Alright, so you’ve just turned on your preferred digital device, and upon checking your email
or social media account, you realize that, like 110 million Americans each year, you’ve
just been hacked.
And I mean, HACKED.
You’ve got an inbox full of suspicious emails, your credit card has been compromised, and
your twitter account is tweeting support for a generic third-world dictator.
YOU'VE BEEN PWNED.
So, what happens now?
Not to worry, I’m here to help!
Fair warning: this is gonna take some time, but it’s your personal security, so it’ll
be worth it!
You’re probably gonna need to devote a weekend taking care of all this, so, if you HAVE to
get hacked, do your best to make sure it happens on a Friday!
Here’s a list of things you’re gonna need to do to get yourself back in action.
#1: RESET YOUR PASSWORD
First thing’s first, let’s regain control of your account.
Check all of your available devices to see if you’re still logged in.
If so, that’s great!
Access your account settings and change your password.
Some online services will actually be kind enough to tell you every single device your
account is logged in from - so check this (if it’s available), and log yourself out
of any secondary devices (especially those that seem suspicious.)
Red flags include devices that aren’t in your local area, or new devices you don’t
recognize that might have accessed your account recently.
Now, maybe you’re completely locked out of your account on all devices.
That’s a tougher nut to crack, but not impossible.
You're going to need to access whatever account recovery options are available to you.
In this video’s description, I’ve provided some helpful links for the following services.
Once you regain control of the hacked account, let’s err on the side of caution and change
the password of all the online accounts you have.
I know, I know, that’s gonna be a lot for some of you, but keep in mind that nowadays,
almost all of our online accounts are linked in some way, shape or form, and one account
being compromised can lead to the others being cracked, as well.
Your online presence is only as secure as your weakest account password, so use these
tips to make a strong replacement for each of the accounts you’ll be changing.
#2 CONTACT YOUR BANK
Now that you’ve retaken control of your accounts and locked the hacker out, let’s
secure your cash, and assess any financial damage.
It may not seem like this is necessary, especially if you haven't noticed any issues with your
bank account, but ask yourself this: have you at any time ever initiated a purchase
through that hacked online account?
Is that hacked account linked to any OTHER online accounts you may have initiated an
online purchase from?
If yes, ERR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION and contact your bank.
Banks don’t like their accounts being compromised, so most will issue you a new card free of
charge.
Additional identity theft protection and peace of mind is worth the low cost at most banking
locations, so if you haven’t already, get it.
If you HAVE been the victim of financial theft during this hack, immediately unlink any and
all banking info from the compromised accounts and make sure to document everything, as your
bank will want as much information as possible when you file a claim with them.
The nuclear option always available if you’re unsure the extent of the hack is to close
the bank account you have and open a new one.
If you’ve lost your money from a hack, it’s likely that this step is going to take a long
time to complete - so go through the rest of our list while your bank works to get your
money back.
#3 SCAN YOUR DEVICE FOR VIRUSES/MALWARE
Okay, your account’s been recovered and your cash is safe.
Let’s make sure your digital devices are clean.
Using antivirus and antimalware software, do a thorough scan of your computer, tablet,
phone, whatever you use, and clear out anything that tests positive.
Any suspicious files and apps need to immediately be removed.
There are plenty of options to choose from when it comes to cybersecurity on your digital
device, but the absolute WORST option is to do nothing and hope you’re never compromised.
You lock your doors at night, right?
So you should lock up your computer and other devices from potential intruders, as well.
#4 REMOVE SENSITIVE DATA FROM YOUR DEVICE
A funny thing happens when you get hacked: suddenly you become acutely aware of all the
personal and private data you’ve uploaded that you’d rather not become public.
Videos, images, texts…personal information of a sensitive nature is extremely susceptible
to hackers - so be safe and either erase these or store them instead on some form of physical
(offline) medium that can’t be accessed by an account that has been compromised.
Now, you likely can’t go without storing SOME sensitive information on your device,
but you CAN be smart about protecting what you DO.
#5 PERFORM A COMPLETE SECURITY AUDIT
We’ve already discussed how interconnected our various online accounts are.
To make sure you’re safe from future attacks, you need to sit down and conduct a thorough
examination of every account you have, how they’re linked, and then check for evidence
of whether any of these have been compromised, too.
Deauthorize any associated apps that use your compromised account login info.
Again, most social media accounts will list all the apps your account is linked to somewhere
in the account information or settings.
Erase all hacked posts, emails, messages, whatever from the compromised devices, and
monitor them for the next few months for further issues.
Add all questionable emails or messages you may receive to your spam filter.
Unsubscribe from ANYTHING you don’t remember subscribing to, and when in doubt, block senders
that contact you with suspicious links or strange requests.
#6: LET PEOPLE KNOW
If you’ve been hacked, part of damage control is making sure friends and others know what’s
going on.
Explain the reason behind strange or out of character posts.
Remember that identity thieves may attempt to pose as you to try and solicit money out
of people you have relationships with, so make sure to contact these folks and warn
them to be on the lookout.
Sometimes sensitive data, whether personal or business, becomes compromised.
In these situations, it’s your responsibility to let other parties that may be affected
by the hack know what information has been accessed, so THEY can use the safeguards THEY
may have in place for protection.
One of the worst things you can do in the event of a hack is not communicate.
It’s an embarrassing situation, sure, but your forthrightness may spur someone ELSE
to take preventative measures with their OWN accounts, and you can help prevent another
catastrophe from occurring.
#7: UPGRADE YOUR SECURITY MEASURES
Once you’ve finally recovered from a hack, your job becomes making sure it doesn’t
happen again.
No doubt during this process you’ve realized there are several safety measures you weren’t
previously employing that you now need to.
Take the time to properly organize your passwords, and develop a schedule to keep them updated.
Make a backup email and link it to your main one to help in the event of future compromises.
Turn on two-factor authentication, which STILL remains the best extra layer of security for
online accounts.
If you find your old accounts are damaged beyond repair, there’s no shame in starting
over and creating a new account - but THIS time, with the proper safety measures in place.
Cybersecurity is one of those things most of us really don't take very seriously, and
that's a shame because, these days, our livelihood is often entirely dependent upon whether or
not our online accounts are protected.
The reality is that taking the time to set up the proper safeguards could prevent altogether
a hack that, if severe, might take months and months, even years to fully recover from.
So, if you haven't already: TODAY, sit down and make sure you've put your digital locks
into place.
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Big thanks to Zeino who helped me out with a lot of the motion graphics this week while
I was sick.
If you've got an animation gig, give him a shot.
And, thanks to my Patreon supporters, as well.