How do I find out if my account has been hacked?
Getting hacked is truly horrible, so you want to do everything you can to prevent it. But if it does happen, you want to find out as soon as possible.
More and more hackers are targeting regular people to steal crypto, hack bank accounts or just stalk. The annoying thing is that online criminals are getting smarter. That's why it's wise to know how to protect yourself on Gmail, Outlook or Facebook, for example.
The first step is to find out if you’ve been hacked. Each type of account has its own way of checking, so it can take some time to figure out how to do this. We’ll help you out with a few popular apps, so you’ll know exactly when it’s time to take action.
How to find out if you've been hacked on Gmail
If you think someone has broken into your Gmail account , scroll all the way down in your inbox until you see Latest Account Activity in the bottom right corner. Click Details .
A pop-up window will now appear full of all the places your Google Account is active. If you see a location you don’t recognize, like a country you haven’t been to recently or have never been to, click Security Checkup . There you can check which devices your Google Account is active on.
If you see an account you don’t recognize, you’ll want to change your password as soon as possible. To do this, open your Google Account and go to Security > Password . Enter your new password and select Change password .
Checking for a break-in on Microsoft Outlook
If you're worried that hackers have gained access to your Microsoft Outlook account, you can check when and where you're logged in.
To get there, go to your Microsoft account, click on “Security info” in the left-hand menu, and tap on Recent activity . You should now see a page with recent login information, such as what platform and device were used, browser type, and IP address.
If you have been hacked, you can more easily secure your account by clicking on the link in the bottom right corner. Here you can enter a new password and add extra security.
Your Apple ID has a handy feature to help track down hackers
Apple makes it easy to check which devices your Apple ID is signed in to via system settings. On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings , tap your name, and scroll down to see all the devices you’re signed in to.
If you click on a device, you can view the details of that device, such as the model, serial number, and operating system version.
If something is wrong, change your password by going to Settings and tapping Login & Security > Change Password .
How to Check If You've Been Hacked on Facebook and Instagram
The social networking giant offers a feature that lets you see where your account is logged in. Go to Settings > Password & security > Where you're logged in .
If you have Instagram connected to your Facebook account, you can also see where you're logged in to Instagram in the same place. If you don't have Facebook or the accounts aren't connected, go to Instagram's Account Center. From there, click Password & Security , then click Where you're logged in .
Here you can choose to log out of specific devices, for example if you don't recognize them or if they are old devices that you no longer use. For extra security, you can also change your password here.
You can easily and quickly track down hackers on WhatsApp
Previously, you could only use WhatsApp on one smartphone, but now you can also use the app on computers and through your browser, thanks to Meta's new features.
To check where you’re logged in with your WhatsApp account, open the WhatsApp app on your phone. Tap the three dots in the top right corner and select Linked devices . Here you’ll see a list of all the devices you’re logged in to. If you’ve been hacked, click on the unknown device to log out.