Can Someone Hack Your Phone Through Hotspot?

In our interconnected world, the question on many minds is: Can someone hack your phone through hotspot?

As we increasingly rely on our devices for everything from business to leisure, understanding hotspot security becomes paramount.

Are hotspots secure, or are they gateways for cyber intruders? This article dives deep into the intricacies of mobile hotspots, shedding light on their vulnerabilities and strengths.

With the rise of digital threats, it’s essential to be informed and prepared.

Join us as we explore the world of hotspot security, answering pressing questions and offering insights to safeguard your digital life. Your journey to a safer online experience begins here.

So if you want to learn all about the chances of your phone getting hacked via your hotspot, then you’ve come to the right place.

Keep reading!

What Is a Hotspot?

Wi-fi hotspot signage at an establishment.

Let’s start with the basics. 

What is a hotspot? 

It’s a Wi-Fi network that allows devices to connect to the internet. 

In many cases, the router in your house can act as a hotspot for all of your devices. 

If you connect to Wi-Fi in public (at an airport, coffee shop, or anywhere else), you’re using a hotspot.

The key distinction is that the hotspot allows wireless devices to connect to it, and it ultimately provides internet access to those devices.

That’s pretty simple, but what does this have to do with hacking? 

Well, if a hacker gets onto a hotspot, they are connected to the same hub as anyone else on that hotspot. 

So, if they have malicious aims, they have a direct link to every device on the network. 

In general, it’s bad to be on the same hotspot as a hacker.

How Do Phone Hotspots Work?

Attractive female traveler using laptop at the airport.

If you’re using your phone as a hotspot, it means that your phone is a potential target. 

When you turn on the hotspot feature of your phone, you’re creating a network that other people can access. 

If a hacker does access the network, they do have a direct line to your phone.

That much is guaranteed. 

You cannot run your phone as a hotspot without allowing your phone to be a part of the connection.

That’s just not how it works.

Can Your Phone Be Hacked Through Its Own Hotspot?

Elegant woman in white busy with phone at a coffee shop.

But, just because a hacker can attack your phone doesn’t mean that they will succeed. 

Phones have a lot of security built into them, and there are plenty of things you can do to add to that security. 

I’ll be taking you through all of it.

Before that, let’s cover the basic form of the answer. 

Using default Android or Apple settings, it’s difficult for hackers to access your phone even when you turn on the hotspot feature. 

That’s because the default settings include important security features that protect against the easiest forms of hacking.

Also: Wi-Fi Hotspot With USB Wi-Fi Adapter: How to?

Now, no defense is ever perfect. 

If a hacker truly wants to go after your phone, they can probably find a way. 

But if you’re worried about random hackers out in the world, default security is enough to make you an unlikely target.

They would rather go after easier targets.

With that in mind, I’m going to explain some of the most important security settings and how they interact with hacking attempts.

What Are Secured vs. Unsecured Networks?

Hotel room with wifi access sign

If you really want to understand the risk associated with your own hotspot, the very most important thing is secured and unsecured networks. 

If your hotspot is a secured network, the risk is relatively low (especially if you follow my tips for better security at the end of this). 

If your network is unsecured, then hackers can mess with you if they want to.

This is a bit of a simplification, but it’s definitely the crux of the whole thing.

So, let’s take a minute to go over secured and unsecured networks to make sure this is clear.

Secured Networks

Woman working remotely at cafe with headset and laptop

A lot goes into securing a Wi-Fi network, but we can boil the concept down to one simple element. 

Secure networks are protected by a password.

With this one simple step, you make it so that no one can hop onto your hotspot as they will. 

Instead, they need the password. 

So, for a hacker to get to your phone through the hotspot, they’ll either have to crack your password or know it in the first place. 

I’ll explain how to make a strong password a little later.

For now, let’s hone in on that second issue. 

If you’re worried about a friend messing with your phone after you share the password with them, they really might be able to do that. 

It’s not a simple task, but if they have the skills and tools, it’s totally possible.

If you’re worried about strangers randomly attacking your hotspot, put a password on it. 

I’ll say this a few times before this is all done. 

Your hotspot password is the most important line of defense against hacking.

Unsecured Networks

Woman working on her laptop at an outdoor café

Based on the simplified explanation above, an unsecured hotspot is one that does not have a password. 

So, if a hacker finds your hotspot network, they can just join it. 

There are no security steps. 

They get full access, along with anyone else who feels like hopping onto your hotspot.

If you have data limits, that’s a problem before anyone even tries hacking. 

Unwanted users can churn through your data limits very quickly. 

And, extra users will slow down your own connection speeds.

Still, the real focus for today is on hackers. 

It’s pretty simple. 

If a hacker can access your hotspot whenever they want, that’s bad. 

