You get a flood of messages from friends and family. They’re getting emails from you with seemingly random links, or messages with urgent and/or and cheesy pleas to wire you money. It looks like your email or social media account might have been taken over. What do you do? For starters, make sure your security protections are up-to-date, reset your password, and warn your friends.
How You Know You’ve Been Hacked
You might have been hacked if:
In the case of emails with random links, it’s possible your email address was “spoofed,” or faked, and hackers don’t actually have access to your account. But you’ll want to take action, just in case.
What To Do When You’ve Been Hacked
Make sure your ZoneAlarm Extreme Security or ZoneAlarm Pro Antivirus+Firewall is operational and up-to-date. Then, run it to scan your computer for viruses and spyware. Delete any suspicious software and restart your computer.
Set your ZoneAlarm software, internet browser, and operating system (like Windows or Mac OS) to update automatically. Software developers often release updates to patch security vulnerabilities. Keep them all up-to-date to help your computer keep pace with the latest hack attacks.
Someone may have gotten your old password and changed it. If you use similar passwords for other accounts, change them, too. Make sure you create strong passwords that will be hard to guess.
If your account has been taken over, you might need to fill out forms to prove it’s really you trying to get back into your account.
Once you’re back in your account, make sure your signature and absence message don’t contain unfamiliar links, and that messages aren’t being forwarded to someone else’s address. On your social networking service, look for changes to the account since you last logged in — say, a new “friend.”
Write a short email to tell your friends that they might have gotten a malicious link or a fake plea for help can keep them from sending money they won’t get back or installing malware on their computers.
What to Do Before You’re Hacked
By doing this, someone who knows one of your passwords won’t suddenly have access to all your important accounts. Choose strong passwords that are harder to crack.
Think twice when you’re asked to enter credentials like usernames and passwords. Never provide them in response to an email. If the email or text seems to be from your bank, for example, visit the bank website directly rather than clicking on any links or calling any numbers in the message. Scammers impersonate well-known businesses to trick people into giving out personal information.
Many online services offer “two-factor authentication,” where getting into your account requires a password plus something else — say, a code sent to your smartphone — to prove it’s really you.
That link or attachment could install malware on your computer. Also do your part: don’t forward random links.
Do some research before you download any software. Free games, file-sharing programs, and customized toolbars also could contain malware.
If it’s not your computer, don’t let a web browser remember your passwords, and make sure to log out of any accounts when you’re done. In fact, if you can help it, don’t access personal accounts — like email, or especially bank accounts — on public computers at all. (Also be careful any time you use public Wi-Fi.)
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website was partly a source for this article. As the United States consumer protection agency, the FTC works to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace.
