I was just watching some YouTube videos and noticed something strange. First, I found 'sleep phonk' in my search bar, and I definitely didn't search for that. Then, I saw a Mac DeMarco playlist in my watch history, which also wasn't anything I clicked on. I got pretty freaked out trying to figure out if my laptop has been hacked. I checked my email on haveibeenpwned and it looked fine. I know I've been careless with safety before, but I need some advice on how to check if I've been hacked and what to do next. I'm running scans but it's taking a while since I have a lot of files. Any help would be appreciated! Also, I've been using some streaming sites and playing games, so I'm worried it might have something to do with that. Thanks!
3 Answers
It sounds like your Google account could be accessed from another device. If you’ve logged into YouTube on a TV or another streaming device, that might be where the weird search came from. Try checking the devices linked to your Google account in the security settings. If things look fishy, sign out all devices and change your password. It's a good idea to enable two-factor authentication too!
If someone was really hacking you, they wouldn’t risk using your account to watch random YouTube videos. It’s likely just a mix-up or someone else using your account on another device. Just be proactive: log into your account and check all settings. Also, run a full scan with both Windows Defender and Malwarebytes for peace of mind. If you don’t find anything, you should be good!
Haha, that's true! I just got paranoid. Thank you for reassuring me!
I don't think you were hacked in the traditional sense. It’s possible someone else has access to your account if they used it on another device. So, check in your Google account settings under 'Your Devices' to see if anything looks unfamiliar. If you see any unknown devices, definitely log them out and change your password.
That's a relief to hear! I'll check my devices ASAP.
Thanks a lot for the suggestions! I'll check that right now.