Recover from a data breach
Assess your situation
Before you start
WARNING: If more than one of your accounts have been breached, a breach was recent, or you are unsure – DON’T make this list and your notes below on a device.
Write them on paper temporarily instead.
Why? Your device may be hacked and if you put your new passwords or details on it, you risk hackers accessing them again. You cannot often tell if your device has been hacked – many hacking programs run secretly (technical words you might have heard before: malware, trojans, root kits, etc). You can check this in later steps on this page.
People & devices at higher risk of having been hacked:
If you have ever done any of the following you are at higher risk of having being hacked or have malicious hidden software on your device stealing your information and passwords:
- If you have ever pirated software, apps, or media (obtaining something for free that is only available by paying for it)
- Downloading apps or files from strangers, suspicious ad-filled websites, or from clicking an ad about a virus or problem
- Visiting links or opening files or downloading apps from emails from people or companies you don't know
- Attempting to cancel or contact a company sending you an invoice for something you never brought
- Clicking on links from PayPal / payment / password reset emails that you weren't expecting
- Often, those who are not very tech savvy (not very good with using computers / iPads / iPhones / etc)
Section A: What's happened?
Make a list on your computer or a piece of paper or your phone:
- List what accounts/data have been leaked/stolen/hacked. If you don’t know, see our breach email for details or request a breach check.
- Make a note of any related details to the accounts, such as security questions you will need to answer to recover your account or when talking to the support teams for those services.
- Check each account off as you recover it / reset the password.
- Read this ENTIRE page for future protection steps, as well as device scanning to see if you were hacked and more are later on this page. If you don’t protect yourself properly, you will just get hacked / breached again.
Section B: Take action and recover
Too busy or need help to fix your accounts? We can help. Sign up for a protection plan that covers personalised support to get direct help or the recovery done for you. Be aware we will need access to some accounts and details to recover certain accounts for you. We cannot recover high-security accounts like bank accounts or government accounts if they need to speak directly with you on the phone.
Who is this best for? People who are too busy or people who aren’t very tech savvy and need help.
Personal details leaked / stolen
Warnings:
You might get emails to warn you of suspicious logins – be careful if clicking on links in these emails as they could also be fake emails.
Action steps:
Your action steps depend on what has happened:
- If high risk details or accounts like your credit card info, social security number, ID documents, have been leaked or stolen: contact credit reporting agencies in your country to place a credit ban on your account. Contact your bank and report your card details have been stolen. Contact and report your situation to the police.
- For every account breached, change your password immediately. Save your password somewhere safe – we recommend installing a password manager (you’ll only need to ever remember one password from now one) and it will store your passwords securely, and you can access them from any device. Free & paid options available. We recommend NordPass for ease of use. Get NordPass for free.
- Get alerts for if your data appears anywhere else and if more than what you originally knew got exposed/stolen. Sign up for a protection and alert plan.
One or more account logins exposed online / reported as breached
Warnings:
You might get emails to warn you of suspicious logins – be careful if clicking on links in these emails as they could also be fake emails.
Action steps:
For every account that has been breached / leaked / exposed online (e.g. your email + password login for that account) – login to that account and reset your password immediately.
If you cannot get into an account, call or contact the customer support service for that account and tell them your account was hacked/stolen. They will help you recover it.
Save your password somewhere safe – we recommend installing a password manager (you’ll only need to ever remember one password from now one) and it will store your passwords securely, and you can access them from any device. Free & paid options available. We recommend NordPass for ease of use. Get NordPass for free.
Get alerts for if your data appears anywhere else and if more than what you originally knew got exposed/stolen. Sign up for a protection and alert plan.
Bank account impacted
Warnings:
You might get emails to warn you of suspicious logins – be careful if clicking on links in these emails as they could also be fake emails.
Action steps:
If your bank account details have been hacked or leaked:
- Contact your bank immediately to lock your account, reset your passwords, consider locking or cancelling cards, and report that your password was stolen.
- If you changed your password: Save your password somewhere safe – we recommend installing a password manager (you’ll only need to ever remember one password from now one) and it will store your passwords securely, and you can access them from any device. Free & paid options available. We recommend NordPass for ease of use. Get NordPass for free.
Need more help?
Contact our team for more help, guides, personalised advice and plans.
We’ll help you or refer you to the right places to get your situation resolved.
Section C: Protect yourself for the future
Since you’ve been breached, this could have happened from a company getting hacked or your devices getting hacked. It’s not always easy to tell, but if you have a many accounts breached, or a recent breach, then you may have been hacked. Review the steps below, but focus especially on steps 1-3 for alerts, password protection, and to perform a security scan.
Improve your account security and overall online & device safety with 4 key steps. Complete all 4 steps for the best protection.
Step 1
Get future breach alerts
This could happen again, or you could find out more was breached. Get alerts & protection.
Make sure you get fast alerts when any account breaches or any of your personal data gets exposed online by hackers, and on the dark web. Don’t get alerts? Sign up today:
If we contacted you: Did you know about your breached info otherwise? If you didn’t, that’s exactly why you should sign up for ALL alerts to protect yourself. Your first one was free.
Step 2
Scan your devices
You may have been hacked if you have been breached. Scan and check your devices asap!
Install antivirus security software to help detect, remove, and prevent dangerous files and apps from your devices. Security software scans your device in the background to protect it while you use it and when away.
Free and paid versions available for every device
Step 3
Save new passwords safely
Securely storing your passwords protects them from being stolen in many cases / reduces the risk.
Make sure you use a password manager app to keep all your passwords more secure than on paper, or in your computer files. Don’t use one? We recommend NordPass for its ease of use:
Free and paid versions available for every device
Step 4
Protect your browsing
If you travel or are concerned about the WiFi you connect to:
Protect yourself from criminals, hackers, and even the government when you browse online. If you visit and use public or hotel WiFi, a VPN is essential (public/shared WiFi has many fake sites to steal your data).
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Additional ways to protect yourself
We also recommend: Installing an ad blocker to stop ads to make your online browsing better. Plus an ad blocker stops dodgy / suspicious ads too.
Talk with friends and family: Share safety tips, get and share advice. Check online if you are unsure.
Read the guides and watch videos from the links above for the various services that help protect different areas of your online activity and devices so you can understand how they work and ensure you are using them well.
Need more help?
Contact our team for more help, guides, personalised advice and plans.
We’ll help you or refer you to the right places to get your situation resolved.
Share us with friends and family
Make online safety a priority
While it might seem like a boring topic, online and data safety is important. Spreading the word helps more people learn.
If you know someone who is too busy to sort their online safety or check their accounts – recommend they get a data breach protection and alert plan with us, or start with a free breach check. We can even help increase their account security on their behalf.
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