It doesn’t necessarily mean that they will successfully hack your phone, but you’ve already opened the front gate. 

You better have other layers of security, or your phone is a sitting duck.

How Can You Protect Your Mobile Hotspot From Hackers? (4 Ways)

young redhead freelancer in turtleneck using smartphone near laptop on summer terrace.

We got pretty deep into hotspots and hacking, so now you have the gist of what hackers have to do in order to attack you.

Someone can hack your phone using its hotspot. 

If two devices are on the same network, then they can communicate with each other, and a hacker can use that to attack your phone. 

But, if you secure your hotspot, it’s difficult for hackers to connect to it in the first place, which helps a lot.

Making sure you have a secured, private network is clearly important, but there’s a little more to it than that. 

If you really want your network to be private, you need to put a password on it.

That and a few other tips can go a long way toward providing you robust protection from hackers. 

If you adhere to the first three tips in this list, you’ll be a low-risk target for hackers, and you can safely assume that your phone is safe, even when you turn on the mobile hotspot. 

If you want to go beyond all of that, the fourth tip is useful too.

#1 Passwords

Woman entering pin code on her phone

The very most important thing you can do to protect your hotspot is to make sure it is password protected. 

With both Android and iOS phones, you can pick the password for your hotspot. 

So for starters, any password is better than no password.

If your hotspot is password protected, then a hacker will first have to get around that password before they can attack your phone.

To that end, it’s worth using a secure password. 

Simple, short passwords are easily cracked, and any hacker who wants to access your phone can probably run a password-cracking algorithm to try to get on your network.

Make the password longer, random, and inclusive of characters and numbers, and make sure that it isn’t made of real words that are easy to guess. 

Some quick tips from Google can help you check the quality of your hotspot password.

#2 SSID Management

beautiful woman sitting in cafe looking out the big window

Another powerful tool in your inventory is managing the SSID (Share a Service Set Identifier). 

What’s that? 

It’s the name of your hotspot network. 

When you turn on the hotspot, it has a name that people can find in order to connect to your phone. 

Many phones default to a hotspot name such as “iPhone.” 

So, the first thing you can do is rename your hotspot (which you can usually do from the same settings where you turn it on). 

This distinguishes it from other hotspots, and that’s actually a good thing.

Hackers will often blanket attack many hotspots. 

If they’re using lazy software, it will only go after common hotspot names, and you’ll skip that entire process.

Much more important than that, though, is that you can also hide your hotspot name, and you should. 

If you choose an option that lets you hide the SSID, then random users can’t see that your hotspot is on and available. 

If you’ve ever looked for Wi-Fi networks, you get a list, and each network has its own name.

Typically, your phone’s hotspot will show up on other people’s lists. 

But, if you hide the SSID, then your network doesn’t show up in their lists, so they don’t know to try to connect to you. 

The only way they can try is if they type in the exact name of your network.

Going back to hackers, if they are attacking hidden SSIDs, then leaving the default name means they can still try to get onto your hotspot. 

But, if it has a unique name, it will be very difficult for a hacker to even know you’re there, and that’s a great layer of security.

When it comes to using your hotspot, all you have to do is tell the name of the SSID to the person you are allowing to connect. 

So, if you’re connecting your own laptop to your phone’s hotspot, you know the name, and you can type it in correctly. 

If you’re sharing with a friend, you can tell them what to type. It’s a small inconvenience for the sake of a lot of security.

#3 Double-Check Encryption

Woman lying down on the couch and using mobile phone

Another important safety feature is encryption

By default, Android and Apple hotspots use encryption, but there are instances where you can turn it off. 

To spare you a technical explanation, encryption makes it very difficult for hackers to intercept transmissions to or from your hotspot.

So, enabling encryption helps to protect you from a large range of hacker attacks.

Additionally, you might have options as to what kind of encryption is used on your hotspot. 

Encryption is typically compared by the number of bits in the encryption type. 

The most common numbers you’ll see are 128-bit and 256-bit encryption. 

For the sake of simplicity, choose the highest bit number available. 

Bits aren’t the only thing that impacts encryption efficacy, but they do matter, and a higher number means better security.

#4 Third-Party Protection

Girl checking mobile phone sitting at home

The last major option available is third-party security software. 

You can use well-known security software to try to add a few layers of protection to your phone and your hotspot. 

Firewalls can prevent unauthorized access, and security software can screen for malicious apps that might try to steal passwords or create other problems.

Third-party software is not as important as the three things above, but if you want that extra bit of security, it can make a difference.

Author

  • Theresa McDonough

    Tech entrepreneur and founder of Tech Medic, who has become a prominent advocate for the Right to Repair movement. She has testified before the US Federal Trade Commission and been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, helping influence change within the tech industry.