I think my email has been hacked!

Nobody wants to get a phone call from someone else that they received a suspicious email from you. That can cause you to go into a panic and wonder if your email account has been hacked. If you’re able to determine that you have been hacked, you’re probably scrambling to figure out what to do next.

So what’s the best course of action if your email was compromised? Take a look at some of these steps below that you can take to help minimize the threat.

1. Change your password.

Make sure you change your email password immediately. If you have any other passwords that are similar, make sure you change those as well. Hackers assume that you’ve used the same password somewhere else and will try to break into those accounts as well. Making sure that your passwords are different and complex can help protect you. Using a password manager can help you keep track of your passwords and make sure they’re safely stored.

2. Communicate with your email contacts.

Once a hacker has gained access to your email account, their target is to reach as many people in your contact list as they can. Compromising your co-workers and colleagues is how they are able to spread. Even if you may feel embarrassed to let your contacts know that your email has been compromised, make sure you send a notice out to let them know it’s not you.

3. Contact your Managed IT Provider or IT department.

If you haven’t already been notified by your managed IT provider or your IT department, you need to let them know. They will need to take the necessary precautions to make sure anything suspicious has not spread. Scanning your computer and network for malicious activities as soon as it’s noticed, will help safeguard your environment.

4. Make sure multi-factor authentication is turned on if it’s not already.

Multi-factor authentication acts as a second layer of protection to deter bad actors. It also works as a good alert if someone is attempting to log into your account. If you get a notice that a login attempt has been made and it’s prompting your for another verification method, but it wasn’t you then someone is trying to access your account. As mentioned above, make sure you are using complex and strong passwords.

Knowing what to do when you may have a compromised account can help stop the spread of malicious activity. The biggest thing is making sure your IT team is involved so that they can make sure things are safe and secure.

If you’re a small business and have questions about whether or not your email has been compromised, Invicta Partners is here to help. Reach out to us at 423-664-8700 or email us at info@invictamsp.com to start a conversation.