There are several ways an account can be compromised. The most common is re-used passwords being compromised in a data leak or hack elsewhere. Other common ways include convincing the victim to give their credentials, such as in a fraudulent web form or phishing email, or harvesting the data using malicious software installed on the victim's computer.
If this has happened to you, take the following steps:
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Change your compromised password
- If you still have access to the account, change the password immediately.
- If you cannot access the account, submit a ticket or contact us.
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Change other potentially compromised passwords
- If your compromised account is used as a recovery avenue for other accounts, those accounts may also be compromised.
- Change the passwords of any services or accounts that use your compromised email as a recovery address.
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Run virus and malware scans on all computers used with this account
- No single virus scan will detect all threats, so it is recommended to run more than one.
- On PC, In addition to the virus scanning that is built into Windows, you can also try
- Malwarebytes - https://www.malwarebytes.org/free/
- SUPERAntiSpyware - http://www.superantispyware.com/superantispywarefreevspro.html
- On a Mac, you can also try
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Check for other security breaches
- You can use https://haveibeenpwned.com/ to find out if your email accounts or phone numbers have been exposed in a data breach.
- If you have credit monitoring or ID theft protection services, you can check them as well.
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Enable two-factor authentication, aka 2FA
- We highly recommend enabling 2FA on all accounts that support it.
- Instructions for setting up 2FA for prxy services can be found HERE.
Password Security Tips
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Do not share passwords with other people.
- Each additional person with access to the password is an additional point of potential security failure.
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Do not re-use passwords between different services and accounts.
- If you use the same password for multiple things, any security breach on any of those things can compromise ALL of them.
- Protect yourself by using unique passwords.
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Create strong passwords
- In general, the longer the password, the better.
- Using at least 1 each of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers and symbols will strengthen the password.
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Use a password manager
- You only have to remember one password
- Strong passwords are generated automatically and stored in your password vault
- Password managers have different features and costs. There are both free and paid options to look at. Here are some examples of password managers you could try:
- 1Password - https://1password.com/
- Bitwarden - https://bitwarden.com/
- Dashlane - https://www.dashlane.com/
- LastPass - https://www.lastpass.com/
