You’ve Been Hacked! What Do You Do?

Hacking happens every day and unfortunately many people are affected by it. Cyber criminals are constantly searching for efficient ways to attack someone`s computer and steal their information. They often succeed in that, so you need to be careful every time you go online. Hacking can happen to anyone, so the first step when you see that you are hacked is not to panic. Panicking can only make things worse, so try to remain calm and follow few important steps.

Steps To Take When You Are Hacked

  • Notify your closest ones first. Hackers can use your email account to send phishing scams to your contacts, so make sure you tell them not to respond to suspicious emails. Identity thieves can also use your personal information for stealing credit card and bank account information, so next thing to do is to notify your bank immediately that your information has been compromised. They will act quickly and freeze your credit card and bank account, so hackers will not be able to steal your money or use your cards to make online purchases. Another good thing to do is to report to the police that you have been a victim of a cyber crime. The police departments have special divisions for cyber crime so they will do everything they can to track and find the hacker that has broken into your computer.
  • After notifying closest ones, banks and police, next thing to do is to clean up your computer. It should be scanned with good antivirus software for malware, Trojans, viruses and other malicious programs designed for stealing information. Run security scan as soon as possible to see whether there are any existing threats into your computer. You can also contact some computer expert to do this for you if you are not sure how to proceed.
  • Finally, after all of that is done, next step is to reinstall everything in your computer. Reinstall the entire operating system as well as stored backup data. Reinstalling everything will clean up any leftover dangerous files that can still harm your computer. Again, if you are not technically savvy and knowledgeable in that, best thing to do is to call an IT expert to properly do that for you. It can also be someone whom you can trust and that has good computer skills.

            These were the first and most important things to do after you have been hacked. Good thing to know is that not all is lost when that happens, so you do not need to panic or be scared right away. Just do everything necessary and you will do just fine. Remember that hacking can happen to anyone so you are not alone. Important thing is to be alert and ready if it happens. The best course of action is to act in advance and shield your computer. Install quality antivirus software, perform regular updates and keep your computer in great shape to avoid problems.

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