If you notice your password has been changed or receive suspicious login alerts, your account may be at risk of being hacked. If you cannot recover and secure it, follow the steps outlined below immediately.
Notify Friends, Family, and Other Connections or Followers
Inform your contacts that your account has been hacked to prevent them from falling victim to scams and social engineering attacks.
- Hackers often aim for financial gain and may try to scam your connections. Hackers might get control over multiple accounts through social engineering, creating a loop where they continuously hack new victims posing as a family member or friend.
- Hackers might post sensitive or inappropriate content to your profile, which can damage your reputation and relationships.
Here is a page you can share with your contacts to inform them and help prevent them from falling victim to the same hacker.
Never Pay Ransom
If hackers demand a ransom, do not pay. Giving in supports their illegal activities and enables them to continue targeting others.
Respond to Suspicious Logins
Most services alert you about suspicious logins. If you notice an unfamiliar login you should:
- Change your password.
- Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).
- Increase your account’s security settings.
- Enhance privacy settings
Can’t Log In?
If you’re locked out, follow the service’s hacked account protocol. Use the email alerts you’ve received to reset recent changes, or contact customer support for assistance.
Steps to Take After Being Hacked
If you’re sure you’ve been hacked, follow these steps:
- Change passwords on all accessible accounts, preferrably by using a password manager where you create unique passwords for each account.
- Secure your primary email account by changing the password, setting a recovery email, and enabling Two-Factor Authentication or a Passkey.
- Avoid creating new profiles and accounts: Creating new profiles with the same credentials can complicate or make account recovery impossible. Try to recover your original account or seek professional help.
- Determine which accounts were hacked and what information was compromised.
- Avoid creating new profiles with the same credentials, as this complicates account recovery.
After securing your other accounts, attempt to recover the hacked account. If you are stuck and can’t recover your account on your own, consider seeking professional help.
In severe cases, consider filing a police report and involving local law enforcement.
Featured image by TY Lim from Shutterstock.com.