How to Check If Your Accounts Have Been Hacked (Easy Tips)

Posted on January 9th, 2024 by Quertime Writer in Cyber Security

It’s a matter of technological development that these days we have countless ways of digital connection and communication. These technologies exist all over the world and are available for every person, who has a smartphone, a laptop or a computer with Internet connection.

Such automated processes of interference are beneficial, as they provide us with fast, free or low paid, means of getting information, sharing and exchanging data. However, every fairy tale has its stumbling stone and in the case with modern technologies, we can speak of stealing personal information and its usage for harmful and dangerous purposes.

Experts in this field know that everything can be hacked; nevertheless, there is a way out. Skillful specialists of information technologies and programmers have found solutions to this problem when they have created various ways for hacking prevention, detection and eliminating. Let’s have a closer look at such tricks and methods to identify scams.

Gmail and Yahoo Mail Issue

Nowadays it’s relatively easy to hack any email account you possess. There are too many ways to intervene into your private email area. That’s why you are to constantly check up on this issue.

How Can I Check If Email Has Been Hacked?

One of the most obvious signs that your email is being hacked is your password is rejected as incorrect and you cannot sign in to your account. This indicates that someone else has changed your email password. However, some hackers won’t change your password so you won’t notice that anything’s wrong. Examine your sent messages every day or two, as hackers can get there and try to spread virus information, propaganda or ads with the help of your account.

Keep in mind that in the case of email hacking, your vigilance is everything for you. Some email services record the IP address every time the account is signed in. If you find that there’s IP listed which doesn’t belong to you, your email account is most likely compromised. Depending upon the motivation of hacker, you may never see any suspicious signs. You can always run you email through HaveIBeenPwned to check if your email has been comprised in a data breach.

What Are My Actions in the Case of Email Account Hacking?

Firstly, change your password and make sure that the message with suspicious content is deleted. Secondly, depending on your type of email provider, connect with support team, check FAQ’s and go to the settings of your account.

For instance, your Google account security can be checked pretty quickly, as it’s an inbuilt feature of Google. Was your Gmail account hacked? If you see the sign, described above, then you should go over two-step verification settings and that’s about it. Finally, if the problem is in the hacked Yahoo account, then you are to set up two-factor authentication.

Facebook Account Intrusion

The most obvious sign that you’ve been hacked in Facebook is your activity on this website. When you see a post or a comment you haven’t written, it means that your Facebook account has been hacked. Such posts can appear on your timeline or feed, and will look like spam messages (in most of the cases with images or website links).

One more sign of hackers attack is when you watch a bunch of people you’re unexpectedly started to follow or added to the friend list. You can also face the difficulty in the process of logging in. This happens when a hacker has changed your password or phone number, which is connected to your Facebook account.

Another example of harmful activity in Facebook is impersonation where hacker creates account that consists the data, photos and posts, which are similar to the content of your page. Hackers will most likely pretend to be you to collect personal information about you or people within your network.

How to Protect Facebook Account from being Hacked?

Firsthand, monitor your activity on social media all the time. If you notice the signs of hacking mentioned above, it’s time to change your password. Take it seriously: your account was hacked, which means that your password wasn’t a good one. So choose a strong password (I mean don’t use your birth date, identification number or the word ‘password’). In the case of impersonation account, the best thing is to follow instructions in Facebook’s Help Centre.

iCloud Blemishing

The beneficial thing about using iCloud is that you can save your photos, private details of meetings and other personal information in one place, which is said to be safe and protected by specialists of Apple Corporation. However, the reality of hacked celebrity iCloud photos is truthful and brings awareness to the fact that there exists a safety issue within a company. But do not worry, as we can give you a hand with it!

Was Your Apple iCloud Account Hacked?

There are multiple indicators of iCloud hacking, for instance, you may start getting emails that your password has been changed or attempts to login into your personal iCloud account. In case when you have two-factor authentication, you may receive requests for your security or token code (even if you haven’t started the whole process).

Another mark of hacking is a downloaded file or an iTunes purchase you’ve never got on your own. And that is the moment to start being really careful. You can think that it’s some breakdown in a system, but somewhere out there may be a person, who’s trying to steal info from you. That’s why you need to spring into action the very moment you’ve received such email.

Useful Tips to Protect Your iCloud Account

If you identify the signs of hacking mentioned above, your first decision should be to change your passwords with the help of LastPass or 1Password. Moreover, make sure to delete files and apps, which weren’t obtained by you personally. If these tips do not work, visit any Apple support department. Whatever you are into, do not jailbreak your iPhone, as by doing so you’ll invalidate your iPhone’s warranty. And one doesn’t forget that another way to hack-proof your iCloud account

Conclusion

There is no Spiderman, who’ll save you from hacker’s attack, as in this type of problem a lot of things depend on you. Take full responsibility for your actions and be thoughtful and meticulous when it comes to your personal information and life. At the end of the day, not every kitten video is what it seems to be, it may be a trap. Watch out then!