Everyone is vulnerable at the threat of cyber criminals or hackers who gain access to your information, but the threats are not the same for everyone.
UNITED KINGDOM WIRING
This story originally appeared on WIRED UK.
The average person will likely face fewer sophisticated threats than, for example, a high-ranking politician, activist, or CEO. More high-profile figures may be directed at phishing emails seeking to steal secrets from corporate networks or initiate the transfer of large sums of money. You, your friends, and your family are likely to face different threats: from people you know seeking revenge, or, more likely, from criminal groups using automated tools to obtain mass credentials.
“We all like to think that we are not susceptible to social engineering or other types of cyber attacks, but the truth is that even smart, self-aware people still get caught up in online scams that can have very damaging consequences,” says Jake Moore, a cybersecurity specialist at Eset, an Internet security company. “Many people will even admit that they don’t click on phishing emails, but they can still get caught up in online scams. A number of emails can still slip through the network without realizing it and can have serious financial or social effects. “
Understanding threats is key. Everyone has their own threat model that includes the things that matter most: what is important to you may not be equally important to someone else. But there is value for everything you do online: from Facebook and Netflix to online banking and shopping. If one of your accounts is compromised, the stolen login information or financial details can be used on the web. It’s that kind of scenario that allows people to order take-out food through compromised Deliveroo accounts.
While Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media are less likely to contain your credit card details, there are other types of risk. Hacked social media accounts can be used to post compromising messages that could embarrass or defame someone, used to harass or create an image of who you are and of everyone you know.
“Finding out if you’ve been hacked can be quite a difficult task,” adds Moore. “You could wait for it to be tested by losing control of your precious accounts, although like everything else it’s better to be proactive and prevent it from happening in the future.” If you think you’ve been hacked, here is where to start and what you can do next.
Detects unusual behaviors
The clearest sign that you have been hacked is when something has changed. You may not be able to access your Google account with your usual username and password, or there may have been suspicious purchases charged to one of your bank accounts. These are pretty obvious indications that you’ve been compromised in some way, and banks are expected to catch any suspicious payments before things go too far.
However, before any of your accounts are compromised, there may be warning signs. The account someone is trying to sign in to may warn them of unusual attempts to log in – for example, Facebook and Google will send you notifications and emails alerting you to attempts to access your account. This usually happens if someone has tried to log in and failed, but alerts can also be when someone has successfully logged in from unknown locations.
Hardly a day goes by without a company, application or website suffering a data breach, from Adobe to Dungeons and Dragons. These breaches may include phone numbers, passwords, credit card details, and other personal information that would allow criminals to steal your identity, among other threats. Businesses should be quick to inform you if they have been compromised, but using a default notification service can also alert you. Haveibeenpwned and the F-Secure Identity Verifier will inform you of old data breaches, but they can also alert you to new cases where your data is affected in compromised accounts.
Take back control
Once you know that your account has been hacked, that’s when the hard work begins. Regaining control of an account may not be easy, depending on who has access to it, and there is a good chance that it will involve a large number of administrators. Anything from telling everyone you know that your email has been compromised to deal with the police.
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