Your private conversations and text messages aren’t as secure as you think it is. If you make online calls through a mobile network, it makes it even easier for cybercriminals. Tap or click here to schedule a text on iPhone. Technology allows criminals to reroute your calls and texts to a different number. They would only need a few seconds on your device and could have access to all your conversations. Let’s take a look at how you can see if someone is snooping on your device.
Here’s the backstory
Criminals can hijack calls and texts, but luckily there is a way to stop them from stealing your data. Through secret codes on your iPhone, you can tell if you are being spied on. Often called “interrogation codes,” these nifty short numbers can prevent something terrible from happening. Before getting into the details, if James Bond is spying on you, you might have bigger problems than hijacked phone calls. With that said, there are ways the average person can listen in on your phone. One way is criminals can exploit network provider’s Signaling System 7 (SS7) protocol vulnerabilities. This is where a criminal uses the mobile network to listen in on calls. The LTE network can also be accessed through software-defined radio. However, the most effective method is to install spyware onto your phone for listening in on your conversations. Criminals would need access to your device. The most common way for them to get it is by infecting victims’ devices with malware.
Codes for anti-spying
The interrogation codes used on an iPhone won’t be able to stop SS7 exploitation from happening or if your LTE network has been hacked. But these codes will be able to tell you if your calls and texts are being hijacked. To use these codes, dial them in your iPhone’s phone app. Then simply tap the call button. Here are the available codes:
*#61# – Call Forwarding when unanswered
Several options will be displayed for Call Forwarding by pressing *#61# into your keypad and hitting the dial button. To ensure that your calls aren’t being forwarded to another number when they go unanswered, Voice Call Forwarding and Data Call Forwarding must be disabled.
*#62# – Call Forwarding when unreachable
Call Forwarding When Unreachable is a network system that dictates what happens when your mobile device is off or has no signal. By dialing *#62#, you can see if this has been set up. Voice Call Forwarding, Data Call Forwarding, and SMS Call Forwarding must be disabled.
*#002# – All Call Forwarding
If you have been expecting calls, but nothing seems to come through, you might want to check this setting. Punching *#002# into the keypad and dialing it, your device will show a list of all the forwarding conditions set up. Under normal circumstances, everything should be Disabled. Other codes that can be useful are *#21# for Non-Conditional Call Forwarding, #004 for Conditional Call Forwarding, and *#67# for Call Forwarding When Busy or Rejected. All these short codes are operational for GSM mobile networks, and services like AT&T or Verizon Wireless might have different numbers you should dial.
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