Cyber Security
Awareness Month Kit
Week 2: Hacked!
 

Monday Email to Send

Subject: Uh-oh, your info was involved in a data breach?! What to do next

We’ve all had an account with a company where we’ve been notified about the company experiencing a data breach - but what can you do about it?

If your account's caught in a data breach by its host company, your private stuff like logins, emails, credit cards, or personal info might've been swiped or viewed by unauthorized folks. This can happen to any size company, regardless how well-established they are.

So where to start?

• Act fast - the sooner you take action to lock down things, the less time criminals have to mess around
• Change your passwords to something new, unique, long (12+characters), strong
• Enable 2FA (Two-factor authentication, aka MFA); or update and regenerate backup codes if you already had 2FA on
• If the breached account password was used for other accounts, change those account passwords to something new and unique, too, for each account (reused passwords put your accounts at higher risk of being hacked)
• Stay on alert for an increase in phishing attempts

You don’t have to wait for a breach to happen to take these steps now. 😉

Here’s a full guide on steps to lock down your account after a breach here (and good habits to learn proactively): Data Breach? What To Do Next Guide (PDF)

Stay safe!
Your Friendly Security/IT Team

Monday Social Post

Big shots like Meta (aka Facebook), Amazon, T-Mobile, Pizza Hut/KFC, ChatGPT, Reddit and more have danced with data breaches in the not-so-distant past. So chances are good you have/had/and will have an account involved in a data breach at some point. 

But before you throw up your hands, we're not powerless! We CAN take steps to guard our info and keep the damage small, even if our data's caught in a breach tornado. 

• Act quick! The faster you act, the less room for cyber crooks to play.
• Get crafty with new, strong passwords – long (12+ characters) and unique is the secret sauce - no reused passwords!
• Activate 2FA (or regenerate backup codes if already active) – it's your digital bodyguard.
• If that breached password was used for other accounts, change those passwords pronto. Keep ‘em all unique!
• Stay on the lookout - Expect an increase in phishing attempts🎣  so keep your radar sharp.
•  

If the breach was with your bank, set up transaction alerts. Go ahead and consider freezing your credit, too - it’s free and prevents scammers using your info to open a credit line in your name.

#hacked #onlinesafety #StayWizer #CyberBoss #DataBreach

Wednesday Email to Send

Subject: What’s the second thing to do if your email gets hacked?

This is for those who have NOT been hacked...yet - when you're emotions are at a high it's hard to know what even the FIRST thing to do is (much less the second)!

But we've got a quick guide to keep handy for 'just in case' to help you know the first, second, and later steps to take back control.

Dealing with an email hack in the right way is super important, as it’s easy to miss something and not fully remove the threat. Similar to data breaches, your response time makes a big difference, so act as soon as you suspect something.

Take a few minutes to quickly review this guide when you get a chance and keep it in a handy place, it could save you - or a family member - a lot of stress one day (though we hope it’s not needed).

Email Hacked?! What To Do Next Guide (PDF)

Your Friendly Security/IT Team

Wednesday Social Post

The thought of having your personal email hacked is scary, but not knowing what to do the moment after leaves you feeling like a deer caught in the headlights. But there are some steps you can take to ensure your account gets locked down properly after a hack is discovered.

The most important thing to remember is ACT FAST. The sooner you take action, the less time criminals have to cause trouble. 

With any hack, it’s usually a good idea to start with these:

• Change your password to something that is long, strong, and UNIQUE (no reusing passwords!)
• Turn ON multi-factor authentication (aka MFA or 2FA)
• Monitor your account for unusual activity for a few weeks after to ensure the criminal doesn’t still have access
•  

With email there are a few extra steps you’ll want to take as well to ensure criminals aren’t still hiding out in your  email. We’ve broken the steps down for you in this quick guide: Email Hacked?! What To Do Next Guide (PDF)

#hacked #onlinesafety #StayWizer #familysafety #CyberBoss

Friday Email to Send

Subject: A Virtual Fortune Cookie For You

Fortune Foretold: One way or the other you will have MFA enabled on your personal devices - but make sure you're the one who turns it on. 

If criminal hackers get into an account that doesn't have MFA already turned on, they may just go ahead and do that for you setting up the unique authentication steps to verify THEM as the owner and not you. 😱

This translates into being really locked out of your account with a very difficult time trying to prove to customer service you're the legitimate owner. 

So give yourself a security upgrade today and enable MFA for 3 of your most important apps or accounts today! Here's a quick guide to help you get started.

Your Friendly Security/IT Team

Friday Social Post

“If you’re angry, count to 10 before you reply” - but why? Our emotions can cloud our judgment and we can do or say something we regret. Hackers know this and work to use it against us. But being aware is half the battle. 

Start noticing how messages make you feel. Anytime you experience strong emotions from an email or text, use that as a flag to stop, breathe, maybe even count to 10. Try reading the message out loud to yourself and look for any suspicious signs that that message may not be all it appears to be. 

If you’re unsure, simply call the sender on a trusted number to check it was really from them before you take any further action. Check out this quick video for more tips. 

https://youtu.be/jPSC4pIlHNw

#securityawarenessmonth #hacked #scams