Do you think that your Mac was hacked? Do you feel that someone or something is spying on you when you are watching YouTube, or when your Mac is left unattended at home?

There are many ways how a human or a program can get on your computer and do harm to you and your privacy:

• It could be a spyware, a malicious hacker, or someone you know, such as a parent, a spouse, a friend.
• They can access your photos, videos, and emails
• They can take embarrassing pictures of you using a webcam
• They can listen and record your conversations
• They can monitor your browsing history
• They can use your computer to mine Bitcoins
• They can encrypt everything on your disk and then ask for a ransom

Computers have never been safe, and now when we rely so much on them, it is extremely important to protect ourselves from malicious actors.

This topic is too broad to fit into one blog post, so I am writing mini-series, which will help you to minimize the impact and secure your Mac.

Signs That Your Mac Was hacked

A hacker can gain access to your Mac by a variety of means, including social engineering and security vulnerabilities in the Mac OS X operating system or in installed applications. However, all of these methods result in Mac OS X keeping a log of the usage of each user account in the computer. My Mac has currently been hacked. I am finding out he is getting into all my bank accounts and changing the password and even 401k and trading accts. He is also attempting to hack my girlfriends computers as well as we speak. I think he got in through a hole i had with my smart tv, google WiFi, wenmo plugs, google home, Phillips hue lights etc.

If you are reading this post, chances are you noticed something unusual is happening on your Mac. Sometimes you have a hunch, but you can’t explain it. However, most of those signs can be explained by reasons other than malware or hackers. So, let’s review the major signs.

Mac suddenly became slow for no apparent reasons

I’ve been developing commercial software for more than twenty years. There were many times when I received a call from the customer complaining that their computers, servers, programs are slow.

Every time I am getting a call, the first thing I ask if they did something before they noticed the problem. Do you know how many times they admitted that they changed something? You guessed it, zero. How many times did customers cause the problem? Almost always.

My Mac Has Been Hacked

Following are some of the reasons why Mac can be slow:

• There is a virus or other malware
• Not enough disk space on Mac
• New OS was installed
• Hardware failure

Mac is using more Internet than usual

This one is harder to detect now than before. We used to have limits on how much Internet bandwidth we could use. Today, when many people have unlimited data with cable, you may not even know that something is happening.

However, if you are on a limited plan, and you see a significant increase in data consumption (more than 25% more), it’s time to investigate.

The reasons could be the following:

• Your Mac is being used as a bot by hackers
• There is a virus or other malware
• Your little one grew up and now watching YouTube all day on your computer
• New OS was installed
• Youtube and other web sites are taking forever to load

Similar to the previous sign, problems with the Internet could be a sign pointing to a virus or adware affecting the browser. Or it could be a new browser update. Or maybe the system became unstable.

Programs crashing more often

Did you notice that apps getting stuck and eventually crashing? Very often, it’s a sign of malware. Additional reasons for frequent app crashes are the following:

• Lack of memory (RAM)
• Lack of disk space
• Temporary system instability
• Hardware failure
• Unusual pop-ups in the browser

This is something we all have seen. You download an app from the Internet and seems like it was a legit software. But little did you know a good app was bundled with bloatware.

Usually, the result is that your default search engine gets changed from Google to Yahoo, the home page changes, and there are additional icons in the browser toolbar. But there could be other issues such as adware.

Adware is trying to redirect you to other sites, not related to what are you searching for. Their goal is direct traffic to certain sites. More traffic, more money they get. So, they litter your screen with pop-up, hoping that you can click and open the site you don’t want.

New files appear or old files disappear

Malware often creates new files with cryptic names. For instance, ransomware encrypts the files on your disk and renames them. However, there could be more innocent explanations.

For instance, if you can’t find a file, it does not necessarily mean that it was deleted by malware or someone who logged in on your computer remotely. Maybe, you just can’t remember that you deleted the file or the folder. In this case, first, check Trash on Mac.

If you still can’t find what you need, check my post about finding any files. I guarantee, if the file is still on your Mac after reading my post, you will be able to locate it.

How To Tell If Mac Was Hacked

First, scan your Mac with an antimalware solution. Next, turn off remote desktop and screen sharing features to make sure that nobody can connect to your Mac remotely. Verify that there are no keyloggers. Finally, eliminate reasons unrelated to hacking: reboot Mac, perform NVRAM/PRAM reset, check if there is enough space on the startup disk. If possible, visit the Apple Genius Bar for advice.

Now, let’s go over all the above in detail.

Scan Mac for viruses

I recently called Apple Support and complained about the slowness of my MacBook Pro. I could’ve solved the problem myself, but I just wanted how much would it cost for Apple to perform diagnostics on a 5-year old MacBook.

