Your computer is a part of the virtual web hence, it can’t escape from the dangerous threats that are released by malware authors round the clock. PC unresponsiveness, frequent shutdown, sudden flicks and hitches, and hanging issues might be a result of the existence of an online threat on your device. On active execution of their malicious codes, these infections are triggered to send all the essential information to another host, which is deployed at the hacker’s end. A potential hacker can easily extract all those crucial details and information that might help him to plan theft of financial and personal data and information.
System running a little slow, sudden reboots while writing an important document, and an addition of some weird program in your Startup group are potent symptoms showing that your system has been hacked. A user may find himself helpless and frustrated, when he observes that he has been hacked. Keeping aside all your emotions and stress, you should understand that it is quite important to act quickly and stop any ongoing intrusions in order to avoid any further damage. Additionally, you should adopt all of those preventive measures that can help you secure and protect your system for the future.
In this article, you’ll read about various tips that can help you in situations when you find yourself trapped in the hands of hackers or virus authors.
1. Find out ‘Why’
The first thing to do after confronting that you’ve been hacked is to ask yourself – Why? Some of the common reasons behind this can be a loophole in the security of your system, or probably you might not have installed the latest security updates, or you don’t have an antivirus protection. Before you are ready to fix up things, take a step back and focus on finding out that what the reason for the breach was?
Another important thing to be focused on is why your profile has been marked as a target? If the reason is your bank account, the answer is obvious that the hacker wants your money, but other cases of security breach such as e-mail hacking can be really dangerous, if ignored. The attacker may ask users on your contact list to raise some money, reset password on all online accounts, and may use it to send spam. A complete hacking of devices may help the attacker to gain access to your business policies, plans, and future investments. To know why you were targeted is really important to save yourself from such attacks in the near future.
2. Reset your passwords immediately
You should always maintain a habit of changing your online passwords over a period of time in order to avoid hacking incidents. But if you’ve been trapped even after taking so many precautions, then immediately change the password of the infected service, and other online accounts with the same or similar password. You’re recommended not to reuse passwords as it enhances the chance of future attacks.
Avoid using common words and numeric combinations that are easy to guess, especially 123, iloveyou, 420, thankyou, 111111, por many others. Try to create a strong password by following the basic principles, i.e. should contain at least 8 characters with a combination of alpha-numeric characters. Use of special characters should be exercised, where permitted however, you can also use a combination of words that aren’t very easy to trace. Date of birth, address details, phone numbers, Social Security Card numbers, ATM PINS, and other such details should not be the part of your online passwords.
3. Update your security software, scan your PC, and remove infections
Computer viruses are one of the prime factors that help the hackers to enter into your device or network. The basic step should start with checking, downloading, and installing all the latest updates that are available for your device. You might have accessed a compromised website, a Phishing scheme, or an infected link accidently and the malware got installed on your system, unknowingly. If you suspect other reasons for the existence of such infection, then it is recommended to get it off before you start a recovery process.
Ensure that you are running the latest version of your OS, and your PC is installed with anti-virus, anti-spyware, and other security software. If you don’t have one, then download an efficient anti-virus program and immediately run a scan for malware and viruses. Although, these stubborn infections can’t be spotted using those free and trail versions of anti-virus solutions, you can always opt to take help from a technician or purchase licensed software for virus scan. On suspecting the potential virus that is responsible for hacking, immediately run virus removal program to remove it from your device.
4. Perform a security audit on affected accounts
Users usually use a single password for managing all their online accounts, hence, if one account is compromised, then you might need to suffer losses from other accounts as well. In clear words, you can say that one account is simply used as a gateway to another.
Suppose you’ve used the same password for your Gmail account and the hacked Dropbox account then it’s quite possible that the data on your email account will also be compromised. The conclusion is that you need not to secure only the account that has been hacked, but you should give extra attention to those as well that possess similar details and passwords. It is always recommended to reset your passwords on all of those services, and treat them as high-hack prone sections to avoid them from being compromised.
5. Lock down your credit cards, financial access, and other important data
It’s bad to know that your email account has been hacked. But remember apart from feeling sad, there is a lot to be done to prevent future losses. Block all your credit card details, bank access, online financial accounts, and other important data access, if you don’t want your identity to be stolen. There are various services available in the market that will duly block the access to all your financial as well as personal data by charging a small amount of fee from the user. Alternatively, you can also do it yourself by contacting the three major credit reporting agencies directly or by contracting the nearest bank branch.
6. Speak out to make others informed
An attacker may use your email account’s address book to send spam or fake mails to your friends asking them money, hence, it’s very important to speak out that your account has been hacked. Put a status on your Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, SMS app, or any other place from where it can reach the masses, and make them aware not to entertain any financial request projected by your ID. You might have already changed the password of your compromised account, but the hacker might have stolen all the data on a drive and kept it for a later use. Informing is safeguarding, thus, inform everyone about the mishap that you’ve faced and save them from being hacked or fooled.
Compromising your online identity can be a dangerous thing to happen as it can cause damage to your financial status, personal life, and professional plans. To avoid these precarious situations, you can safeguard your PC by using an effective antivirus protection that will update you, if any threat or infection occurs on your PC. You are recommended to process your transactions only through certified payment gateways as they come with SSL encryption that makes your data unreadable by other users. Visiting poorly-secured websites, spam emails, compromised web pages, and other infected sites may lead to download and install of some serious infections on your system, unknowingly. Browse safe, download safe, and keep a check on your system’s activities to avoid such threats in the future!
About the Author: Hi! I am Brook M. Perry, a prolific blog writer and keen author of articles related to computer security and solution for issues related to computers and mobile devices. Being associated with the reputed best pc tuneup service provider Qresolve, I have resolved thousands of tech issues for our customers from worldwide. computer virus removal My areas of interest are PC security, endpoint security system, router support etc.