Hacking attacks are almost a daily occurrence in Germany. In other words, around 70 per cent of all German companies have already been hacked at some point. Even in the private sphere, more and more users are being confronted with unwanted data theft. When someone has been hacked, every second counts.
I’ve been Hacked – What should I do?
It is no longer uncommon for someone to be hacked. Just like work documents, private files are also often affected. If you’re asking yourself: ‘Have I been hacked?’, our tips will help you avoid the worst.
Contents:
How can you tell if you’ve been hacked?
Alarm signals on the computer
I’ve been hacked – what really happened?
The right crisis management
Immediate measures on online platforms
Warn your friends with ‘I’ve been hacked’
Have I been hacked? – Always observe
Not a taboo subject
Quickly regain security
How do you recognise whether there has been a hacker attack?
You usually only notice passively whether your own computer, email account or social media profile has been hacked. For example, the company responsible, your friends or acquaintances often contact you. In addition to nonsensical links via direct messages on your social media account, your email account is blocked due to spam. On top of that, your computer or account is doing strange things or official bodies such as your bank are writing to you. At this point at the latest, you should ask yourself the question: ‘Have I been hacked?’
Alarm Signals on the Computer
A hacking attack is not immediately recognisable, especially on computers. If it has been hacked, the behaviour depends entirely on the malware. You often don’t even realise that someone is spying on your data. However, if the hacker wants money from you, you will usually receive a message. As a result, the installed ransomware blackmails you by saying that your device is now encrypted. You can also answer ‘Have I been hacked’ if you are redirected to a website in the event of suspicious behaviour. Sometimes these often look similar to your personal e-banking account, although they are dangerous fakes.
I was hacked – what really happened?
It is not always immediately clear why you have been hacked. There are basically two possibilities: Your physical computer has been hacked or an account in the cloud has been compromised and therefore attacked. It’s easy to explain why this happened. You may have clicked on the wrong link and entered your data there. Reusing passwords also significantly increases the risk. Some hackers want to make money with your data, while others want to do you significant harm.
In the same way, the risk of spreading increases significantly if you use the same password everywhere. So-called high-risk accounts such as those on social media platforms are extremely popular. In 2012, for example, around 6.5 million LinkedIn accounts were stolen, even though their passwords were generally secure. Just one day after the attack, it was possible to download login-ready users including passwords. In short, this example shows just how quickly a hack attack can spread.
The Right Crisis Management
If you have been hacked, you must intervene quickly and in good time to prevent major damage. The rescue may take several hours. If you ask yourself: ‘Have I been hacked?’, you should proceed step by step. The first thing to do is to prevent it from spreading. So it’s best to already know what the origin of the hacking attack is.
In the case of ransomware or a hack of your computer, it helps to disconnect. Switch off the computer and disconnect it from the network. Your computer will still be infected. This also applies to all hard drives and data carriers that have been connected, as well as all computers in the network. Without checking, it is not possible to confirm one hundred per cent that they are also affected. Nevertheless, you should assume that they could be infected.
Immediate Measures on online Platforms
I’ve been hacked, but only one account is affected, should still put you on alert. Unlike your computer, you can’t simply delete your accounts and take them off the internet. Because the data is stored in the cloud, the hackers still have access to it. Change the passwords on every platform on which you have registered. Always use strong passwords with an appropriate length and combination of letters, numbers and, if necessary, special characters. Accordingly, the platforms on which you use the same access data always have priority.
Warn your friends with ‘I’ve been hacked’
A hacker attack is not your personal problem that nobody should or may know about. ‘Have I been hacked?’ is often only revealed when your friends or acquaintances send you messages about it. The hackers send infected messages to almost everyone in your contacts via your social media or email accounts. Although not every link looks suspicious, hacker attacks continue to take place under your name. As a result, the malware often spreads unexpectedly quickly.
If you have been hacked, you can often easily check this yourself. If you still have access to your account, you can check the outgoing messages to see who has been sent what. However, this assumes that the hackers have not yet blocked access. If you link several accounts, suspicious content may also pop up. This also allows you to react more quickly.
Not a Taboo Subject
If you notice that suspicious content has been sent, it is best to contact the people concerned immediately. The best way to do this is to say: ‘I’ve been hacked. Beware of strange links from my account’ or something similar. If you have your account back, you can make a public post and issue a warning if necessary. By the way, this should always be done on a different channel or via a different account.
Have I been Hacked? – Always Watch Closely
Have I been hacked, but do I now have peace of mind? It’s best to keep an eye on whether the hacker is still active. Then check your account activity carefully and intervene immediately in the event of suspicious activity. In the case of dubious warning e-mails, check where they come from. Is someone causing a log-in or does the message actually come from the website operator? In short: Never enter your details when asked. Otherwise you may end up back at point one.
Quickly Back to Safety
A hacking attack can cause major damage under certain circumstances. Every second often counts if you have been hacked. As a result of the fact that not everyone pays attention to their origin, suspicious links spread at lightning speed. For this reason, you should check all accounts carefully and initiate a clean-up or backup in good time. Change passwords and your email addresses, inform your friends and continue to monitor the behaviour. After all, you can only feel safe again once there is no more suspicious behaviour.
Have you been hacked? Get IT help now!
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