Securing Your Online Account – What to do if Your Account is Hacked
Beginner Level
By: Robert Hritz
Awareness of the breech in security is crucial. The quicker you know about the breech the quicker you can react to it. Account hacks aren’t uncommon and taking the proper proactive steps will ensure that you and your information are protected.
The first thing to do is change your password immediately for that account. If your account has been hacked, it typically means the hacker has either stolen or guessed your password and is using it to log in. Changing your password will instantly lock the hacker out of the account, preventing any further access. Once you have done this, you also need to change every instance where the password is used. While using the same password for multiple accounts is poor password management, it’s something that the majority of people still do. Hackers know this so after acquiring your password they will attempt to log in to other accounts you might have. Changing all instances of that password will prevent further attacks on your other accounts.
After purging the compromised password, you should make sure any additional security settings for that online account are turned on. Things like Two-Factor Authentication and Email Alerts can secure your account so that this doesn’t happen again.
Tags: Security, Password
