So your friend has been hacked: Could you be next?

This article explains how a friend’s hacked account can ripple through their network via impersonation, phishing, and credential stuffing, exploiting trust and shared personal data. It urges verifying incidents through separate channels, using strong unique passwords with a password manager, enabling 2FA (preferably keys or authenticator apps), reviewing connected devices and permissions, monitoring for dark web exposure, limiting public personal information, remaining skeptical of urgent or AI-driven lures, and maintaining reputable security software—while also supporting the affected person once you’ve secured your own accounts.