8 Emergency Actions You Should Take After Hacking

The importance of the internet and social media to our everyday lives and to the growth of a company or business now indicates that we need to take cybersecurity more seriously, especially since hacking is now becoming more prominent on the internet. When an individual or business is hacked, it is usually a very distressing experience for everyone involved. There is usually the feelings of sadness and confusion, as you are at a loss for why you are a victim, or what you should do afterward.

While this incidence is sad, you have to admit that it has happened and you have to make moves to restore normalcy as soon as possible. Here are 8 emergency actions that you should take after being hacked.

1. Find out why you were hacked

It might be too much for you to do at the time, but you will find out that figuring out the reasons why you were targeted will help you get to the root of the issue much faster and can help you decide your future course of action. Figuring this out is also the first step to preventing future re-occurrence. Anyone who hacks your bank account is definitely going for your money. But if your email is hacked, there are other motivations which can help you thwart future hack attempt if you find it out.

2. Reset your password

Your password is your first line of defense against unauthorized access. But the fact that you were hacked means that that defense has been breached and you need to reinforce it. Resetting your password should be your very first course of action. Change your password on all platforms that you use one and not just the breached or hacked platform.

Reset means you are changing your password and not reusing the same old ones. According to Mark O’Dell, a security researcher at an essay writing service called Dissertation Today, it is common for people to reuse passwords and this puts them in danger.

3. Scan and update your machine

Sometimes, people set up their systems and do it wrongly. This then becomes a point of interest for scammers and hackers. Get a very good antivirus and do a thorough scan of your systems. Start with your operating system and then every other part of your system.

4. Get your account back.

Social networks have made it for you to regain control of your account easily if you are a hacking victim. Each social network has its method of helping you regain your account. This method is a very simple method and basically requires you to answer some questions about your account in order to verify that you are the one.

Facebook uses a different verification method. They would require one of your Facebook friends to verify your identity before you have access to your account again.

So, try to search the method that you can use to recover your account on a particular social network.

5. Check your finances and financial activity

If the account that was hacked is a financial account, you need to go through all the activities on the account. Check the payment methods that were set up, addresses, an account that was linked to it, etc. For instance, if your bank account or PayPal account was hacked, the hacker probably linked a debit card to your account, or even an address in case they want to shop or take loans with the account, even after you have regained access. A common practice for dissertation writing services as well as for other organizations involved in assignment writing services is to review all financial activities on their account in case they were hacked.

6. Spread the word that you have been hacked

It would be very easy to deal with hackers if you knew their real intention. But you do not really know and are left to speculate most of the time. That is why it is important to inform everyone that you have been hacked. The hackers can use your account to scam unsuspecting friends or harm them in one way or the other while those ones think they are relating to you.

But when you let the word out early enough, people already know what’s up and this can save some of your friends from being scammed or harmed. You raise awareness when you speak out and people are more conscious.

7. De-authorize every account

In this age, you can easily log in to most social networks not with a password but with other accounts. For instance, I log into Facebook using my Google account. In this case, a hacker can be logged into my social network account even if I change the password, and they will do things with that account without my knowledge.

In this case, de-authorizing all accounts are your sure bet. De-authorize all accounts that require a Gmail or other networks for login and change all your passwords. When you are sure that only you have the password, then you can re-authorize the logins.

8. Audit your accounts

This is one mindset that you must have if you have been hacked, so, it defines your actions. When hackers hack sometimes, they hack an account because they want to access something.

If your cloud account is hacked, it might be because they want to access a specific folder or file. So, the moment you get your account back, go through all your files and folders carefully. Look for those confidential files and move them and other important information. Then reset your password as well. Just put it at the back of your mind that you have been compromised, then do the right thing from there.

Conclusion

There are only very few things that are as frustrating as being hacked but it can happen to anybody at any time. The important thing is to ensure that you keep your calm and do the necessary things to keep them out or reduce the damage.