I wouldn’t wish anyone to be hacked, but sometimes, people need to be hacked, so they can learn from it. There are tons of articles online concerning cybersecurity, practical steps to being safe online. Some of them see these articles, fail to read, let alone of implementing those safety tips.
In my view, it would sort of a cock and bull story when someone tells you a story of falling a victim, but when we experience it once in a while, we will start taking online security more serious.
Let’s assume you wake up one morning and discover that you have been hacked, what will you? There are lots of steps you could take to recover from the surge speedily, but I will share with you a few tips that could be helpful.
Quickly Inform as Many People as Possible.
In a case whereby someone impersonates you or hacks your email, you need to tell as many people as possible. This will help to avert any damage the hacker is trying to cause you. The hacker is going to use your email or personal details to break the bank if you are the type that is wealthy. Look for a way to get in touch with your colleagues, business partners and get them informed earlier.
Report to your Bank
At this point, you have to keep an eye on your financial or credit accounts, because more often than not the hacker wants to extort money from you using your identity.
When hackers have access to your details, they are probably going to use it on your credit accounts, make fraudulent purchases and transactions, etc.
Optimistically, your bank will have the required systems in place to track mistrustful activities from hackers. When you report immediately to your bank, you are taken the right steps, at least by curbing the risks.
I will advise to temporarily close down any financial account as quickly as possible, change all the password to your credit card or debit card. Just make sure there is a total overhaul in anything that has to do with your finance.
Do Repartition and Format Your Hard Drive
If it’s our computer that is hacked, you to completely wipe your hard drive. After doing this, you need not trust that your hard drive is free from virus.
I suggest you get a hard drive wipe utility to completely blank your hard drive, after which, you can reload the operating system from trusted media.
The next thing to do is to back up your files and insert back your hard drive to your computer. Download a secure disk erase utility to wipe the drive completely.
Wiping your hard drive could take several hours; this is because it overwrites everything of your hard disk, including the ones that are empty. Ensure that you pass every stage and leave every stone unturned, it worth.
Set up a New Account
For instance, if a hacker gains access to your personal e-mail, sometimes, they will use that email to set up new accounts. What you can do at this point is to try and check if there is any notification or message in your inbox, sent items, spam or even trash. If a new account has been created, try logging into those accounts set up by hackers by using the reset password feature, after which you delete the account.
Final Thoughts
Let’s be security conscious online; other strategies could be applied when you discover that you are hacked. I have listed a few ones that I find germane; I hope this was helpful.
