I nearly lost control of my exchange account last week, and honestly, it was terrifying. Here's what happened and what I learned from it.

It all started when I noticed an unfamiliar login attempt from a VPN I'd never used. Within minutes, someone tried to change my recovery email. If they'd succeeded, I would've had zero access to my funds. The attack was sophisticated—they had my username, knew my backup codes were vulnerability, and moved fast.

Luckily, I caught it in time because I had email notifications enabled. But it made me realize how many traders operate with minimal security setup. No authenticator app, recovery phrase stored carelessly, passwords reused across platforms. If any of those applied to me, I'd be completely wiped out.

What saved my account:
- Two-factor authentication on both the exchange and email
- Not storing seed phrases digitally
- Unique, complex passwords
- Recovery codes kept offline in a secure location

I'm sharing this because account security isn't just boring tech stuff—it's literally the difference between keeping your assets and losing everything. The crypto market moves fast, but attackers are faster. Check your security settings today. Don't wait for a close call like I had.