Since I don’t have AppleCare for my Mac, I thought that they would charge me something. Spoiler alert: I wasn’t charged for anything.

So, when I called, the first thing the Apple advisor made me do is to install the Malwarebytes app.

While Malwarebytes is a solid recommendation for scanning, it is not the best. In fact, I stopped recommending it to any Mac user after the test I performed myself recently.

I tested a dozen of antimalware product and only one detected 100% of 117 malware samples I intentionally downloaded on my MacBook. So, if you need a recommendation on a good antivirus check it here.

Tighten up access to your Mac

Programs are not the only threat out there. People sometimes can be even more harmful. There are several ways for someone to spy after you.

One is via remote desktop. Maybe you had experience connecting to servers or other Windows machines at work by remote desktop connection. Macs, even MacBooks, also allow such connections.

Also, it is possible to share the screen of your laptop. While it’s a useful feature, if you mean it, it’s not so good if someone’s using it when you are not aware.

And finally, since macOS has UNIX roots, as any UNIX like the operating system, it can be controlled via SSH protocol. Anyone with access can do pretty much anything on your Mac, and you wouldn’t even know.

If all of the above sounds complicated, don’t worry. I wrote a very detailed post on a topic of remote access to your Mac (https://macmyths.com/how-to-tell-if-someone-is-remotely-accessing-your-mac/). All you need is to go over the post and follow the simple steps outlined there.

Mac keyloggers

For a long time, I thought that all keyloggers could do to record keyboard strokes. Imagine my shock when I started working on my post about keyloggers.

Did you know that a new generation of keyloggers can do screenshots every 5 seconds, or record your messages and social media chats? And they can upload the collected information to the cloud.

And the worst part they are freely available for anyone to purchase!

To find out how one can identify a keylogger on Mac I installed 5 most popular apps on my laptop. They completely trashed my system, but luckily I had backups, so I was able to recover my MacBook.

Things to try if no virus found

While you are maybe suspecting something bad happening on your computer, it very well may be a normal condition.

Things to try before starting panicking:

Reboot

Sometimes glitches in software can make the current state of your system unstable. A reboot is still a remedy for many problems. You can either restart or shutdown and start again. The effect will be the same.

My Mac Book Is Hacked Free

NVRAM/PRAM reset

Macs historically have a little memory cell where they store some information needed for many Mac peripherals to work. Surprisingly, this area gets corrupt pretty often. Fortunately, there is a very simple fix – reset NVRAM/PRAM and SMC.

Apple has very good instructions on how to perform these tasks.

What they don’t tell is that you have to reset at 2-3 times in a row for a fix to work. I found out this in the school of hard knocks so that you don’t need to.

Clear some space on disk

Lack of space on your startup disk may cause all kinds of issues: app slowdown, app crashes, high CPU usage, and MacBook overheating. Sometimes this may lead you to suspect that your Mac was hacked.

So, first, check how much storage you have left. And if it is not enough, you can either spend money on getting software that helps to clean your disk or read my article on free cleaning tips: How Do I Free Up Disk Space On My Mac Without Software.

New operating system

Apple releases a new version of macOS every year. While they do everything they can to produce quality software, bugs still happen.

For instance, after the recent iOS update on my iPhone, my podcast app starts freezing every time I pause. I still didn’t find why it is happening because I am too lazy busy.

In the case of the issue on hand, if you had a recent OS update, take time to investigate if the issues you are noticing are common for the release.

Check for hardware failure

Macs are very dependable, and they can serve for many years. However, any hardware gradually fails. For example, a failing disk causes unexplained app crashes. Failed RAM will prevent the computer from starting.

There is a good article on the Apple web site about running hardware diagnostics. Try and see what it will report.

Visit Apple Genius Bar

My Apple Account Is Hacked

If you have an Apple store nearby, definitely check them out. On several occasions, I had to contact them, they helped me for free. If there is a fee for diagnostics, they should tell you upfront, so you can decide if it’s worth it for you or not.

5 Things To Do If Your Mac Was Hacked

So, you did everything I told you, and you found out that either someone spying or if there was malware on your Mac. There are several things you have to do immediately.

Change passwords

I know it could be painful to change all passwords. I have accounts on hundreds of web sites, and there is no way I could remember all of them. Well, this is not what I am suggesting.

You have to change passwords on the most important sites:

• Your primary email account. The one that is linked to your bank accounts.
• Bank and credit card accounts
• Work email password
• Apple ID and iCloud passwords (note, they are not the same)

If you are using one password for all sites, consider using 1Password utility.

Macbook Pro Hacked

Check bank statements

It never hurts to go over your bank statements (if you have any) once a while. If you notice some suspicious activity, then do a little research. But don’t panic right away if you don’t recognize a charge.

