While it is the attacks on high profile individuals that draw the most attention, even the average person is not free from risk of attacks on their accounts. As a result, everyone should be wary of the possibility of being the target of a hack, to ensure their data — whether personal or financial — isn’t compromised, according to an article in Wired. There’s also a need for caution, with respect to understanding that while an individual account may not contain information of particular concern, it could instead be used by a hacker as a vector for attack on other accounts, via reused credentials, passwords, or other non-unique information.
In the event they’ve been compromised, the following tips from Wired can be used to help recover and re-secure your accounts:
- Keep an eye out for unusual behavior – warnings about attempted logins, successful logins from unusual locations, or news about hacks to companies or sites, can all be an indication that your accounts are being targeted by malicious individuals.
- Work to regain control – contact the company that owns the account, and work through their recovery steps, which may include details on security questions, how and when the account was used, previous passwords, and so on. Once control is regained, change passwords, and check critical settings haven’t been changed
- Minimize future exposure – close unused accounts, use unique passwords for each site (or set up a password manager), enable two-factor authorization if available, and be aware of any personally identifying information that you may have previously published on other sites.
Source:
https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-know-if-youve-been-hacked-and-what-to-do-about-it/
