When you pick up your phone to receive a call or dial someone, have you ever stopped to think that someone or an app may be listening in and extracting some important information to use against you? Sometimes, you may be thinking to yourself, “I have nothing to hide, so the joke is on them!”. But, while the motives are varied, from catching a cheating spouse to simply being naughty, there’s still a lot at stake, even if you have nothing to hide.
When you really think about it, what if the spy listens in on a call between you and your bank and uncovers some personal data that they could use to steal your identity? And by the way, a person with ill intent could even eavesdrop when you are calling your friend bragging about your latest win on a casino Vulkan Vegas online, for example. Thus, in case you bagged a huge win, then you automatically become a bigger target for the assailant. Moreover, let’s say you had a problem with your Vulkan Vegas login: as secure as the gaming platform is, a hacker could easily redirect your phone call. So, instead of taking to the platform’s customer support, you end up disclosing your information to a con.
Hackers may even go as far as recording your voice and use it to steal from you or incriminate you on a crime. Sometimes, your line of work makes you more susceptible to being under surveillance. I bet you are now reconsidering your position. You should, but this doesn’t mean that you need to get paranoid and avoid phone calls altogether. You can protect the privacy of your phone calls in a few simple steps.
Use End-to-End Encryption Software
This keeps your data secure and, therefore, private since any interception will render the information useless to the intruder. In addition, end-to-end encryption ensures that your voice and data remain encrypted in transition to the destination and will only be decrypted at the other interlocutor’s end. This will protect you from man-in-the-middle attacks. You can test how secure your current calls are with apps like ZRTP, where you will find out if the SAS code on your device matches the one on the other person’s phone during a phone call. However, you should also note that your service provider and the government may still have access to your phone call details for national security purposes.
Keep Your Phone Close
The easiest way for someone to access your phone calls is by physically altering your settings or installing some malicious software to listen in on your phone calls. Some of these spy apps like FlexiSpy have been reported to be very effective in remotely enabling its users to listen in on other people’s calls. Unfortunately, with everyone being more and more tech-savvy, finding ways to get into your phone is a matter of Googling how to.
Avoid Making Sensitive Calls in Public
Have you ever boarded a bus or train, and by the end of your trip, you know everything about your seatmate from a single phone call they made to their aunt Polly? Well, if you are the type to reveal private information, albeit unknowingly, you may be putting yourself or someone else in danger, as someone with ill intentions may listen and use it against you or your friend. And as we’ve already discussed, people in some lines of work need to be even more cautious.
Limit the Apps on Your Phone
Limiting your apps will help you identify any strange new app on your list and kill any plans for someone to listen to your calls and sabotage you before it even happens. Then again, so many apps ask for permission to access different apps on your phone, and accepting the terms is something that most users never think twice about. Always check your setting for app permissions and evaluate how much freedom you are giving your app providers to get into your phone and, consequently, phone calls. Carry out an audit for why you need all the apps you have and get rid of idle apps that will be the Trojan Horse into your phone.
Stay Vigilant!
Most people assume that privacy in calls only applies to online calls and video calls. But the fact is hackers can gain access to other parts of your phone that do not necessarily operate with an active internet connection. So, be on the watch for any suspicious settings or apps on your phone, as they could be the entry point for hackers to exploit you!
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