Knowledge Library

Articles

Explore account recovery, cyber safety, platform security, and incident response guidance from Hacked.com.

Older woman reviewing suspicious mail tied to a Social Security scam

Updated Mar 24, 2026

Social Security Scam: What To Do If They Say Your Number Will Be Suspended

If someone says your Social Security number will be suspended, slow down and verify. Use this plan if you received a fake SSA call, text, email, or letter.

Read article

Older woman shutting down a laptop after a remote-access tech support scam

Updated Mar 24, 2026

Tech Support Scam Remote Access: What To Do If a Scammer Controlled Your Computer

If a tech support scammer got remote access to your computer, contain device, email, banking, and payment risk fast with this recovery-first checklist.

Read article

Older adult pausing during a phone scam about moving money for safety

Updated Mar 23, 2026

Move Your Money To Protect It? What To Do About Impersonation Scams

If someone says your money is at risk and must be moved to a safe account, stop and verify. Use this recovery plan for bank and government impersonation scams.

Read article

Updated Mar 23, 2026

What You Should Do If Your Identity Is Stolen

Identity stolen or misused? Use this step-by-step plan to contain fraud, freeze credit, file an FTC identity theft report, pull credit reports, and protect your accounts.

Read article

Updated Mar 23, 2026

Facebook Customer Support Scam: Do Not Call These Numbers

Scammers pose as Facebook support through search ads and fake pages to get remote access, codes, or payments. Learn the red flags and containment steps.

Read article

Updated Mar 23, 2026

Bank account hacked: immediate steps to stop fraud and secure access

If your bank account is hacked, act fast: contact the bank via official numbers, secure email and devices, document evidence, and stop repeat fraud.

Read article

Older man documenting fake nude-image blackmail and removal steps at home

Updated Mar 22, 2026

Fake Nude-Image Blackmail: What to Do When Social Photos Are Used Against You

What to do when someone threatens you with a fake nude image: preserve evidence, report the source, use Google removal, and avoid paying.

Read article

lego man climbing a ladder on an Apple computer

Updated Mar 22, 2026

How to Recover a Hacked Apple Account

Apple account recovery steps for Apple ID lockouts, suspicious iCloud activity, trusted-device cleanup, and account hardening after a takeover.

Read article

Updated Mar 22, 2026

How To Recover a Hacked Snapchat Account

Snapchat recovery steps for lockouts, suspicious snaps, email and phone cleanup, session removal, and protection against repeat takeovers.

Read article

Updated Mar 22, 2026

How to Recover a Hacked X Account

X account recovery steps for lockouts, suspicious posts, email and phone cleanup, app revocations, and protection against repeat takeovers.

Read article

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Targeted Harassment and Surveillance Risk: Practical Steps to Protect Accounts and Contacts

Targeted campaigns use impersonation, coercion, and account compromise to reach you and your contacts. Use this checklist to reduce exposure and recover safely.

Read article

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Facebook account hacked: how to regain control and prevent a repeat takeover

A practical Facebook hacked-account playbook: contain sessions, recover access using official flows, secure email/phone control planes, and stop repeat takeovers.

Read article

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Platform enforcement shocks: how to protect your pages, access, and backups

Platform enforcement shocks can lock you out of pages and business assets. Learn how to protect access, preserve evidence, and reduce dependency risk.

Read article

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Security alert periods: how to avoid getting caught by phishing waves

During high-alert periods, phishing and fraud spike. Use this surge playbook to cut risk with stronger authentication, verification rules, and session control.

Read article

Updated Mar 20, 2026

2015: The Year Of The Breach; Close To 200 Million Personal Records Exposed

Why 2015-era breach data still causes harm today, and the practical steps that reduce account takeover and identity fraud risk.

Read article

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Artificial General Intelligence is Upon Us, and it’s Time to Prepare

AI is improving fast, and that changes scams, impersonation, and fraud. Learn practical steps to prepare your accounts, data, and verification habits.

Read article

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Facebook and Instagram Down, Users Frustrated Worldwide

Use this outage checklist to confirm Meta service issues safely, avoid outage-driven phishing, and recognize the signals that indicate account compromise.

