Intro to Incident Response: What to Do When Hacked

Even careful people get compromised sometimes. Knowing the right immediate steps limits the damage and helps recover access quickly.

• Act fast: Change the compromised account's password immediately from a different, trusted device if possible.
• Check for unfamiliar activity: Review recent logins, sent messages, or transactions for anything you didn't do.
• Revoke access: Log out of all sessions/devices in account security settings, and remove any unfamiliar connected apps.
• Report and warn: Report compromised financial accounts to your bank/mobile money provider immediately, and warn contacts if a hacked account may have messaged them.

Practical Skill: Write a simple personal "if I get hacked" action plan listing exactly which accounts to check first and who to contact for each (bank, email provider, family).

=== "I THINK I'VE BEEN HACKED" — IMMEDIATE STEPS === 1. From a DIFFERENT trusted device, change the password of   the affected account immediately.2. Check "recent activity" or "login history" in account   settings for unfamiliar locations or devices.3. Log out of all other sessions/devices from account settings.4. Enable MFA on the account now if it wasn't already on.5. If it's a financial account: contact your bank/mobile money   provider immediately to freeze/monitor the account.6. If the account may have messaged your contacts: send a   quick warning that the account was compromised.7. Write down what happened while it's fresh — this helps   you recognize the same attack pattern next time.