10 Steps to Defeat Hacking Attacks (And What to Do after You’ve Been Hacked)
Through this article, I’m going to tell you the first steps that you need to take to defeat hacking attacks and after you have been hacked. These days, getting phished, hacked or becoming a victim of some malware attack is not uncommon either.
As we always have been listening to news that data has been hacked, the bank account has been cut and many more. The data breaches are on the rise and each day numerous types of malware are being discovered in the world. And we are supposed to be aware of such malware.
If you’ve realized that you’ve been hacked or you’re vulnerable to hacking attacks what the next step should you take? What to do after you’ve been cut? How to defeat those hacking attacks?
Here are some simple steps:
- Calm down. It happens. But it’s time to act.
If you’ve found that you are a victim of some data breach, most of the time it’s not even a threat. However, you need to ask yourself some questions. You need to introspect and revisit the security measures you have been taking to secure your online life.
- Now reset all your passwords and defeat hacking attacks
The first and foremost step after you come to know that you have been hacked is to reset all your passwords of all the accounts that you are related to. Use new and powerful passwords which can be a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, digits, and symbols as well.
You must also avoid reusing a password as it is something that we do unconsciously and make our account more vulnerable. Another thing that you must keep in mind while creating strong passwords is never to create a password which includes your personal information.
- Check your account statements and make specific changes
Thoroughly review financial account statements related to the affected accounts for some unusual activity. Look for other new payment methods, new reports linked, or new shipping addresses. Hackers were targeting your online accounts with one apparent reason related to money.
You need to check your credit card reports for suspicious activities and if you find anything fishy, cancel that card and book a new one.
- Connected accounts too can do the damage
It’s evident that one online account is linked with other reports. The compromised email account could be the one you’re used to verifying some separate email account. Same applies to your online banking & e-commerce accounts. So, it’s a safe practice to perform security checked for all accounts and update the passwords right after you know that your account has been hacked.
- De-authorize all connected apps
All the apps that you have been using on your phone are connected to some email account or your Facebook account. So, it would be an obvious decision to de-authorize all these apps. This could be a pain to re-authorize all the apps, but it’s the right to do at that time.
- Use two-factor authentication to defeat hacking attacks
While setting up the new accounts, enable the option of two-factor authentication. This method adds an extra layer of security to your accounts. Don’t skip it; it makes your account 4-5 times more secure.
- Recover your accounts
All the primary services like Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, Google, Yahoo, and Apple provide a detailed guide to get back your mind after you lose your control to it. Just search for account recovery for your service and follow the steps.
- Update your PC and phone
A very high percentage of hackers target to use the vulnerabilities in your PC and phone operating systems. If you are running older versions, there is a possibility that your device isn’t getting regular security updates.
Go to system settings and find the update system to perform the update. Make this a regular habit to protect yourself from being hacked.
- Scan your devices for malware
Using a reliable anti-malware tool is another important step. Download some good antivirus and don’t hesitate to pay for it. Here’s a list of the best antivirus solutions for Windows. If you choose to go for free products, you can check out this top free antivirus list.
Don’t forget to update your product as no matter how solid your antivirus product is; it’s useless if its virus database definitions are outdated.
- Tell your friends and family. Spread awareness to defeat hacking attacks
Well, after fixing all the loopholes, it’s time to go to your friends and family members. As for them, about the necessary steps, they are taking to keep themselves secure and tell them where they are lacking.
Educate people to defeat hacking attacks. If this happened to you, it could happen to anybody. So, be aware of being hacked.