Hacked on social? Here's what to do next

Step 1: Sign out on every device

It's alarming to think about someone else's hands all over your social media account, posting crap on your page. Fully sign out of your account on every device you're logged in.

Pro tip: Under the Settings section in every social app, you'll see a list of all (or the most recent) devices signed in. On Facebook, for instance, just click your profile picture > Settings & privacy > Activity log > Where you're logged in.

This step will often boot more casual hackers piggybacking on automatic sign-ins. They'll get asked for passwords they don't have and won't be able to log in again, so they can't spam your peeps. But don't stop here!

Step 2: Change your password

You know the drill: Replace your old password with a strong one. Make it at least 12 characters with a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Better yet, have a password manager come up with a great one for you.

Step 3: Report the hack

Now, hackers should be mostly locked out of your socials. Before you take a deep breath, though, report the hack. This way, your social media platform can help you roll back your hacked messages and freeze your account until you're sure everything is safe.

Step 4: Check for surprise changes

No one likes cleaning the house, but it has to be done. Jump over to your account settings and check for any funny business, like:

Step 5: One last thing

FYI, you can only get 2FA on X if you pay for its $8 monthly Premium service. Annoying.

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