Today, most people use a number of online accounts and services. It's easier and more convenient to order things online, and you can get your purchases faster and with less work. When you make purchases online, you run the risk of having your account taken over. This could cost you a lot if you don't know how to protect yourself and stop account takeovers.
What is a "takeover" of an account?
Account takeover is a bad thing that happens when hackers get a user's login information and password for a bank account, an online store, or another website or app and use the account as their own. Account takeovers are usually done to make fraudulent purchases, get money out of the account, and make money off of the user who is being taken advantage of. Millions of customers have their accounts taken over every year, so it's important for businesses to try to stop this from happening.How does the takeover of an account happen?
Account takeovers can happen in a few different ways. In general, phishing is the most common. This is a tricky attack in which a hacker makes a fake email, login form, or even a copy of an application to try to get the user to reveal their login information. If you've ever gotten a strange email asking you to click a link to verify your account, this was probably an attempt at phishing that could have given someone access to your account.Credential stuffing is another way that attackers get into user accounts to steal information. User credentials that have been stolen are often posted online, and attackers use credentials from one service that they know work for many other services as well. For example, a known Netflix account login could be put into Hulu, Disney Plus, Prime Video, Peacock, and other streaming services in the hopes that the user will use the same username and password again.
Lastly, brute force is used to get into accounts. Some hackers use powerful programs that try a lot of different usernames and passwords until one works. With the help of sophisticated software, these attackers can try tens of thousands of different combinations every second.
4 Signs of Fraudulent Account Takeover
- Many purchases in a short amount of time
- Multiple users with the same email or recovery number
- Many accounts were logged into on the same device.
- One account can be used from different IP addresses in different countries.
Describes the most common signs that an account has been broken into
If you see that a certain account is being used to make a lot of purchases quickly, that could be a sign that the account has been hacked. As a recovery method, it's also important to see if more than one user account is linked to the same phone number or email address. When accounts are taken over, the person who did it wants to keep control of them, and one of the best ways to do that is to change the recovery methods.If you see something strange going on with your user accounts, it's also important to check the devices being used. Multiple accounts being logged into from the same device is a sign that someone has taken over your account. You may also see that the same account is being used from different countries by IP addresses. This is a sure sign that someone from outside the account has taken control of it and is using it without permission.
Some examples of suspicious behavior that people should keep an eye out for
People should not open strange emails sent to their address, and they shouldn't click on links in emails they don't trust. It's also important to check the address of the website you're on to make sure it's the right one. You could be on a fake site that looks like the real one. One good way to stop account takeovers is to know how to look for possible phishing attempts.Best Ways to Look for and Stop Account Takeovers
As the owner of a website, if you don't want account takeovers to hurt your business, you can take some steps to protect your customers and visitors. Follow each of the tips below to make it harder for someone to take over your account.- Users should be forced to use strong passwords.
- Use services for two-factor authentication.
- Limit the number of times a user can try to log in.
- Let users know when their passwords change.
- Add security software designed for your needs.
How to Create a Strong Password
Getting into your account will be much harder if you use a strong password. Pick a password with at least 12 characters and a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters. You can also make your password harder by using both lowercase and uppercase letters and by not using common words. Lastly, use different passwords for each account to protect yourself even more.How Two-Factor Authentication Works
Two-factor authentication is being used by more and more sites and services today. Before a user can get on the site, they have to verify their account and log in on a second device. Often, you have to confirm your login attempt with a text message, email, or authenticator app before you can get on the account. This makes it hard for people who don't have access to your devices to get into your account.Account takeovers can be detected and stopped with security software
It can be hard to spot the signs of an account takeover by hand, but sophisticated software can pick up on even the most subtle signs. Adding security software to your site is one of the best things you can do to stop someone from taking over your account. The software will stop people from taking over your account and let you know when strange things are going on on the site.Account takeover is a real problem that online businesses and customers all over the world have to deal with. Every day, people get accounts without paying for them and use them to place orders, send money, and use services that they haven't paid for. Follow the steps above to protect yourself, your site visitors, and your account from being taken over.