If you believe that you have been hacked by somebody else, there is a big problem that could end up closing your business. Being hacked in this current digital climate is common for small businesses as much as it is common for the larger enterprises out there. The question is – do you know what to do if you have been hacked?
While you may already have Arbor Law on the phone waiting to help you with your legal case here, you need to know what to do immediately before you can get your business back on track. Hackers do not have to end your business, and if you are aware of hackers and how they could operate before it happens, you’re going to avoid this as much as possible.
Firstly, reset all your passwords.
Hackers would have got into your business account via one of your passwords or any other account details. As a business, you should be using case-sensitive passwords that are all changed on a regular basis, but not everybody thinks about this when they are setting them up. Your account and account details on what most hackers want – your data is in danger. Change the passwords and make sure that only those who need to know them.
Check your machines.
If the company that your accounts and your data are hosted by did not notice or mention a security breach, then there is a big problem. It would mean that your machine could be the source of the attack. Have your IT team scan your computer for spyware, malware, and any key stroking equipment that could be stealing your passwords or details. If there is malware on your computer, this is where you would reset the password all over again.
Verify each account.
Once you have password-protected everything in your system, verify all of your accounts and verify any shipping information to make sure that it’s still pointing to your address. This could help you to guarantee that your account details still point to your current business address.
Tell people about the hack.
If your business is customer-facing this could be difficult. However, if there has been a data breach your customers and your clients do need to know. However, it’s not smart to let them know unless you have a plan in place to follow up. Let them know there has been a hack, but make sure you let them know what you’ve done about it and what you are planning to do to protect the information in the future.
Set up new accounts.
Hackers could have gained access to your email and they can access your social media accounts for your business. If this has happened, you need to set up new accounts and new email addresses in replacement. Check all of your inboxes and sent items as well as your trash for new account notifications using these new emails. If no accounts have been created, you can try logging into them. Otherwise, save yourself time and set up some new ones.