Chapter 4 - Got Phished?

What to do if you fall susceptible to a phishing attack.

Oh no!! you just fell susceptible to a phishing attack! Now what???

• First, make sure you run your antivirus software to check for any downloaded malware on your computer. If you do not have any antivirus/malware protection we will suggest a few software below.

• Once you have identified any files that were marked malicious make sure to move them to the recycling bin and delete them.

• Go ahead a restart your system and run another antivirus/malware scan to make sure nothing was forgotten.

• You want to then change the password of any of the accounts that were compromised right away. If they are critical accounts like your bank account, make sure to call the security center for your bank and have them close the compromised account.

• If you are locked out of the account, contact the accounts help center to see if they can either change the password for you or close the account.

• Last thing, if you have been phished and compromised make sure to let any important email contacts know so that they do not receive a Phishing email that the attacker sends on your behalf and spreads the attack to more people.

Cited: Hebert, A., Hernandez, A., Perkins, R., & Puig, A. (2021, October 18). How to recover your hacked email or social media account. Consumer Information. Retrieved March 17, 2022, from https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recover-your-hacked-email-or-social-media-account