By Charles Thomas, MBA

A hot topic of conversation has been the many threats we face in cybersecurity. Several of us have experienced or know someone who has experienced their social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, etc.) being hacked.

If this happens to you, it is important to act in a timely manner to prevent further damage to your personal information.

Be on the lookout. Signs your account has been hacked include:

• Notification of login or password change that you did not initiate

• Posting of pictures or messages to friends that you did not post

• Inability to log in to your account

• Random/spammy friend requests

• Messages that seem untrue or highly unlikely that include links to click on

If you have been hacked:

• Immediately change your password and force the logging out of all locations on that social media. For example, on Facebook via the phone app, go to Settings > Password & Security > “Where you’re logged in” to see all devices logged in to your account.

• If you are unable to log in, hit “forgot password” and follow directions to reset your password.

• If the first two options are unsuccessful, report that your account has been compromised directly to the social media website or app.

After you have safely logged back in:

• Create a new password and log out of any unknown devices, as described above.

• Look for new posts, new friends, and new followed pages you don’t recognize, and unfollow them.

• If you use a similar or the same password on other websites, change those passwords as well.

• If your computer has anti-virus software, run it and clean any potential threats that may have gotten into your device.

• If you continue to receive spam emails or issues within your device, it would be wise to get your device cleaned.