How Do I Know if My Email Has Been Hacked?

Updated on July 31, 2024.

A hacked email can place multiple of your accounts at risk of becoming compromised, which is why knowing the signs of a hacked email is important. Some signs that your email is hacked include receiving suspicious login attempt notifications, being unable to log in to your email account, unfamiliar log in locations appearing in your email settings and spam emails appearing in your sent inbox. 

Continue reading to learn more about the signs of a hacked email and what to do if your email is hacked. 

1. Suspicious login attempt notifications

If you’re receiving multiple notifications about suspicious login attempts on your email account, it could be that someone is attempting to gain access to your account or already has. As soon as you notice a suspicious login attempt notification, it’s important to take action immediately by changing your password and enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). 

2. Inability to log in to your email using your credentials

If you’ve tried to log into your account using the credentials you’ve used before and they’re not working, it’s possible that a cybercriminal gained access to your account and changed your email account’s password. This is also known as an email account takeover, which is a cyber attack in which someone gains access to your email account and locks you out of it by changing your password so you’re unable to kick them out of your account.

3. Unfamiliar devices in your email’s login history

Most email providers allow you to check your recent login history. You’ll typically be able to see the location and the type of device that was used to log in to your account. If you use Gmail, you can check your recent sign-in activity here. 

Your IP addresses will usually repeat themselves if you regularly access the internet from the same networks. If you see that your email has been accessed from a number of different IP addresses than what you usually see it can be a sign that a cybercriminal has gained access to your email account. If you’re unsure of what your IP address is, simply Google search “What is my IP address.”

4. Spam emails appearing in your sent inbox

It’s likely that if a cybercriminal has accessed your email account, they’re sending spam emails to your contacts from your email address. If you receive messages from your contacts wondering why you’ve been sending them spam, be sure to look for other signs that someone has gained access to your email account. 

5. You’re receiving multiple password reset emails

When signing up for an account, you typically have to input your email address for communication purposes and to regain access to your account if you were to forget your password. If someone hacks into your email account, they could use it to gain access to multiple accounts linked to your email address. If you start receiving multiple password reset emails, it could be because someone is attempting to hack your other online accounts after successfully gaining access to your email. 

What to do if your email has been hacked

Here are the steps you should take if you discover your email has been compromised.

1. Change your password

Any suspicious activity on your email is an indication to change your password immediately. When creating your new password, make sure that it’s strong and unique. If you’re having trouble coming up with a strong password, use a password generator. 

To ensure you won’t forget your password, consider securely storing them in a password manager. Password managers also have a built-in password generator to help you create strong and unique passwords for every account.

2. Enable multi-factor authentication

Multi-factor authentication can block over 99.9% of account compromise attacks, making it crucial to enable it whenever it’s an option. When you have MFA enabled, access to your email account is only permitted after presenting verification factors in addition to your password to prove the person is who they claim to be.

3. Check your email account settings

When cybercriminals access an email account, they may change some of your email account settings to make it easier for them to regain access to it. Fully inspect your email account settings to ensure that the recovery email or security questions weren’t altered to something different. 

4. Warn your email contacts

Lastly, you should inform your contact list that your email has been hacked. Make sure to warn them against opening attackments, clicking links or sending money that was supposedly requested from you.

Protect your email against hacking attempts

Using a password manager can improve the security of your online accounts, making it much more difficult for cybercriminals to access them. Gain peace of mind knowing that your email password is safe in a secure password vault that only you can access. 

Curious to learn more about how a password manager can help you secure your online accounts? Start a free 30-day trial of Keeper Password Manager today.