How to Secure iPhone from Hackers

There is a possibility that your iPhone could be hacked, but don’t panic! The following tips and tricks will help you protect your iPhone data and strengthen its security.

What are the chances of someone hacking my iPhone? What are the signs that my iPhone has been hacked? We receive a lot of questions like these from our readers. There is no doubt that the answer is YES. Apple’s ever-increasing layers of security of iPhone cannot prevent it from being hacked. Here is how to protect your phone from hackers without sacrificing your sanity or safety.

Also Read: iPhone 14 Specs — Comparison of the four new iPhones 14

How to protect your iPhone from hackers: Do’s and Don’ts

Although it’s not worth panicking over, we should exercise caution to prevent unwittingly allowing hackers access to our devices. There are a lot of ways to secure your iPhone and apple protects it from hackers, but let’s start with the basics.

1. Do: Update iOS frequently

The best way to protect your iOS and ipadOS devices from hackers is to update your devices to the latest software. Despite the scepticism of some iPhone users, this is the best advice you can give. As Apple updates its products, they improve iPhone security features and fix any previously overlooked weaknesses that might allow hackers to gain access.

There are often problems with iOS updates in the first few weeks after they are released.

I highly recommend updating iOS on your phone regularly, but wait a couple of weeks after the new version is released before updating. You should install the new version on your device as soon as possible unless the update addresses known, serious security of iPhone issues. You can update your device by following these steps:

Go to the settings app
Choose General
Click on the software update option

Secure iPhone from Hackers

Follow the prompts to download and install an iOS or iPadOS update if available.

2. Do: Make sure your Apple ID password is updated regularly

As mentioned above, but worth repeating: your Apple ID plays a crucial role in keeping your iPhone security. All passwords are ruled by this one password. iPhone hackers can access your iCloud, your iCloud keychain, and everything if your Apple ID is compromised. A regular password change adds an extra layer of security to your Apple ID. By doing this, you’re ensuring that even if an instant hacker gets a hold of your password, it won’t be valid for long.

Changing your Apple ID password every six months is a good idea. Your Apple ID password can be changed right on your device if you have two-factor authentication enabled. This can be accomplished by:

Go to the settings app
At the top, tap your Apple ID
Password and security should be selected
Click the Change Password button
The current passcode for your iPhone will be required

Secure iPhone from Hackers

Follow the prompts to complete the iPhone passcode reset once you have verified your identity with the passcode.

3. Do: Use only trusted charging stations

The number of charging stations in airports, cafes, and other public places has increased over the past few years. We use these stations because they are convenient, but they are not guaranteed to be iPhone-secure. CLEVER hackers create false “charging ports” in public places so they can access your iPhone’s data in addition to supplying power. Both charging and data transmission are possible with Lightning cables. As long as the instant hacker is within range of your wireless network when your iPhone is paired with a juice-jacking charging station, the iPhone hacker can wirelessly access your device at any time without your knowledge.

To avoid this, keep a small battery pack with you so you can charge your devices when they run low.

By doing this, you can charge everything at home, and you’ll have extra power when you’re on the go. If you want to use a charging cable while out and about, you can buy a data-blocking one, but I haven’t found an apple-certified model. Please link to it in the comments if you find one. Alternatively, you can turn on your iPhone’s lock screen and then don’t use the phone while it’s charging in a public station. By doing this, your data will remain safe.

4. Do: Use lockdown mode in iOS 16

Apple’s iOS 16 will introduce a lockdown mode that you can use to instantly protect your iPhone against hackers. In order to protect unlikely targets from highly targeted cyber attacks, this lockdown mode has been designed with this in mind.

You can update iOS 16 on your iPhone by following these steps:

Go to setting
Choose privacy and settings
Select Lockdown mode

If lockdown mode is enabled, it will be activated

Attachments with non-images and link previews are blocked in messages
Web technologies such as just-in-time javascript compilation should be disabled
Apple services, such as FaceTime, can be blocked from sending you invitations and service requests
Disconnect wired connections from computers or accessories
Do not allow any configuration profiles to be installed.

5. Don’t: Jailbreak

One of the best ways to keep hackers from accessing your iPhone is to never jailbreak it. The jailbreak process allows iPhone users to access apps and software not available in Apple’s ecosystem, but it exposes your phone to viruses and other malware. Once you have jailbroken your iPhone, you have also void its warranty. If something goes wrong with your phone, Apple will not be able to assist you.

6. Don’t: Engage with a suspicious message

It is important to be cautious when you are online, in messages, and when you open emails. In most cases, iPhone hackers gain access to your iPhone through malware links and scammy emails. When you click on a link in an email, the link installs software that gives the instant hacker access to your iPhone without your knowledge. It is a good rule of thumb to only open timings, messages, and emails from sources you trust. Accordingly, this means:

Whenever you browse the web, open a link only if you know where it will take you and that the site you are visiting is legitimate.
When you receive text messages from unknown numbers, check the message preview to see if it is from someone you know. Simply delete any message that seems strange, asks for something, or contains a link or other suspicious content.
You should delete the email if it contains a newsletter you have not signed up for or a link or attachment you have not requested. Sometimes your friends’ email or message accounts can be hacked. Afterwards, the hacker sends emails or messages to everyone they have addresses for. I’m going to reiterate this: never open attachments or links from an email or text unless you specifically requested them, even if they are from a friend.
Make sure the website is legitimate before entering information.

You should also be wary of iPhone hackers and scammers posing as Apple and PayPal. I have received fake PayPal emails in the past saying I was locked out of my account and that I needed to click the link. I clicked it, entered my information, and noticed that the URL was not PayPal itself, but a subtle variation.

7. Don’t: Use public Wi-Fi or logins that are not secure

Since public networks are inherently less secure, public Wi-Fi is one of the easiest ways to be hacked. It is highly recommended that you use a closed wi-fi network like the one you may have set up at home in order to pay bills, log into accounts, and perform other private activities. People who do the majority of their work in cafes or who are away from home with spotty cellular service are likely to use public WiFi. Use a virtual private network (VPN) if that is the case for you, which will create a private security net around your internet activity.

8. Don’t: Download shady apps

As compared to Android devices, Apple devices operate within a much more controlled and closed digital ecosystem. While apple screens apps are typically much safer than the old method: however, it’s not foolproof.

According to Ning Zhang, who leads Washington University’s computer security and privacy lab, apps that ask for more information than they need should be avoided.

An app that asks for your location, contact list, camera, or microphones, such as a wallpaper or flashlight app, should be avoided. There is a good chance the developers are tricking you into giving out this information for the purpose of selling it.

Conclusion

A group of app developers constantly develops hacking apps for the public to purchase. Usually, they appear as an app with a different feature set: you download it for free, and it starts doing things behind the scenes you don’t want. For minor problems, such as an app that steals your information, delete the app and update your software. You may need to wipe your iPhone and restore it to factory settings in serious cases. However, even if you do that, you may not have completely removed the malware, especially if your phone is jailbroken.

The only way to be safe is to get a new phone if you are really, really worried about security. “If someone gets on your phone, which is extremely difficult with iPhones, they can install stuff like keyloggers, which means every key press, every letter you type, is going to someone.”, says Green. You can’t be sure you have privacy until you’re sure that’s gone.

I hope these tips and tricks covering how to protect your phone from hacking have been helpful.