Spying is an invasion of privacy and is illegal. Although the technological revolution has provided a lot of convenience and comfort, it can also be misused in the wrong hands. Whether someone has installed a camera or hijacked your electronic devices, you need to be aware of it, so you can protect yourself and take the right action instantly.
Nowadays, one can visit a SpyShop and get various anti-spy devices without any hassle to keep their personal and financial information protected from criminals. We’ll share more effective tips in this article to help you protect yourself from unethical or illegal spying.
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1. Smartphone Spying Applications
Your smartphone may be a treasure for criminals as it contains personal and financial information such as text messages, pictures, banking info, etc.
Once a spying app is installed on your smartphone, the hacker can access calls, emails, text messages, and other data from your social media apps like Facebook and Instagram.
Some apps may also locate you in real-time via GPS and even listen to your phone calls. Their icon may be hidden on your smartphone, and they can access all your data once installed.
Prevention
Whether you own an android or IOS, you can prevent
- Never leave your phone unattended in the hands of any person. Better to keep it with you at all times.
- Use a biometric look to provide your phone with better protection and security.
- When unlocking your phone through PIN or a pattern combination, check out your surroundings first.
- Keep an eye on your device for unusual activities like increased network usage, random waking, and unexpected network connections.
How to Detect and Remove Spy Apps?
If you believe your smartphone is acting strange, you must monitor and detect the spyware apps. For both IOS and android, you should factory reset your phones as this will completely delete any hidden spyware apps.
Although it will delete all your data from your phone, you will be safe from unethical and illegal spying.
2. Desktop Spying Applications
Malware, keyloggers, and even remote access applications can give criminals access to your computer. This can’t only monitor all your activity but also keep an eye on your keystrokes to easily guess your social media and bank account password.
It’s easier to install a spying app remotely on your desktop, usually through emails. Hackers usually don’t even need access to your computer to install a desktop spying app.
Prevention
Here is how you can prevent yourself from being spied on through your desktop:
- Create a strong and unique password for your desktop and set a short timer for your desktop’s password to ensure no one else gets access to it while you’re away.
- Install a robust antivirus and anti-malware program on your computer to keep any viruses and bugs, and cyber perpetrators at bay. Make sure to keep them updated.
- The program list of your computer can usually tell that spyware or malware has been installed, so it’s better to keep a check.
How to Detect and Remove Spy Apps?
If your computer is sluggish, is crashing out of nowhere, and showing several popups or random error messages, there’s a possibility that spyware or malware has been installed on your desktop.
In such a case, you should run a scan on your computer through the antivirus software installed to remove it. Turning on the safe mode before running a scan can better detect it since the virus can hide during a regular boot.
3. Audio and Video Spying
Microphones and cameras can be hidden in your home, office, or car. Hidden cameras usually have advanced features like night vision, face detection, and live streaming.
If you think someone is spying on you via audio or video, you should check the places in your space where cameras are mostly hidden, such as clocks, wall pictures, lights, smoke detectors, shelves, and flower pots.
How to Detect Cameras and Microphones?
Turn off the lights in your room that you suspect of being bugged and look for the red LED light that cameras or even microphones give off. You can also use a torch as it can help you check if there’s a reflection of the lens.
RF detectors may also come in handy to assess any signals a camera or microphone may send. Once you detect them, quickly cut off the connection and inform the responsible authorities.
4. GPS Tracking Devices
GPS tracking devices are ideal for spies to track your movement and keep an eye on you if they aren’t able to access you through desktops and smartphones.
Generally, these tracking devices may be hidden inside the rear speakers, the bumper, the grill, the glove compartment, and the gap between the window and the hood.
How to Detect GPS Tracking Devices?
You should physically suspect the areas of your car to find any GPS tracking devices. An RF detector will also be helpful for you to detect these tracking devices as they usually emit RF waves.
This way, you will prevent the risk of exposing personal and financial information to criminals and keeping yourself and your loved ones safe.
Aditional Security Tips
To prevent information theft, it is also necessary to take additional security measures, such as adding strong passwords, cold-storing relevant information, and controlling the flow of personal information to only trusted entities. Using secure networks is also the best way to prevent potential intruders from using your sensitive information.
The most important thing is that sensitive information that does not need to be transmitted over the Internet must be processed on devices without an Internet connection, thus reducing the possibility of it being discovered or stolen, even within the same local network.