Smartphone hacking research

Phones have become accessories most people can’t live without, perhaps as vital as an organ to some of us...! And just as our bodies can be harmed by viruses and intruders, so can our phones.

In fact, mobile app hacking is on the rise according to a recent report by RSA, with smartphones being the biggest targets.

With that in mind, here at Case24 we were interested in finding more about which mobile phone brands are more prone to getting hacked and also which apps are most at risk.

To gather the information, we had a look at the monthly Google search volumes to see how many Americans and Brits are looking to find information on how to hack different apps and different phone brands.

Mobile phone hacking in America
UK When looking at the number of times Americans searched how to hack different types of phone brands, the results show that the very famous iPhone ranks first with a whopping 48,010 people searching how to hack it every month. In second place come Samsung owners, with 3,100 Americans searching monthly how to hack into Samsung phones. LG is third with 670 searches/month, while Sony, Nokia and Huawei were the phones hackers are least interested in, with under 500 searches/month each.

In other words, if you are an iPhone owner, then you are approximately 192 times more likely to have your phone hacked than if you were a Huawei owner.

What are the apps most at risked of being hacked in US?
Just like with phone brands, some apps are more prone to being hacked than others. In fact, your Instagram account is approximately 24 times more at risk of being hacked than your Netflix account. The results show that a shocking 66,960 Americans are interested in finding out how to hack someone’s IG account every month.

If you are using Snapchat and WhatsApp accounts you are not safe either, with over 35,000 Americans intending to find information on how to hack into these apps every month.

Mobile phone hacking in the UK UK
Perhaps it comes to no surprise that, just like in the USA, the phone brands most prone to being hacked are iPhone and Samsung, with Steve Jobs’ pride and joy enticing 10,040 Brits a month to ask how to hack into it, while 700 people ask the same for Samsung every month.

Huawei is third with 200 searches/month, while LG, Nokia and Sony were the phones hackers are least interested in, with under 100 searches/month each.

What are the apps most at risked of being hacked in UK?
For Brits, your IG account is approximately 17 times more likely to be targeted by hackers than your Netflix account. The results show that a shocking 12,410 Brits are interested in finding out how to hack someone’s Instagram account every month, while ‘only’ 750 are interested in finding a way to not pay for their own Netflix. When it comes to Snapchat and WhatsApp, over 7,000 Brits intend to find information on how to hack into these apps every month.

How to hack proof your phone

1. Keep your phone up to date
While updating your phone takes time and you might not always be happy with the changes, this will make it more difficult for hackers to gain access to it.
2. Don’t install untrustworthy apps
Some apps may ask you to grant access to various type of information upon installing them, information such as access to the camera, microphone and files. So, make sure that you only install legitimate apps that won’t abuse their rights.
3. Lock your phone
If you don’t have a password to protect you phone, make one now. Locking your phone will make it much harder for people to hack into your device.
4. Turn on tracking
This is good to have on in case your phone gets lost or stolen, as it allows you to track its whereabouts.
5. Don’t open strange texts and emails
If you receive a text or and email from an unknown sender, make sure you don’t click on it, or any link provided in the content of the massage as this is how hackers can install a virus or malware onto your device.