Read article

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Cybercrime trends to practical defense: what to copy from the common patterns

A mechanism map of 2021 cybercrime: identity collapse, patch lag, supply chain trust failures, and weak recovery. Use these controls to reduce impact.

Read article

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Why hackers target small businesses and the controls that change outcomes

Small businesses are targeted because controls are inconsistent and access is broad. These five reasons map to practical fixes that reduce attacker leverage.

Read article

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Capital One Breach Case: What It Shows About Cloud Security and Legal Risk

The Capital One incident shows how cloud permissions and weak logging can turn into large data exposure and long-running legal risk. Learn the durable lessons.

Read article

Do not hire a hacker recovery scam warning scene

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Do not hire a hacker: what to do instead when you need recovery or answers

Most 'hackers for hire' are scams or create new risk. Use official recovery, incident response, and legitimate security help to regain control safely.

Read article

Updated Mar 20, 2026

California’s Attorney General No Longer Aids in Recovering Hacked Facebook Accounts

CA AG consumer complaints can document harm, but they rarely restore hacked Facebook accounts directly. Learn what to do first and how to file a complaint safely.

Read article

Historic Chinese “Salt Typhoon” Hack Exposes Flaws in Our Data Privacy

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Salt Typhoon and Telecom Intrusions: What It Means for Privacy and Safer Communications

Telecom intrusions can expose metadata and enable follow-on targeting. Learn practical defensive moves: end-to-end encryption, inbox hardening, and number security.

Read article

5 Cybersecurity Steps Every Business Must Take to Defeat Hackers

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Defeat hackers as a business: a resilience framework for small teams

Security for small teams is resilience: protect the control plane, reduce blast radius, test restores, and assign owners so incidents stay containable.

Read article

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Cybersecurity threats to small businesses: the few risks that cause most damage

Small businesses face a few high-impact risks: phishing, password reuse, exposed remote access, and weak backups. Learn the baseline that cuts damage.

Read article

An older adult pair assembling a digital estate packet with relaxed, warm expressions

Updated Mar 20, 2026

How to Build a Digital Estate Packet Your Family Can Actually Use

Build a digital estate packet covering account maps, devices, trusted contacts, phone access, and password-manager instructions without creating new security risk.

Read article

An older woman and adult daughter reviewing a family digital access plan with relaxed expressions

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Digital Legacy Planning: How to Prepare Your Accounts Before a Family Emergency

Prepare your digital legacy by organizing devices, trusted contacts, access plans, and legacy settings before illness or death creates lockout and confusion.

Read article

An older woman and adult daughter reviewing Facebook legacy planning materials with a Facebook icon visible on a nearby phone

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Facebook Legacy Contact and Memorialization: What to Set Up Now

Set up Facebook legacy contact and memorialization so family can manage a memorialized profile, request deletion, and avoid mistaken assumptions about access.

Read article

An older adult and family member reviewing Google account options with relaxed, engaged expressions

Updated Mar 20, 2026

How to Handle a Deceased Family Member's Google Account

Handle a deceased family member's Google Account by separating closure, content review, and pre-planned Inactive Account Manager access without guessing.

Read article

An older adult preparing Apple account access documents with a steady, practical expression

Updated Mar 20, 2026

How to Request Access to a Deceased Family Member's Apple Account

Request access to a deceased family member's Apple Account by choosing the Legacy Contact route or legal-document path and understanding what Apple still blocks.

Read article

Updated Mar 20, 2026

How Ransomware Works and What Stops It

Ransomware is an outage and breach risk. Learn first-hour actions, common entry points, and controls like MFA and backups that change recovery outcomes.

Read article

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Pipeline cybersecurity rules after Colonial: what regulators now expect

After Colonial Pipeline, TSA pipeline rules pushed faster reporting, named cyber ownership, and baseline controls. Learn what operators must prove.

Read article

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Ransomware Extortion: How Attackers Apply Pressure and How to Respond

Ransomware extortion response: first-hour actions, decision points, safe restoration, and controls that reduce repeat compromise and legal risk.

Read article

Has Sony Really Fixed its PSN Security Problem?

