On Wednesday, Samsung Galaxy users all over the world received a very mysterious - and to some, creepy - notification. It came from the 'Find My Mobile' app, and simply ready '1.'
That's right - the number '1' was blasted to thousands of people, many of whom had never opened 'Find My Mobile.' Even those who use the app were confused: no one could figure out what the message meant. Many speculated that it was a scam while others figured that it was just a weird mishap. Some floated that maybe hackers had gotten hold of their account.
Samsung addressed the message a few hours later, putting out a statement on Twitter that read, "If you received a "Find My Mobile 1" notification this AM, this was an unintentional message sent as a result of internal testing & there is no effect to your device. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused & will work to prevent this from occurring in the future."
Mystery solved, but it was a strange occurrence for sure.
What is the 'Find My Mobile' app?
For Samsung users who don't use the 'Find My Mobile' app, you may want to start. It's a handy tool that can help you locate or lock your Samsung device, back up data to the Samsung Cloud, delete local data, and block access to Samsung Pay. That means that, in the event that you lose your smartphone or tablet, you may be able to find its approximate location with a few clicks.
But that also means that a lot of sensitive data is stored by the app - so those who assumed that the app had been hacked, it must have been a very testy few hours until Samsung cleared up the confusion for its customers. But don't let this deter you from investing in a Samsung phone if you're in the market for a new phone - the Galaxy Note 9 is one of the best smartphones you can buy.
How can I better protect myself against hackers?
While this Samsung snafu was not caused by hackers trying to access customers' information and data, you'd be in much better hands trusting one of the best identity theft protection services. For your computer, also consider one of the best antivirus software. Should your information ever fall into the wrong hands, you'll be able to recover your identity, protect your credit, and restore your reputation.
