Getting hacked can be terrifying and costly, as hackers get away with data that may be sensitive such as health records, private pictures or messages. The data stolen is sometimes used for further attacks or sold to other criminals in the dark web.
Recovering from a hack can be quite overwhelming. Not only does one have to deal with restoring its site to its proper working state, but one also needs to take necessary steps in preventing a repeated attack.
Here is what you can do to quickly and efficiently recover from a hack.
Contact your Host
The first step should be informing the company hosting your server as soon as you discover that your page or site has been hacked. Your web host is in a much better position to know how to fix the problem better than you.
It is also likely that the host company has multiple customers sharing the same server, so it is crucial for them to check out their other customers’ sites to make sure they too are not at risk of being hacked.
- Trace the Money
If after the attack there is an element of commerce involved in the affected account, ensure that there is a thorough review of all the activities on that account.
Verify that no new transactions are being carried out or new payment methods added or modified. This is especially true of sites which let you make one-click purchases or issue payment cards.
Shutdown and Remove the Hard Drive
If your computer has been compromised you ought to shut it down to avoid further damage to your files. After doing that, pull out the hard drive and connect it to a different computer as a secondary non-bootable drive. Ensure the other computer is fitted with an up-to-date anti-virus software.
- Update and Scan
There is a possibility that the hacker got in via your machine using a malware installed unknowingly.
Make sure you are using a recent version of your operating system. Download an authentic anti-virus product and scan for malware and viruses which may have been the source of the attack. This is the most basic yet most important step in preventing future attacks.
- Reset Your Passwords
You should also change the password on the affected service and any other site/page that shares a similar password.
A key tactic to minimize the chances of being hacked is by not reusing passwords. You ought to be regularly changing your passwords as part of maintenance.
Conduct a Complete Backup
You need to back up your important files by getting all the useful data from the previously infected drive to another clean hard drive.
Once everything is in perfect condition, conduct a complete backup so that if this ever happens again you will not spend plenty of time reloading your system.