Almost every once, when I check my credit card statements, I see one or more charges which I don’t remember doing. However, after 5 minutes or so, I remember what it was.

Check credit report

Everyone in the U.S. has a right to get a free credit report once a year. Since there are three main agencies, you can get a free report three times a year (one from each agency). Search for “Annual Credit Report” in Google, but be careful to skip some ads and use the legit site.

Turn on Two-Factor Authentication

If you didn’t do this yet, turn on two-factor authentication on main sites: email, any money sites, etc. It’s a little bit inconvenient, but it’s the best way to prevent hackers from stealing your data.

What’s Next?

I hope I gave you some high-level information you needed in case if you think that your computer was hacked. Now, I suggest to check the articles I mentioned above in the following order, so you know how to deal with the problems outlined:

Last Updated on

The question most iPhone users fear to ask is – can my phone get hacked? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Even though Apple is very determined when it comes to designing reliable cybersecurity measures, no modern-day device is unhackable. The good news is that iPhone hacking isn’t easy at all and that it can be prevented by practicing basic smartphone safety.

Here’s how to tell if your iPhone is hacked, plus what to do to avoid it.

Are You The Only One Using Your iPhone? Check these tests to check whether your iPhone is Hacked

If your iPhone has been hacked, you should be able to notice several telltale signs. You can conduct the following “tests” anytime, so make them a part of your regular smartphone safety routine. But first, let’s determine whether or not you are alone on your phone.

#1: Check Your Battery Usage

Presuming somebody has hacked your iPhone and is now listening to your calls and monitoring your mobile activity, this would amount to additional battery usage. If your battery is hot even when you’re not using your phone, this may be a good indicator of hacking.

The same can be said if your battery’s life has all of a sudden dropped significantly.

#2: Try Turning It Off and On

Try turning your iPhone off and on again. If the device refuses to shut down or if the screen light stays turned on after everything else is turned off, this too counts as suspicious smartphone behavior.

#3: Pay Attention to Activity

Other off-the-chart iPhone activities include:

• Suddenly lighting up while in lockdown,
• Shutting down without you telling it to, and
• Turning on and installing apps all by itself.

Any of these could be signalizing that somebody is trying to operate your phone remotely. And while random screen lights and power downs/ups could be due to a software glitch, third-party apps that you’ve never seen before are usually a reliable indicator.

My Mac Book Is Hacked Photos

#4: Any Background Noise?

Can you hear any background noise – pulsating static, clicking, or echoes – while talking to somebody over your phone? This could be another sign that your iPhone has been tapped, but it could also be due to some kind of natural network interference.

#5 Can You Notice Distortion?

Signs of distortion on other devices that are in proximity to your iPhone are usually normal, but not if they are happening while you’re not on a call or, even worse, while your phone is turned off. This also means that your phone has been hacked.

How to Thwart Hackers’ Malicious Intentions

Keeping your iPhone safe is relatively easy. Smart safety and cybersecurity practices don’t require a lot of time and money, only awareness. In other words, you should make it a habit to check your iPhone for signs of hacking at least once a month and establish good practices in the meantime.

Your smartphone security routine should include:

#1 Keep Your Phone Up to Date

When it comes to cybersecurity, iPhone users can rely on Apple to keep their devices protected from malicious attacks. But not even Apple can do it alone. It’s up to you as a user to run every software update that Apple releases in due time. That way, your phone will always be one step ahead of criminals.

#2: Don’t Jailbreak Your Phone

In this context, jailbreaking refers to allowing third-party users to install apps on your phone. Though there are third-party apps that are perfectly safe to use, the thing that makes them so dangerous is that they are not approved by Apple. Unfortunately, these apps never come without any safety risks.

My Apple Id Is Hacked

#3: Use a Complex Password

Every digital password – be it for a device or an online account – must be random, complex, and at least ten characters long. Every password must also be unique, which means no reused credentials for different devices and online accounts. Anything less than this can make your smartphone vulnerable.

#4: Use a VPN for iPhone

Your iPhone harvests a massive amount of data. In addition to everything you have stored on your phone, there’s also your entire online history, credit card credentials, and passwords for online accounts. This can be easily stolen once your device is hacked. That’s why you should use a VPN for iPhone to hide your internet data.

#5: Keep Your Mic Disabled

My Macbook Pro Is Hacked

Finally, you should keep your smartphone microphone disabled whenever you’re not using it. This applies to all the apps that may require this feature, namely Facebook and your voice-enabled digital assistant, Siri. Tapping a mic is surprisingly easy.

Conclusion

Your iPhone can be hacked, which is a terrifying thought. The good news is that there is a lot you can do to prevent and notice any criminal activity on your device. The only thing you need to do is stay aware of your digital surroundings, pay attention to signs, and rely on basic safety measures to keep you protected.