What to Do After Being Hacked — Your Complete Recovery Guide

Step 1 — Stay Calm and Assess What Happened

Before doing anything, take a moment to understand the scope. Ask:

• Which account or device was affected?
• What information might the criminal have accessed? (Passwords? Financial details? Personal data?)
• Did you click a link, download something, or receive an unexpected login notification?

Understanding what happened helps you prioritise your response.

Step 2 — Secure Your Email Account First

Your email account is the master key. If it is compromised, a criminal can reset every other password. Secure it before anything else:

Step 3 — Change Passwords on All Affected Accounts

For every account that was compromised — or that shares the same password:

Start with the highest-value accounts: banking, email, Apple ID / Google account, social media.

Step 4 — Contact Your Bank Immediately If Financial Data Was Involved

If any banking details, card numbers, or payment information may have been accessed or used, call your bank now. Use the number on the back of your card. Ask them to:

• Review recent transactions
• Flag any suspicious activity
• Freeze or replace your card if necessary

Step 5 — Run a Full Security Scan on All Your Devices

Use a reputable security tool:

Remove any apps or files you do not recognise.

Step 6 — Check Whether Your Information Has Been Exposed

• haveibeenpwned.com — enter your email address to see if it appears in known data breaches
• Your bank and credit card statements — look for small unfamiliar charges over the last 30–60 days

Step 7 — Report What Happened

Reporting helps others avoid the same attack and creates a record that may support any financial claim:

• Action Fraud: actionfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040 — for any cybercrime or financial fraud
• Your bank's fraud team — if financial accounts were involved
• NCSC Suspicious Email Reporting Service: report@phishing.gov.uk — if a phishing email was the cause

For full reporting guidance, see: How to Report a Cyber Attack or Data Breach →

Step 8 — Audit All Your Accounts

Go through every online account you use — shopping sites, streaming, forums, work tools — and for each one:

A password manager makes this process manageable. Bitwarden is free, open-source, and trusted by security professionals.

Step 9 — Check Your Credit File

If you believe your personal information was exposed, check your credit file for any fraudulent applications in your name. All three UK credit reference agencies offer free credit reports:

Step 10 — Consider Protective Registration

If your identity has been used fraudulently, CIFAS Protective Registration (£25 for two years at cifas.org.uk) flags your file so lenders must take extra verification steps before approving credit in your name.

Use a password manager

Bitwarden (free) means every account has a unique, strong password — and you only need to remember one master password.

Enable 2FA on everything

Especially email, banking, and social media.

Keep devices and apps updated

Security updates close the vulnerabilities criminals exploit.

Check haveibeenpwned.com periodically

Or enable breach alerts if your email provider supports them.

How do I know if my personal data has been stolen?

Check haveibeenpwned.com to see if your email address appeared in a known breach. Also check your credit file for any applications you did not make, and monitor your bank statements for unfamiliar charges.

Do I need to report a hack to the police?

Report cybercrime to Action Fraud (not your local police station) at actionfraud.police.uk. Action Fraud is the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime and routes reports to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau.

How do I make sure it does not happen again?

The three most important steps are: use a different strong password for every account (use a password manager), enable two-factor authentication on all important accounts, and keep your devices and software updated. A Cyber Nova AI free account gives you a personalised checklist covering all of these for your specific situation.