My iPhone gets hacked when my internet gets hacked

CuriousinPA wrote:

My phone gets hacked when my internet gets hacked. Ph numbers get changed and pictures disappear. Personal info gets used. Will lockdown mode work. I have VPN

How long has this been ongoing, what have you already done, and what happened?

Potential causes include a compromised Apple ID password (and either no or compromised two-factor authentication), or a compromised device passcode and device access available to some miscreant. Change both. Enable two-factor, if not already. Phishing can lead to these credentials compromises, too—sending telephone numbers and sending email addresses can all be spoofed.

Other causes can be a corruption in iCloud, or a shared Apple ID. Sharing Apple IDs is not recommended. And corruptions in iCloud are not as rare as might be preferred.

Update your iPhone to iOS 16.5 (current), if not already.

Update your network router firmware to current, and reset passwords. If the network router is no longer supported by the vendor, replace it with a newer and supported device.

Add-on first-few-hops VPNs are irrelevant to this mess, and can potentially be problematic. They fix fewer issues than they can add.

Apple suggestions are here: Personal Safety User Guide - Apple Support — see Safety Check, there. Skim the whole PDF available on that webpage, too.

Lockdown mode will not assist with a compromised Apple ID, nor with a compromised password. Nor a compromised router, or an iCloud corruption. It is, however, benign to enable it, though some activities can then be blocked.

If you are an investigative journalist, political dissident, senior in some major organization or government entity, with access to sensitive or classified data, rich, or on a direct path to someone in that list or similar, best get specific assistance with your particular security needs.

Sorry, but there is no definite answer to the question of if Lockdown mode will help in your situation and depends on the cause of the problems you are experiencing. Here are a few highlights:

• If someone has your Apple ID and Password, then Lockdown mode will not prevent them from making changes to your account or iCloud. The solution would be to change your password.
• Lockdown mode will eliminate links in Messages that could take you to nefarious sites asking for your password, but the same can be accomplished by not clicking links in Messages/Mail from people you do not know.
• Lockdown mode blocks calls, messages, FaceTime from people not in your Contacts, but the same can be done by not responding to those same communications. There have been reports of zero-day attacks using this method from Government sponsored groups, but unless you are a high ranking official, they are probably not interested in the info you have on your phone.
• It is also important to realize that it is unlikely that phone is getting hacked or manipulated remotely. The most probable cause would be a phishing email/message asking for your passwords that look official.

Another thing to note is that if you are using a free VPN service, then that is probably the source of your troubles. Make sure your VPN is from a reputable company, there are a lot of them that are just scams and sell your information.

As for Lockdown, you can easily give it a try, just be aware that it will not replace following safe internet practices by the user. Apple does note that it is an "extreme" option and generally not needed for most users unless you are a high profile target. Here are some more tips provided by Apple to protect your personal data.

Personal Safety User Guide - Apple Support

It is highly unlikely that a skilled hacker would choose to invest their time and resources into monitoring an unknown person's device. Firstly, hacking requires a certain level of expertise, knowledge, and tools, which can be quite valuable assets. A proficient hacker typically has a specific agenda, such as gaining unauthorized access to sensitive information, financial gain, or advancing their own personal or political interests.

Monitoring your iPhone would not yield any substantial benefits for a hacker. It would be a trivial and unproductive pursuit that lacks any significant value or purpose. Additionally, hacking activities are often motivated by tangible gains, such as financial rewards, access to valuable data, or the ability to manipulate systems for personal or ideological motives. Monitoring someone's device would not offer any meaningful advantage or serve a legitimate purpose.

Moreover, hacking is an inherently risky activity that can have serious legal consequences. Engaging in unauthorized access, surveillance, or invasion of privacy is illegal in most jurisdictions. Skilled hackers typically operate with more calculated precision, targeting high-value entities or systems that present greater opportunities for achieving their objectives. The risks associated with hacking a device would far outweigh any potential benefits, making it an illogical and unprofitable endeavor.

In summary, hackers typically focus their efforts on more lucrative targets that align with their motives and offer substantial rewards. Investing time and resources into monitoring a device would be an inefficient and unproductive use of their skills, knowledge, and tools.

To protect your devices and personal information, it is crucial to follow good security practices such as using strong and unique passwords, keeping your software up to date, being cautious with email attachments and links, and ensuring that your devices have appropriate security measures in place.

Beware of Phishing!: Be careful and be smart to --> Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phoney support calls ...

It (Phishing) may appear as the image given below.

Gain control of your Apple ID

If your Apple ID password has been changed by someone else, reset your password. Go to appleid.apple.com to update any personal or security information that isn't correct or that you don't recognize.27-Mar-2023

If you think your Apple ID has been compromised

My hacker stole my operating system e-commerce and opened it became my adiminister and he is abusive but he get into every iPhone I've ever owned and I don't know how to detach myself from the e-commerce operating system because he won't let me make any money online he either takes it uses ut for his self or it disappears and i never can get back to it !

Ddhw63 wrote:

My hacker stole my operating system e-commerce and opened it became my adiminister and he is abusive but he get into every iPhone I've ever owned and I don't know how to detach myself from the e-commerce operating system because he won't let me make any money online he either takes it uses ut for his self or it disappears and i never can get back to it !

What you report for persistence and spread would involve multi-million dollars exploits and espionage tooling and across multiple platforms, which means what you’re reporting is far outside the realm of what assistance can be provided around here.

Your reported “hacker” would inherently require prodigious funding, advanced tooling, and access. We don’t have any of that.

Or the e-commerce website or app is insecure, and which would have little to do with an iPhone. Some e-commerce platforms are more secure than others, and all can have flaws.

You’ll want to engage a review of your reported issues, apps, devices, and implementations, which will usually include your own risks and practices. Which can’t happen around here. No, I don’t have recommendations for such breach remediation services that I can offer here, and yes, some breach remediation services can be shady.

Unless you are a surveillance target of a government neither your internet nor your iPhone have been hacked. You’re just not worth the effort. And using a VPN means nothing

My iPhone got hacked ten years ago and is still hacked

If this is true, you would have stopped using the phone long long ago.

Sorry, but that's nonsense. Your post is basically just random words thrown together. Perhaps it's a translation issue, but in English, your post is just gibberish.

Why even respond to nonsense like this?

lkrupp wrote:

Why even respond to nonsense like this?

I once thought the same thing. Then I realized the true brilliance of MrHoffman's replies. He's very subtle.