Clicked a Weird Link by Accident? Don’t Freak

No one is perfect, and even seasoned IT pros have clicked on a strange link or two in their day. If anything, the rise of AI and people’s willingness to overshare online give cybercriminals ample opportunity to create convincing ads or phishing emails that most of us could fall for.

Have you fallen victim to this scummy practice? Then take a deep, calming breath and read on, since you can still do a lot to mitigate or minimize the damage. Here’s how.

Go Offline

If the link you clicked brought you to a shady website or initiated a stealthy download, pulling your internet’s proverbial plug is the safest first step. Some malware can do damage directly to your system. For example, ransomware is notorious for locking key system or personal files behind encryption that you can only get rid of if you part with some hard-earned crypto.

Usually, though, malware acts in the shadows. It may collect the passwords you type in, your internet usage patterns, and any other information worth exploiting or selling. This information needs to be transferred to its creator, which becomes impossible without an internet connection.

Leave the Site You’re On

A common alternate scenario involves clicking on phishing links inside emails or social media messages. Doing so sends you to websites that look like copies of legit ones and are designed to steal your data. The sites themselves are generally harmless — the damage is done once you type your credentials in.

Knowing this, you can first check the website’s address to make sure it’s fake. Do this by visiting the supposed recipient’s official website and comparing the addresses. The lack of HTTPS in the former is a dead giveaway, as are any discrepancies in naming, like ending with .net instead of .com or subtle changes to the website’s name.

Look for Suspicious System Activity

As stealthy as malware can be, there are telltale signs of its activity. General slowdowns are a common one, as are batteries that run warm and drain suspiciously quickly if you’re on mobile or use a laptop. You might also experience brief window pop-ups or unfamiliar processes in the task manager. Unsanctioned upload and download activity, changes to your homepage, and sudden redirects are also warning signs.

Secure Your System

Running a security scan to get rid of any malware is the first thing you should do. Since you’ll want to remain offline, download the latest version of antimalware software to an unaffected device and transfer it from there.

Once the scan completes, you can delete any quarantined threats and go back online. Make sure to download any updates for the anti-malware as well as your system and other software. Set them to update automatically to minimize future threats.

Secure Your Online Accounts

It’s not too late to prevent the worst, even if you accidentally revealed your login or banking details. Chances are, cyber crooks who stole them won’t take your accounts over right away. Still, speed is of the essence, so change your account credentials, PINs, etc., right away.

It’s also a good idea to keep monitoring these accounts for suspicious activity. This can be repeated login attempts or linking unknown third-party services to them. Make sure your accounts interact only with authorized third parties and report any irregularities.

Improve Your Cybersecurity Defenses

Taking the step above will hopefully help you regain control of compromised accounts and take care of any lingering threats. However, only learning from the experience and being vigilant will prevent it from happening again. Setting up the proper cybersecurity tools will go a long way.

VPNs

Start with a trustworthy VPN. Using it whenever you go online will create an encrypted tunnel around the connection that helps on multiple levels. On the one hand, it ensures the connection is secure so that no one can monitor your activities and intercept or redirect your connection requests, which is a real possibility when using less secure networks like public Wi-Fi. On the other, quality network security tools keep up-to-date lists of known harmful sites and won’t let you access them.

Password managers

Combining password managers with two-factor authentication is another must. The manager can store and generate complex, unique passwords essential for account security. Combining it with 2FA ensures that stolen credentials are no longer enough to gain access to your accounts.

Preemptive measures

Lastly, you’ll want to assess your digital footprint and its impact on cybersecurity. You can curtail it by deleting old accounts or undesirable activity on your social media. Still, information on you that makes it easier to pull off successful phishing or other social engineering attempts in the future may be out there and out of your control.

Consider using best identity protection tools as a means of preempting the worst. They specialize in monitoring the dark web for mentions of sensitive information like your account details and act as an early warning system. The sooner you know that someone might be planning on exploiting this information, the more prepared you’ll be to counteract it.

Further Reading