You’ll usually know you’ve been hacked after a short period of time. We’ve all been there: a friend receives unusual text messages or emails, or their social media feed is flooded with postings you didn’t write – we’ve all been there, right? However, many people do not appear to take it seriously. Identity theft or other security and privacy violations from a hacked email account might have far more significant consequences than a spammed friend.
Apart from being a popular mode of web communication, your email, like your Facebook or other social network login, serves as a unique identifier for various account logins. Bank accounts, social media sites, cloud services, and online shredding are just a few examples.
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Indications that someone is attempting to log into your social media account
To respond to a cyber hack, you must first be able to recognize that one has occurred.
Bellow are some of the indications that your account has been compromised
You’ll get emails with instructions on how to change your password
If you get an email requesting you to change your password. A cybercriminal may be looking for information on banks, shopping sites, and other services. Keep a watch out for emails, messages, or phone calls from your bank professing to be from them and asking personal information.
You discover weird messages in your Sent box that you did not send
Cybercriminals may try to commandeer your account rather than taking control and locking it completely. This allows them to send spam or collect additional information about you while remaining undetected.
Check your Sent folder from time to time for any communications or mass emails you don’t recall sending. Email authentication is another excellent way to combat spoofing and other types of email fraud. When email authentication records are set up correctly, the odds of a spoofer intercepting your message are reduced.
Your password has been changed
The inability to log in with your normal password is the first and most alarming clue that your email or social media account has been compromised. First and foremost, double-check that you’re using the correct password. Start the password recovery process if you’re sure your password is correct but still can’t log in. Cybercriminals can quickly destroy your password recovery information, or you just can’t access your recovery email or device right now.
Your contacts have complained to you
Your friends and family will undoubtedly be aware of any stuff received through your email that may be considered peculiar or unusual.
Steps to take when you discover that your social account has been compromised
Make your contacts aware
As you are probably aware, cybercriminals hack email accounts in order to send spam messages or steal information from your close contacts, such as friends, family members, followers, or colleagues. As soon as you suspect an attack on your email or social media account, notify your contacts. Making a social media post or directly contacting family and friends may be options.
Make use of multi-factor authentication
Multi-factor authentication is widely regarded as one of the most efficient defenses against cyber-attacks.
You should update your password
The first step in preventing unwanted access to your information is to change your password as soon as you suspect you’ve been hacked. Hackers typically capture email addresses and passwords since the majority of users use the same password for many accounts. They rely on people having simple passwords that are easy to crack if they merely have the email address. You can prevent your account from being hacked by changing passwords.
