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Any smartphone can be hacked, expert says

It is important to follow basic security rules to protect yourself from such threats - not to follow dubious links, not to open files received from unreliable sources, and not to install apps from unofficial sources

MOSCOW, June 1. /TASS/. Any smartphone, including an iPhone, can be hacked in several minutes by sending text messages with malware to the device, department head in Positive Technologies Denis Kuvshinov told TASS.

It was reported on June 1 that the Russian Federal Security Service detected an intelligence action perpetrated by the US through a virus program on Apple mobile devices. Several thousand of the company’s phones were infected.

"Any software can be hacked today, any phone, including an iPhone as reported today, an Android-based smartphone and even a flip-phone. This can be done in a few minutes. A hacker can send a text or a link to a victim. An individual follows it and the hacker activates the bug and gets access to your smartphone and any files. Hacker software was developed to do just that and there’s a streamlined process to search and buy bugs, making it possible to upload malicious code to a phone with one click," the expert said.

It is important to follow basic security rules to protect yourself from such threats - not to follow dubious links, not to open files received from unreliable sources, and not to install apps from unofficial sources.

"It is also important to install antivirus software on your smartphone and maintain an updated version of the operating system and apps on the device. This is the bare minimum you should do to reduce the probability of having your device hacked," Kuvshinov added.

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