to your private information. As a result, you must always be vigilant and keep an eye out for the signs that can point to its presence on your phone. We hope this guide helps you understand the signs and ways to get rid of a keylogger from your phone if you ever come across one.