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Has Sony Fixed PSN Security? What You Can Control Either Way

PSN security is about what you can control: inbox security, 2-step verification, session reviews, and purchase controls that reduce takeover risk.

Read article

Vishing call scenario with SSO login and MFA prompt, emphasizing call-back verification

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Vishing kits targeting SSO: how phone calls defeat MFA and take over accounts

Vishing kits steer SSO logins and MFA prompts in real time. Learn what to do if you shared a code, approved a prompt, or suspect a helpdesk bypass.

Read article

Older adult checking a phone during a scam call at a kitchen table

Updated Mar 20, 2026

AI Grandkid Ransom Call: What To Do If a Virtual Kidnapping Scam Hits You

Verify a grandkid ransom call, spot cloned voices and fake proof-of-life images, contain payment risk, and report virtual kidnapping scams fast.

Read article

An older man reviewing a family device plan with a relaxed, confident expression

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Apple Legacy Contact: What It Gives Your Family Access To

Apple Legacy Contact: who can access your data, what stays blocked, what the access key does, and how to fit it into a family digital legacy plan.

Read article

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Been hacked? Take these steps immediately

Been hacked? Secure email and phone first, clean devices, end attacker sessions, rotate passwords safely, and preserve evidence before re-entry starts again.

Read article

An older woman setting up an account inactivity plan with a relaxed, focused expression

Updated Mar 20, 2026

Google Inactive Account Manager: How to Set It Up Properly

Google Inactive Account Manager lets you choose trusted contacts, shared data, and account deletion after inactivity so your family is not left guessing.

Read article

Updated Mar 20, 2026

How To Recover Your Hacked Facebook Account

Recover your hacked Facebook account: contain first, facebook.com/hacked + login/identify, email changed, attacker 2FA, disabled accounts, business takeover.

Read article

Older man documenting a romance blackmail incident through notes and account security checks at home

Updated Mar 19, 2026

When a Romance Scammer Starts Threatening You

When a romance scam turns into blackmail, stop contact, save messages and receipts, secure email and social accounts, contact your financial institution, and use official reporting channels.

Read article

Updated Mar 19, 2026

How to detect spyware on your phone or computer

Spyware signs are often subtle. Use this checklist to diagnose, contain, and remove spyware without falling for fake “spyware removal” scams.

Read article

Updated Mar 19, 2026

How to Secure Outlook and Microsoft 365 Accounts

Outlook and Microsoft 365 security checklist: remove mailbox-rule persistence, revoke sessions, harden 2FA, and prevent repeat compromise.

Read article

Updated Mar 19, 2026

If your data was exposed in a major Facebook leak: what to do next

If your phone number or email was exposed in a large Facebook-related leak, attackers use it for phishing and SIM swap targeting. Here is a practical defense plan.

Read article

Updated Mar 19, 2026

Deepfakes Explained: Why They Pose a Serious Risk

What deepfakes are, why they are dangerous, how they are used in scams, and the practical verification steps that keep you safe.

Read article

Updated Mar 19, 2026

Online harassment response: preserve evidence, reduce exposure, and regain control

Respond to online harassment with a structured plan: preserve evidence, lock down accounts, reduce contact surfaces, and escalate through official channels when threats cross a line.

Read article

What to Do if You’re the Victim of a Data Breach

Updated Mar 19, 2026

What to do after a data breach: a step-by-step recovery plan

After a data breach, secure the accounts that can reset everything, stop fraud early, and harden recovery paths. Use this time-based checklist to respond safely.

Read article

Updated Mar 19, 2026

Business attacked with ransomware: first steps, containment, and safe recovery

A practical ransomware incident-response playbook: what to do in the first 30 minutes, how to contain spread, how to restore safely, and how to prevent a repeat.

Read article

Updated Mar 19, 2026

Reduce Deepfake Misuse Risk: Privacy Controls, Evidence Discipline, and Safe Response

Deepfake sexual abuse is often paired with account compromise and extortion. Reduce risk with exposure controls, inbox hardening, evidence discipline, and safe reporting.

Read article

Updated Mar 19, 2026

How to Check if Your Phone is Hacked

Do you know the signs of a hacked iPhone or Android phone? Learn what you should do if your smartphone is in fact hacked.

Read article