Identifying Email Hacks and Reliable Sources for Continuous Surveillance
In the unfortunate event that your email account has been compromised, it's essential to take immediate action to secure your other accounts and prevent further risks. Here's a step-by-step guide on what you should do.
Identifying Email Compromise
Keep an eye out for unusual behaviours such as unexpected password changes, receipt of unfamiliar emails like order confirmations or account sign-ups, and sudden requests for urgent financial transactions or credential submissions. Indicators include grammatical errors, suspicious sender addresses, unexpected attachments or links, altered domain names, and last-minute changes in banking details.
Securing Other Accounts
If the compromised email is linked to other accounts, review and update their security settings. This includes enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all email accounts, enabling external sender alerts, and implementing technical protections such as DMARC, DKIM, and SPF for email authentication.
Monitoring Email Security
Regularly monitor your email security by scanning for unusual outbound traffic or network patterns, conducting continual employee training and awareness programs, and verifying any payment, banking, or sensitive changes through offline, known contacts.
Scanning Your Device
Run a full malware and virus scan to ensure your device is not the source of the compromise. Consider using security platforms like Norton, McAfee, or Bitdefender, which often include email monitoring and phishing protection.
Using Identity Protection Services
Services like Experian's Dark Web Scan can notify you if your email or associated data appears on the dark web. Consider using a password manager like LastPass or 1Password, which often include breach monitoring features.
Changing Your Password
Use a strong, unique password for your email account and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA). Consider using a tool like Have I Been Pwned to check if your email or other personal information has been exposed in a breach.
Enabling Alerts
Turn on login alerts and notifications for unusual activity. This will help you quickly respond to any potential threats.
Informing Your Email Provider
Inform your email provider of the breach for further investigation and support. Regularly use the tools and platforms mentioned above to keep a close eye on your accounts.
By following these steps, you can help prevent and mitigate risks from business email compromise (BEC) and phishing attacks, combining technological safeguards, employee vigilance, and verification procedures.
