5 Signs Your Website Has Been Hacked

Featured article by Robert Cordray, Independent Technology Author

The estimated annual cost of cybercrime globally is about $100 billion. Dedicated hackers are developing their strategies so well that you may not even know your systems have been hacked until it’s too late. Here are 5 sure signs that your network has been compromised.

1) Hijacked accounts

Hackers don’t need access to your bank accounts to rob you blind, only access to merchant accounts. They buy goods with your credit and have them shipped somewhere else for resale. Often they’ll submit a flood of orders so they can reap the benefits quickly before you even know you’ve been hacked. You’ll start receiving insufficient funds or payment due notices on merchandise or materials you never saw, and it will take months to straighten out the mess and regain your credit.

Check your financial statements frequently. If you see fraudulent charges, immediately notify your financial institution, change your account logins and passwords, and notify law enforcement. As cybercrime becomes more common, banks and even credit reporting agencies are becoming more forgiving.

2) Unknown software

Discovering that you’ve got software programs installed that you never heard of or don’t even know what they do is a good sign that your system has been hacked. Some companies may bundle legitimate software along with your main application, but fraudsters may offer useful or discounted software solely to conceal malware that opens the door for hacking. Sometimes you can uninstall or opt out of these unwanted extras, and sometimes you can’t.

Often it can be hard to tell what’s legitimate and what isn’t. Try disabling a suspicious program and rebooting; if it doesn’t affect your computer or favorite applications, remove it.

3) Fraudulent emails

Both email and social media accounts can be hacked to send out fraudulent messages. While this may not do much damage monetarily, it can ruin your reputation. It’s also possible that these emails might contain links to malicious websites, leaving your or your company to take the blame. Customers and business email servers may also block incoming emails from your accounts.

If anyone reports receiving a suspicious email from your email address, run virus and malware scans on your computers and email servers. If you’re at a loss, contact companies like Blue Coat provide a high level of network and cloud security protection for organizations of all sizes.

4) Your website has strange files or code

If your website suddenly shows content that shouldn’t be there, it may have been inserted by a hacker. Check the code behind them and see whether they are pointing to a legitimate source which you recognize. Many content management systems are so well known that hackers gaining access can quickly upload files that will perform malicious actions such as stealing user credentials.

It can be difficult to tell what’s changed. Maintain backups of your website so that you can check against the original content. Check with your webhost or other experts for help.

5) Unwanted browser toolbars

New toolbars that show up on your browser are a common sign that you have unwanted programs. Often they are bundled with legitimate software as “extra features” and can be disabled and uninstalled. But sometimes they may involve malicious redirects, spyware to monitor your browsing activity, or hidden malware.

Immediately get rid of these unwanted toolbars, especially if they come from a vendor you’ve never heard of, or keep showing up even after they’ve been disabled. Then run malware scans to ensure they haven’t done any further damage.

Most successful hackers depend on outdated software, hidden malware, or phishing emails, which are phony emails with malicious links purporting to be from legitimate companies. In one recent hack, about 130 million accounts were compromised in a single cyber-attack. It’s important that every user on your network exercise caution and be vigilant for signs that they’ve been victimized. If the problem gets worse may need to subscribe to specialized cybersecurity services to protect your online properties.