How to Get Facebook Account Back From Hacker

You're not in Amsterdam, right?

It wasn't the typical Wednesday morning email, sent from a friend who I'd seen the night before…in New York City. According to my Gmail account, however, I'd scooted off to Europe sometime after midnight, lost my passport and reached out to every contact in my address book asking for money. Yep, I'd been hacked.

Next came an hour of frantic Googling, a panicked tweet ("I'M NOT IN AMSTERDAM!") and some personal damage control, including fielding questions from an ex-boyfriend, a long-past professor and a woman who said she had no idea who I was, but had received my fraudulent email. Had I been better informed, I would've kept calm and followed these nine post-hacking steps.

1. Pinpoint the problem. The most obvious sign of hacking is the slew of messages you'll receive from acquaintances either stating that your account's been hacked or wondering if they should really wire money overseas. Also, according to Kevin Beaver, an Atlanta-based independent computer security expert and author of Hacking for Dummies, "you might receive bounced emails or other odd messages from people you don't know. Or your computer and/or Internet might start running slowly." On Facebook, red flags include mysterious links posted to your friends' timelines under your name or problems signing into your account.

2. Change your password. If someone's simply poached your password, resetting it should solve your problem. Andrea Freund, a spokeswoman for Gmail, advises getting creative when choosing your new login. "Stay away from obvious choices like children's names or other information that might be available online." Freund also suggests keeping your account recovery options up to date in case you get shut out completely. For example, Gmail can send a link to your phone or a separate email address to help you regain access. For more on taking back your account, check Gmail's recovery page or Facebook's Help Center.

3. Run an antivirus scan. Though a sabotaged outbox is devastating enough, Bhavani Thuraisingham, PhD, a professor of computer science and executive director of the Cyber Security Research and Education Center at the University of Texas at Dallas, says, "What's more dangerous is malware, or malicious software sending all your information to a hacker" without you knowing it. "If you suspect you've been hacked, run malware scans using multiple tools," says Beaver. If one scan doesn't catch a virus, another might. Some of Beaver's favorite scans: Webroot, which offers a free trial, as well as Avast and Malwarebytes, which offer free versions indefinitely. Even if you're just the victim of password cracking, run a scan to be safe. And if your scan picks up a virus, change your password again.

4. Check your settings. "Once you're back in your account or have reset your password, make sure the hacker hasn't changed your settings," says Freund. "Check the 'Forwarding and Pop/IMAP' tab to make sure your email is being directed properly." Otherwise, a hacker may still be able to intercept your messages. Find settings under a drop-down menu in the upper right corner when you're logged into your email. (For Gmail and Yahoo it's under the gear icon; for AOL it's under "Options.") On Facebook you don't have to worry about forwarding, but still make sure nobody's fiddled with your account or privacy settings.

5. Reach out to your contacts. While a hacking can leave you feeling like a social pariah—especially if you've unknowingly blasted your contacts with a seedy ad or asked for cash—say something. Daniel Post Senning, author of Emily Post's Manners in a Digital World, suggests sending a straightforward informational email, as you'll probably be sending it to a mixed audience of colleagues, family and friends. "When you're talking about something that involves money and deception, clarity trumps humor," says Senning.

6. Rethink passwords to other accounts. Do you have one go-to password for everything from Twitter to online banking? If so, change each of those logins. "All of them could be at risk if you use the same or similar passwords across the board," says Beaver. This time, choose something unique for each account. Even if you've been diligent about varying your passphrases, reset them anyway. "If your Yahoo or Gmail account is hacked," says Dr. Thuraisingham, "and there's malware in the system, it will know all your other information too."

7. Alert your service provider. You may not hear back, "but it could minimize the chance of someone else getting hit," says Beaver. Plus, as Senning says, it's part of being "a good digital citizen." He explains, "In the same way that good manners in the physical world involve not spreading germs, good manners in the digital world involve not spreading viruses." For Gmail, head to Google's "Contact us" page and scroll down to "Report a safety or abuse issue affecting a Google product." You can reach out to AOL's customer service team through Help.AOL.com (click "send us a note about your AOL Mail issue"). Yahoo users should go to "Security at Yahoo" and find a section on reporting incidents. For Facebook, the help center is your chief resource.

8. Update your software. It's so easy to click "Remind Me Later" when an update prompt appears on your screen, but Beaver explains it's in your best interest to keep things current. "Install the latest operating system patches [or fixes released by software companies] and updates for Java, Adobe Reader and other third-party software, as this is how most malware is spread," he says. Updating is critical because "the longer software is out, the more time criminals have to find ways to exploit bugs."

9. Beef up your security. If you use Gmail, Freund recommends setting up two-step verification. "It gives you an extra layer of protection by asking for a numeric code that's sent to your phone, in addition to your password," she says. Facebook has a similar feature called login approvals. Another smart move: "Stop clicking links and attachments in emails—even when they're from trusted sources," Beaver says. As for exacting revenge on a nemesis that's wreaked havoc on your social media mojo, play it cool. "Learn from your mistake and move on," says Beaver.

For more must-know cyber-security tips, check out:

How to Avoid Online Scams

9 Things Your IT Person Wants to Tell You

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How to Get Facebook Account Back From Hacker

Source: https://www.womansday.com/life/work-money/tips/a7134/facebook-hacked/

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