Crypto investments can be a lucrative opportunity, but usually don’t come cheap or without risk. Over 20 million users trust MetaMask to keep their accounts and the valuable crypto they hold safe and sound from outside interference.
If a part of your crypto investment is suddenly missing from your account, you’ve unfortunately most likely got hacked. In that case, stay calm and act fast. Here’s what you need to when your MetaMask gets hacked and how to prevent future intrusions.
MetaMask Got Hacked
If your MetaMask account has been compromised or even if you only suspect this may have happened, you need to take immediate action.
The first thing you will want to do is secure the rest of your investment. Contact MetaMask support directly and notify them that you believe you have been hacked.
To keep your funds secure, you need to transfer any cryptocurrency you have in the MetaMask app to a different account. You’ll need a new account (it can still be on MetaMask), created from a fresh email on a device you haven’t used to access MetaMask before. When creating a new account, provide details that are not easily connected to the hacked account.
The main reason for this is the device you were using at the time of the hack may have malware that resulted in your account being compromised. If you keep using that device to access MetaMask, your future accounts can still be at risk. Embedded malware can detect new logins and make your effort meaningless if it distributes your new data.
For more future-proofing, use one of the most potent malware cleaners available. Most free antivirus software is typically ineffective at dealing with these threats, but you should be able to find a good deal just to clean the device once.
After creating a new MetaMask account, send the remaining funds from the old account to the new one. This will ensure you don’t lose any of your obtained investment. If the hackers have locked you out of the old account, it’s pretty much game over for those funds and the chances or retrieving the account are minimal.
Once you’ve transferred funds and cleared out the old account, you might as well forget about it. If its details have been leaked somewhere, it’s unusable as a wallet for future currency.
The Grim Reality of a MetaMask Hack
The one main thing you need to know about a cryptocurrency hack is you will not be able (in most cases) to recover your investment. MetaMask itself states that “transactions cannot be reversed.” They also state that missing funds cannot be restored even if they are the result of a hack. They are basically not responsible when your account has been hacked.
Taking actions after the hack might not return your valuable investment, but they can prevent further damage to you or other users. The best way to minimize future inconvenience is to contact MetaMask support and provide as much information as possible. Since a hack is essentially a transaction that you didn’t authorize, you can still track where the money ended up, at least at first. Letting MetaMask staff know allows them to enter the details of the account the cryptocurrency was delivered to into a database. This will ensure the user will not be able to carry out such an action in the future using the same details.
Stay Secure to Protect Your Investment
It goes without saying that you will no doubt want to protect your privacy and your investment when dealing with cryptocurrency. With that in mind, follow these tips to maximize your account security:
- Never share your MetaMask account information with anyone. This includes your username and password, your email, or your seed phrase (Secret Recovery Phrase).
- Change your password regularly. Also, don’t use a password that you use with other applications or cryptocurrency platforms.
- Never use the MetaMask app while connected to an unsecure internet network.
- Don’t share devices through which you access MetaMask.
- When not using MetaMask directly, log out of the application. If you are using a browser extension to access MetaMask, clear your cache and browsing history after use.
These might sound like common sense tips, but are very important to follow and sometimes they are the first line of defence.
Advanced Tips to Prevent Being Hacked Again
No matter how hard you try to secure your account and investments, you are always a potential victim of a hack. MetaMask recommends you adhere to these rules, ideas, and tips when it comes to your account:
- An admin (administrator) or other staff members from MetaMask will never message you first. If you receive an unsolicited message from someone posing as MetaMask staff, do not answer it and contact MetaMask immediately.
- If you receive a pop-up anywhere asking you for your seed phrase, do not respond to it or provide it. This is your personal information and should never be given out to other people.
- MetaMask administration will never tell you to visit another website or to download another application wherein you will be required to provide your “phrase.” This is a surefire sign that someone is attempting to gain access to your account.
- Emails from MetaMask, such as updates or security information, follow a strict template and come from a single email domain: “metamask.io.” This domain should be visible in the sender’s address for all official emails. Messages from other domains should be considered scams. Do not click on any buttons or download any files in those emails.
- If you are told to send funds to receive more funds, do not follow any such advice and report the message sender. This is one of the most common types of scams and its prevalence transcends crypto platforms.
As a rule of thumb, if something sounds too good to be true it probably is. If you’re unsure of why you’re getting a specific email or message, one of the simplest explanations is that it’s a scam attempt. Always be on the questioning side of things when it comes to your personal online security.
Always Take Your Cryptocurrency Security Seriously
Hopefully you are the type of person that truly follows security protocols when using cryptocurrency apps. The more diligent you are the less likely you are to be a victim of a hack when using MetaMask.
Do you have any other tips, suggestions, or ideas when it comes to your MetaMask account getting hacked? If so, be sure to share them with other readers below.
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